Setting New Year resolutions is like hitting your personal update button. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on growth and struggles in the previous year, and then choose what areas of your life you want to keep, level up, or delete.
2020 has certainly felt like a slow-motion of days and a time-lapse of months. From experiencing a debilitating injury to entering a worldwide pandemic and the following economic crisis – it has personally been a less than pleasant ride.
While we can’t control what life throws over our path, we can control how we want to take our next steps. And while setting resolutions may seem too intimidating during this uncertain state of the universe, setting intentions can bring us some sense of direction without the rigidity of solid goals.
Set Value-Driven Intentions Instead Of Resolutions
1) Intentions Focus on the Journey Instead of the Outcome
I’m sure every one of us has pleaded guilty for not achieving their yearly resolutions. Research shows that only 10% of people successfully stick to their New Year’s resolutions.
So, what if we played the long game instead of trying to chase an annual deadline?
As the saying goes, ‘life is a marathon and not a sprint’. Many goals we set for ourselves require years of transformative ripple effects. While it is great to set time frames for achieving success, it is easy to fall into a trap of an all-or-nothing mentality. Intentions, though, guide us to build a way of life that helps us sustain ourselves for the long uncertain road.
2) Intentions Require Us to Be More Reflective
Most New Year’s resolutions focus on superficial yet vague goals with little to no specific action steps. More so, resolutions seem to ask for a perfect ending that doesn’t exist.
Intentions, however, ask for us to be creative, mindful, and honest in the changes we want to make. Set aside time to ask yourself how you can create a change that aligns with your values; and whether it is realistic to your truth. Intentions do not lock you into a specific outcome, yet have vast potential in guiding you in the direction of your ambition.
3) Intentions Provide Support to Goal Setting
Many assume that intentions don’t have the same effect as resolutions in achieving goals. On the contrary, staying true to your intentions brings you closer to your goals while keeping them aligned with your values.
Taking advantage of your intentions while striving for your goals provides you with the grace needed to embrace hurdles. They act as a buffer from the black-and-white mentality by reminding you of what really matters.
For example, you may have the goal to exercise three times a week and to lose a certain amount of weight. Simultaneously, holding an intention of ‘having better health and more energy’ provides the behind-the-scenes strength to that static goal.
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My 2021 Intentions
1. Cultivate More Trust In The Self and The Process
When 2020 has been a year full of uncertainty, it is only natural for many to lose touch with the trust we have in ourselves and the world.
As a full-time student transitioning into a working adult during a global crisis, the weight of the world and the demands of my new responsibilities has left me worn thin. Despite the tremendous growth in many areas of my life, I somehow lost a lot of my confidence in skills I used to be proud of.
Entering the new year, I intend to rebuild that sense of self that I can call home. Taking my time to emotionally adjust and to learn from the tough truths of 2020. At the same time, believing in the journey down the road, as blurry as it seems at the moment.
2. Learn How To Ask For Help
Moments of solitude this year have allowed me to dig deeper into past wounds on top of current struggles. Experiencing a constant slippery slope with my depression and anxiety has unfortunately led to symptoms of daily fatigue, irritability, and mental fog.
Hence, I intend to regularly check in with my mental health – whether it’s with a professional or regular downtime with close friends. Through acknowledging my limitations and setting firm boundaries, my intention is to practice the art of seeking help; rather than silently carrying any overwhelming or impossible weight.
3. Financial Mindfulness
While I intend to build a more mindful approach to my financial wellbeing, it is essential for me to find a balance between my scarcity mindset as well as occasional mindless card-swiping habits. Although I am nothing but lucky to be employed as a fresh graduate in this current state of the economy, being mindfully strategic with my finances is a long-term game I hope to play for future financial security.
4. Stay Curious
Curiosity is a combination of intelligence, persistence, and hunger for novelty. When 2020 has only proved that all tomorrows are uncertain, keeping a curious heart and holding a growth mindset are ingredients for creating a progressive yet meaningful life.
As I transition into a new phase of my life with more demands on my time and energy, there have been days where I find myself lost and stuck. Reflecting on the ambiguity of the path ahead, I have found that embracing novelty is what will sustain my growth in the journey ahead.
Concluding Thoughts
2020 has undeniably been rough waters for many. However, it is important for us to acknowledge small wins, even if that means solely surviving through the global health and economic crises.
As we enter a hopeful 2021, I wish everyone kindness and strength. Fundamentally, I hope we can all come from a more intentional space with our goals and our growth.
