With a new year often comes a flood of wonderful inspiration to evoke change. As 2020 is before us, I invite you to look at creating change with a different light.
I have never been into resolutions. For me, I always knew I would never stick to the change so I never really bothered to set one. I have found that the resolutions I’ve attempted tend to lean more towards the typical: losing weight, eating better, traveling more, etc. These are wonderful (though for me, half hearted) goals, but I noticed that my inspiration was often superficial in nature. I would want to lose weight to look better in skinny jeans or eat better because it’s expected or travel more because no one really says out loud how much they love staying home (but I’ve become such a homebody.) I found that these resolutions were not in alignment with what really mattered to me.
I began consciously creating intentions for the year based on one thing- my values. Values guide our actions and our emotions. If you value fun and adventure, yet you never go anywhere, you will likely experience inner conflict (sadness, anxiety, low motivation, guilt, and shame, etc) because your actions are not in direct alignment with your values. If you value self growth, yet during all of your spare time you mindlessly surf Instagram (that’s me by the way), then you may go to sleep every night feeling unaccomplished and ashamed.
I would much rather feel at peace. I use the following 4 steps to consciously create intentions for the new year (or any time)
1. Motivation Don’t just set an intention because you feel like you should. Make it something that lights you up and speaks to your Self, otherwise it won’t last. Don’t set an intention because you feel external pressure, it needs to come from within in order to last.
2. Keep it minimal We often go overboard when setting goals or intentions. When thinking of a goal as big as a new year intention, choose one or two values that are calling you and focus on those. It will be much easier to manage one or two versus five.
3. Set your intention Setting your intention involves actively and consciously choosing your values. For example, if you want to lose weight because you want to feel better about yourself, chances are this won’t be successful because let’s face it, happiness doesn’t come from a size 2. If, on the other hand, you want to lose weight because you value the sacredness of your body and you just found out your prediabetic, then this is an intention that carries consciousness.
The key here is to start from the inside out. Instead of focusing on losing weight, focus on what’s really important to you. Your value may be health or sacred body. Your intention could then be: I choose to honor the sacredness of my body (can you feel the oomph radiating from that statement?!). Remember, keep it minimal, so this may be your only intention for the whole year!
4. Set your Self up for success Consciously create habits surrounding your intention. Put your new intention in your phone as a reminder every hour. Keep it there all year. When your reminder goes off, read the intention out loud or in your head. Doing this multiple times a day will cause this intention to be normalized in your brain.
Choose daily actions that are in alignment with your value. The key is to incorporate your consciousness into your intention. You can achieve this by writing out an action-oriented intention every morning and then reflecting in the evenings. For example, if you’re sticking with honoring your sacred body, you may write down that you will practice yoga or walk to work. You may write that you will ensure you drink a lot of water that day. In the evenings, it’s important to consciously reflect and ask yourself, what actions were in alignment with my values and what actions were not in alignment? Figure out what works for you.
The key to setting intentions is to connect with your consciousness. Allow your consciousness to awaken and enable your thoughts and actions to be a reflection of your values. This year, my value is inner peace. My intention is simply: I choose peace. I am deeply devoted to feeling more at peace. I define peace as the stillness of my inner waters. Peace brings patience, acceptance, loving kindness, and did I mention patience? I’m so ready for more peace in 2018!
So thanks for the lessons and memories 2019. Here’s to a conscious, intentional 2020!
