Introduction
Another holiday season has come and is almost gone. Many of us prepare to hunker down for the next few months, (at least in the Northeast) for some cold dreary days, throwing ourselves back into our work routines with some hope for renewal and lots of intentions. A number of years ago I did away with the idea of New Year’s resolutions and instead, seek to set my intentions for the next year.
Intentions vs Resolutions
The idea that we make resolutions, which we often fail at in the first few weeks, in my mind is not a great way to start off a new year. If we are going to make the most of a calendar reset, and create room for positive thoughts, feeling failure in the first few weeks is not the way to accomplish that.
The difference between a resolution and an intention might simply be the feeling it evokes. Setting intentions, for me, brings about a feeling of hope and excitement about what the next year will bring with the energy to make it happen. A resolution has a heavy feeling that is binding and not forgiving.
When it comes down to it, I guess one could argue that it’s all the same, semantics they might say. Whatever word you want to use, resolution, intention, affirmation or goals. Your association with the word will let you know which word is right for you. Whatever it is that is going to help you move forward in your life and help you to open up the windows of new possibility for you.
Setting Your Intentions
I like to take a few minutes before the clock strikes midnight to think about what is right for me in my life and the things I want to work on. Writing this down is helpful, though I am tempted to sometimes just think it out. However, when I take the time to write it, I feel more organized and can more easily identify my next steps. The other day I wrote about the different ways to “lighten our loads” for the incoming year which presents some ideas or categories to think about the ways in which each of the segments of our life could be refreshed.
When goal setting with clients I will often ask them to think about their life in sections, creating a life wheel as it is referred to in the world of “life coaching”. This diagram is an example of what this life wheel looks like. There are many free examples that you can download. I found this on Systems of Change. The different sections represent the different parts of our lives. What are your goals in each of these sections?
This year I am also going to think about life in terms of this life wheel and identify the areas I want to develop. Again, it is about setting your course, the direction you want to go in for 2021. For example, some top intentions for me this year are:
- To be more active
- To get outside in nature more
- Practice gratitude
- Grow my blog
- Connect with my passions
A Word on Life Coaching
If you’re interested, there’s a ton of information on this topic online, Positive Psychology has an extensive article written on this topic as it pertains to us individually. You can access that through the link here, Your Ultimate Life Coaching Tools Library. Although the title might imply that this is written for people like me to support clients, it is a very good description of what life coaching is and makes some helpful comparisons with mental health therapy. I love many of the tools and frameworks that life coaches use to support people in creating the changes they want for their lives.
Reach into the New year
While there are many aspects to life that we don’t have control over, there is a lot that we can work to create and build. By being intentional and reaching out to extend yourself, you might surprise yourself with what your future can bring.
What are your intentions for 2021? I would love to hear from some of my readers in the comment section below. What do you want to bring more of into your life in 2021?
This has been a difficult year, I sometimes lose sight of how hard it has been, I tend to just put my head down and move forward. However, this holiday season has been a reminder of the hardships we have endured. As a self-professed introvert, social distancing has not been difficult for me, but even so, it has been challenging of late, despite the hardships and many losses, there is always hope. I read a quote many years ago, the author is unknown, but it has always stood out for me and is appropriate here.
“Hope is perhaps the one chief happiness this world has to offer”.
Happy New Year, wishing you peace and joy…
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