If you heard our podcast about setting intentions for the New Year and want some help, weโve got you!
New Yearโs resolutions are often intimidating, and if youโre like most, they donโt make it past January 17th. We all love a clean slate though. There is something refreshing about a new start, fresh beginnings, and feeling as though anything is possible. There is nothing wrong with using January 1st as a way of setting goals for yourself. We often use it as a guiding point for many things in our lives: our personal lives, our career, our household, etc.
The most important thing we have learned in the past few years though is to not put too much pressure on ourselves. While we love setting goals for the year, we instead have opted for intentions. Our intentions are not just willy-nilly pipedreams we put out into the universe, hoping to come true.
They are true, calculated plans that we have for ourselves, but we do feel that if we set our intentions, place them into an action plan, and say them aloud, then they are more apt to happen.ย
We thought we would share a plan that works for us and that may help you as you move into a new year, setting your own intentions so that you can be successful in various areas of your life!
Setting Intentions for the New Year
Step 1โ Decide what area(s) you want to focus on. This can be your emotional well-being/mental health, physical health, financial health, hobbies/passions, education, career, or any space in your life you want to dedicate your intention.ย
Step 2โ Take some time to free-write about the things you did accomplish in your chosen area, in 2021. This is a time to only focus on the positive. This can be big or small.
Step 3โ Now, jot down some areas that you struggled with in the area of focus. Donโt get too hard on yourself, and donโt take too much time on this. Itโs just some moments to reflect on the past year.
Step 4โ What did you learn from the past year about the area of focus? Are there some things that you can take into the new year that will help you be better about the chosen area of intention?
Step 5โ This is a time for visualization. Take a few moments to visualize what your area of focus looks like, in a world of it going smoothly. What does that feel like? What words come to mind as you have that picture in your mind? Jot those down as you think of them.
Step 6โ Take a look at the words that you have written down. You may begin to see a word that jumps off of the page for you. If so, that word may resonate as an inspiring word. For example, we tend to find that a specific word becomes โour wordโ for the upcoming year. It is a word that guides us, and our principles, and is sort of a mantra in a way.ย
Step 7โ Now, this is the time to take that focus, your intention. Focus on your word, that feeling you want for yourself in the new year, and manifest it into action. What action can you take each day to make this happen? Even if it is something you can do for yourself for 5 minutes each day, take a few moments right now to schedule it into your calendar for the whole year. If you are someone who needs to see a visual reminder, write your word on a piece of paper. Put it somewhere you will see it, every single day. Do something this moment that will carry you through the year, reminding you of that feeling, of how wonderful it will feel, to achieve what it is you want for yourself.
Move into the new year with a fresh outlook, filled with positivity. We hope these steps are helpful for you as you set your intentions for the new year. With the right mindset, possibilities are awaiting to unfold. Happy New Year!
