Set INTENTIONS not resolutions this New Year

Happy New Year!

Have you made any ‘resolutions’ for 2019? Maybe you’ve even broken some already!?

At the start of a New Year, it’s tempting to set a number of ‘resolutions’.

BUT, I’m not convinced resolutions are helpful, achievable or fulfilling!

I’m not saying that looking ahead to what you’d like to achieve or bring into your life isn’t important.

BUT I think there’s a better way to go about it.

So in this post, I’m sharing how I decide what I’d like the year ahead to look like, and why I think resolutions are bound to fail (well, for me at least!).

Watch or read below:

Intentions versus resolutions

I’m not one to set New Year’s Resolutions anymore. Mainly because I don’t like the term resolution. I’ve come to associate resolutions with things that I feel I should be doing, rather than things that I want to do and feel inspiring for me.

I prefer to talk about my intentions. I like intentions, because the word implies that I still have some flexibility to change what I do as my circumstances, needs and desires change. Because let’s face it, we can easily change our minds about what we’d like to achieve over the course of a year.

So I might intend to do something, and if it continues to feel good for me to do that thing and I get it done, that’s great. BUT, I won’t beat myself up about it if I change my mind or I need to tweak that intention in some way.

If I set myself resolutions, I’d find it harder to be so kind to myself if I didn’t see them through.

It may sound like semantics, but it’s important to choose language that’s going to motivate and inspire you, rather than drag you down and make you beat yourself up!

Setting intentions

So as you look ahead to 2019, decide what intentions you would like to set (and by the way, you don’t have to wait until the New Year to set intentions, you can do this anytime!).

I find that setting myself fewer intentions is more effective. Listing out too many things can be overwhelming and makes it difficult to achieve the things I’d like to.

Choose your focus areas

I like to list out the various areas of my life.  So for you, pick whatever areas are most relevant and most important. For example, I usually select: health, relationships, wealth, work/career and fun and leisure.

Set just ONE intention for each area

Then I set just one intention in each area. This doesn’t mean to say that I won’t do other things that aren’t on the list, but setting fewer intentions gives me a clearer focus.

When choosing your intention for each area, think really hard about what is your greatest priority by asking yourself: If I could only do one thing in this area, what is most important?

List out your intentions in each area in any way that works for you. I like to take a blank sheet of paper and turn mine into a mind map or sometimes a drawing, because I’m quite visual. Do whatever works for you.

Review your intentions regularly

Then, at regular intervals throughout the year, go back to your intentions and ask yourself: Do these still feel good for me?

If they don’t feel inspiring anymore, maybe they aren’t the intentions you really need and you can change them. Or, perhaps the way you’re approaching them isn’t working for you and it’s time to find another way that feels manageable or enjoyable.

So for 2019, try setting intentions rather than resolutions and notice the difference!

I’d love to know what intentions you are setting for 2019, particularly in relation to your body confidence.  Please leave a comment below.