2022.
We are entering a new year, with new challenges, opportunities and goals. At the start of the new year are inclined to set resolutions and goals for the year to keep us focused. Resolutions are great, in theory, but I find they do not always work out successfully as the year progresses. Especially with a pandemic, and stress of our surroundings, adding more expectations to ourselves may not be the recipe for success. A few weeks ago during my morning Calm session, they discussed resolutions versus intentions. She discussed how setting intentions help us set a road map, and navigate our year, without the pressure of a resolution. It allows for grace and flexibility, while still helping us improve and move towards our general yearly goals.
I felt really inspired with the the idea behind my annual intentions and immediately jotted down a few ideas. My idea for an intention is an idea that slowly helps me achieve a greater goal. It should slowly change my perception or outlook of a specific area. It should be something I can measure, and something that can adapt with my lifestyle. You can also focus on an area of your life that was challenging so you can grow. So today, I thought I would share my intentions for the year, and how I hope to achieve them.
Move my body
I don’t want to set a definitive resolution to lose weight, or or set an unreasonable expectation like working out 5 days a week. Those resolutions can be hard to achieve, and then discouraging when I don’t make it. Life happens. Not to mention, with the pandemic, we don’t know how much we will be able to hit the gym. I can however set an intention to move more. This can be a wide range of actions, including getting up at work every hour, trying to get to the gym if possible or stretching at home with a YouTube video. Setting an intention to get more active and move will get me started in the right direction of improving my fitness. I set an intention of moving 20 minutes, three days a week. This is measurable and reasonable so I am setting myself for success. My sisters and I joined Habitshare so we can track our movements, and motivate each other. My hope for this intention is to stop thinking of exercise as a chore, or something that has to take a lot of time and be super intense. It can be as simple as moving and stretching. It can be something I enjoy and do for myself.
Gratitude Journal
I am looking forward to improving my gratitude and outlook this year. While we probably have all tried our best to be positive, it can feel challenging with the constant barrage of negative news. I started jotting down things I was grateful for last year, but was very inconsistent. I would like to set an intention to find one positive event daily and jot it down. We can be grateful for delicious coffee, large vacations, and kind actions from those around us. Along with journaling, we can find ways to bring joy to others who may be doing the same activity. How can I bring joy to someone’s day? What act of kindness can you provide to your friends? Hint, everyone loves baked goods. Fortuitously, I received a gratitude journal for Christmas so I am ready to get started with this intention. My hope for this intention is to be more present and aware of all the gifts I am surrounded by daily. It can be easy to overlook kindness, but it is all everywhere.
Always Have a Book on Hand
My last intention for the year is to always have a book on hand. I am changing this goal from a specific reading quota, to always being prepared to read. Again, as previously mentioned, I don’t want to set a 30 minute reading guideline because I may not have time daily. Or a monthly quota, because what if I chose a long book or conversely a super short book. These arbitrary differences will wreck my resolutions, because I will feel guilty if a longer book took longer than a month and I missed my goal of reading one book a month. So if you struggle with these nuances like I do, then simply change your goal to an intention! By setting an intention to have a book ready, I feel I will be likely to increase how much I read a day, month and year. The hardest part is usually selecting a book and deciding to read it. I am hoping to cut down on time scrolling, or keeping myself busy while waiting for an appointment. My first book is called Tinkers, by Paul Harding. I picked this one up at the Harvard bookstore while visiting Boston. I also plan to download an audiobook so I am always ready at home, or on the go. If you have a rec, please let me know!
What are your hopes, intentions and resolutions for the 2022?
