Happy New Year to all you beautiful souls!
It’s a new year, which means out with the old, in with the new. It means new beginnings and blank pages. The new year does not mean there needs to be a new you. It is not about changing who you are or fixing yourself just because it’s the turn of the year. There is no reason for that - you are perfect exactly as you are. You are good enough exactly as you are. There is nothing to fix or change.
As we move forward in the new year I invite all of you to write out your 2018 intentions. I am focusing on intentions here because intentions help us to grow as a person, they help us grow into the best version of ourselves. To me, the term “resolution” seems to have more pressure attached to it and it seems a bit more judgmental. Resolutions tend to stem from a feeling that we aren’t good enough or that there is something we need to change about ourselves or that we will be happier when _____ happens.
Have you ever set a New Year's Resolution that had to do with health and fitness, such as going to the gym more or losing weight? Well, I have and let me tell you whenever I set those “resolutions” for myself 9 times out of 10 the motivation wore off by February and I am left feeling disappointed in myself. When I look at the old resolutions I’ve set for myself, they usually come from a place of “fixing” when the new year should be all about love and manifesting your dreams and goals into how you want to live your everyday life.
If there is a shift you want to make in your life have it come from that place of self love and self worth. When setting intentions they should come from a place knowing that you are already enough, so you can move forward without having an attachment to the outcome - it’s more about the journey. One of your intentions can still be going to the gym more or loosing weight, but it should come from a place of caring about yourself and wanting to be a healthier person instead of changing who you are. Intentions are not just meant to be written down and forgotten about. They are meant to be lived every single day - it’s a constant practice.
When preparing to write your intentions out, make sure you get clear about what you want to cultivate in your life and write it down. Make a statement that relates to your purpose and how you can bring about change. It can include being more patient, kind, generous, or a lifestyle change. Once you have your statement, support it with realistic action steps you can commit to such as: “I will schedule time for myself to go to the gym 3x / week. I will add one fruit or vegetable to each meal.” If your intention isn’t as measurable, such as being more patient than focus on ways you can incorporate patience into your everyday life. Do something each day to demonstrate your commitment to your intention.
What I invite each and everyone of you to do is spend some time to really think about what it is you want to manifest and how you want to live your life in 2018. Write down your intentions and place them somewhere you will see on a regular basis. Your intentions shouldn’t turn into a “to do” list, but instead should be incorporated into your everyday life and should really reflect how you want to live your life in the new year. Remember, there is no pressure associated with intentions, there is nothing you need to change or fix about yourself. Your intentions are not set in stone and it is okay if there are some shifts that take place from your original list. Don’t focus on things if they go wrong, but instead focus on the journey as a whole and open yourself to all the possibilities that lie ahead in 2018!
