Goals + Intentions for the New Year.
Is it ironic that as I sat down to right this, I glanced over at my vitamin package and saw the quote, “On average, it takes between two and eight months before a new behavior becomes automatic. Stick with it!” If not irony, then it is just good timing. That quote is exactly why I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions and why I encourage you not to as well. New Year’s Resolutions feel like they come with an absolute, an expectancy that because you declared it to be true, it will be. For example, your New Year’s Resolution may be to have one glass of wine per week. Well, the first week that you look up and have already had three glasses of wine because of whatever reason, it’s easy to get discouraged, say you already blew it, and give up.
That very thing, being human that is, is why I like to set Goals + Intentions. By changing my mindset to having goals that I want to accomplish and intentions that I set for each day, by default builds in grace. Goals aren’t reached in a day. They are things you work for and create a plan to achieve. Intentions are your purpose or attitude toward your actions (or goals). Therefore, I start every morning with a goal in mind and focus on my intentions to get me there. If I mess up or fall short, I don’t feel like I blew it and that I might as well stay doing what I have always done. I recognize that it is a process and realign my focus to do what I need to do in order to get to my goal. Change is hard. Change is uncomfortable. Change takes time. Be gentle with yourself, give yourself some grace, and set daily intentions (little things you can do each day to help you reach your goal) to focus on.
One of my goals this year it to move toward a 10 PM bedtime and a 6:30 AM wake time. This is a big one for me because by nature I am a night owl and not a morning person. It also doesn’t help that sleep is not something that comes easily for me. (My husband on the other hand falls asleep the moment his head hits the pillow. Even if we are in the middle of a conversation…It is amazing!) It takes active work to train myself to fall asleep before 1 AM. But I am motivated because I have dreams I want to chase and goals I want to achieve that require child free focus time. In other words, I have 1 - 1 1/2 hours during the day to workout, get dressed, and work on this blog and/or my current project while the baby naps. However, if I can be up by 6:30 AM, I can get my workout in and be dressed before the children wake up. Freeing up my afternoon time frame for writing.
Is this goal easy for me personally? No. Am I going to be successful at first? To answer that, let me point out that it is currently 9:55 PM and I am upstairs writing in my office space. Over the past week, I have managed to be in bed before 10 PM. Tonight however, my brain felt wired and laying in bed would have been pointless as I would’ve been staring at the ceiling with all of these words running around inside my brain. So I decided to come upstairs and get them out. It is important that I was aware of where I was at this evening. It was important to recognize my body’s rhythm and to know that I would be doing myself more of a favor to empty out all the swimming words rather than try to fight it just so I could stick to my goal. Listening to what I needed this evening, is setting me up for success to actually fall asleep once I go back downstairs. So tonight I will not be hitting my goal and that is okay.
I recognize that this is a process. I recognize that change takes time and that at first it may be a messy road. If you set a goal for yourself for this new year, that’s excellent! You have taken the first step toward change. On your journey to make that goal a reality, don’t be discouraged if you fall short or feel like you blew it. The important thing is that you refocus and set intentions afterward that get you back on track and that set you up for success. Sometimes it is more important to have that glass of wine, that comfort food, that extra hour awake, etc. to give yourself a moment to breathe, then to push forward and end up at a breaking point. Don’t be afraid to give yourself some grace and to listen to what you need. Self care is so important, as is being in tune to your body. If you take a moment (or day) to catch your breath and step backward, just make sure that you start the next day with a deep breath and fresh intent to set yourself up for success to reach your goal.
Be gentle with yourself. Trust the process/journey. Start each new day with intentions to reach your goal.
Journaling is an excellent way to track your progress. I always find it encouraging to see the changes I’ve made along the way.
These are my Goals + Intentions for the new year. Take any that inspire you. Leave those that don’t.
Practice self-love.
Be gentle with yourself. Trust the process/journey.
Quite time 5-6 times per week.
Transition sleep routine to 10PM —> 6:30 Am
Remember: People can only meet you at the depth they’ve met themself. And that’s okay.
Meditate 2-3 times per week.
Use past lessons & trauma for self growth and to help others.
Letting go of past mistakes. Mine and others’.
Write a new book and finish editing the draft that’s written.
Have more adventures. Seek the beauty in each moment and explore the world with my family.
Listen to my body. Learn what fuels it and what causes pain. Let go of foods that inflame.
Change diet for better overall health. Embrace what is needed to be the best me.
Find contentment where you are.
Practice daily gratitude.
Find peace and serenity in nature. Practice daily grounding and moments of calm + focus with the earth.
Each of these Goals + Intentions speak to me in a different way. There are many of them, each one being important to my person, and I am aware that I can tackle only 1 - 2 at a time. I have set realistic expectations about this process and fully intend to take the whole year to complete each one gracefully.
I hope you are leaving here feeling prepared, inspired, and ready to make a positive change.
xoxo