Goals or Intentions for the new year, do I have to?
As it’s the start of another new year, I’ve begun wondering what it holds. After the sense of quiet and stillness of last year, this new year feels as if it’s one of growth and expansion.
So how do I ensure that I’m heading where I want to? Do I even need to know where I’m heading?
I don’t know about you, in the past when I’ve woken up on New Year’s Day, I’ve felt the pressure to make changes. I’ve set big goals, usually around changing my life completely or creating a new and improved version of myself! I start the year throwing time and energy at my goals, gradually though, the energy subsides as other things need my attention and before I know it, I’ve missed something on my to list, then I’m giving myself a hard time for failing and finally making excuses for giving up!
What am I doing this year? Well-being is key.
This year, I’m taking a step back, I’m letting go of the pressure to start the year with big goals, plans and to do lists. I will still create intentions for the new year, but I’ll let them unfold at a pace that feels intuitively right for me. I’ll treat myself with gentleness and compassion. I might also make some small goals on a weekly or monthly basis.
This feels like a kinder and more real way of approaching the new year. I’m not quite ready to decide on my intentions yet and that’s OK with me, perhaps as we head to spring where nature starts to germinate and grow, my intentions will also begin to germinate and grow. For the moment, not knowing is OK.
So, this first week, month, quarter, however long it needs to be, I’ll be allowing ideas and intentions to come to me. I’ll be meditating, journaling, drinking cacao and just allowing thoughts, words and possibly intentions to surface and take shape.
There are things I want to do more of this year. Create my own retreat!!
I want to create more space for ritual and meditation, restart my regular yoga practice, see more of my friends, create a relaxing and calm space to retreat to each evening with candles, incense, gentle music and soft lighting.
My intentions for this year feel bigger. I’m sure they are percolating at a deep level ready to appear as a thought or an idea. For now, I’m listening and paying attention knowing that whatever they are, they will be real and will have my full commitment.
For now, I’m just enjoying the feeling of not knowing, I’m feeling the fizz of excitement. There’s no pressure to do anything, just journaling, just meditating, just allowing.
Coaching and Journaling Prompts
Here are some of the journaling prompts I’m using with my journaling to help the intentions develop and surface. I just finish the sentence and let the words free flow knowing that whatever lands on the page is perfect for where I am now. I’m allowing my intuition to guide me. I always come back to what is important to me, not someone else’s expectations or judgements. I’m focused on what feels real for me now!
My biggest wish or intention is
The 5 most important intentions for this year are
This year, I want to feel
I feel happy when
The things that excite me most about this new year are
I want to stop doing, I want to start doing, I want to keep doing
If you are not feeling in a place to do a full year’s intentions or goals, perhaps start with a month or the week ahead.
My goals, wishes intentions for the next week/month are (fill your journal with whatever pops into your head).
What do I do with my intentions? Be your own coach.
I like to have them somewhere for a daily trigger. If I lose sight of them or they slip to the back of my mind, I have several prompts. I make sure I have that mental and emotional trigger. I save them to my phone, sometimes add them to my vision board or have them as my desktop. What would work for you?
Breathing life into your intentions
I love to bring my intentions to life, to imagine living my intentions. I make them feel so real that I emotionally engage. I meditate with them, a regular practice of bringing them to mind. The unconscious part of the brain looks for patterns so regularly focusing on your intentions helps your brain to keep looking for ways to fulfil them.
Once you have your intentions, why not give this a go
Close your eyes and imagine what it would be like if your intention were reality, let your imagination become totally immersed in living your intention. What do you notice? What do you see? What can you hear? What are people saying about you? What smells or tastes are there? What colours can you see? How do you feel?
Spend some time with each of your intentions. Experience each of them as fully as you can and watch what happens.
Happy New Year!