Skip New Year’s Resolutions: Choose Intentions Instead
Photo Credit: Frances Gallarotti via Unsplash
Why Resolutions Rarely Last
As we look to the new year, there is often pressure to make big sweeping changes to fix ourselves. Our New Year’s resolutions inevitably start strong but peter out by the end of January, often leaving disappointment and resignation in their wake. Instead of resolving to reinvent ourselves in some grand way, we offer something quieter and maybe a bit more flexible and sustainable than a resolution: the chance to begin the new year with intention.
While resolutions are outcome-focused and tend to rely on willpower and control, intentions invite self-awareness. They ask us to consider how we want to show up rather than what we want to achieve. Intentions guide our choices while leaving room for complexity, missteps, and learning. We falter, we don’t fail. We notice, pick ourselves up, and re-orient, which makes us more likely to stick with them.
How Intentions Guide the Way We Show Up
Many of us will welcome a fresh start this year with a sense of hope and anticipation. You may even feel like you have a clean slate, a chance to start over and create something new. Instead of making a list of resolutions, I have a ritual that helps me navigate the year ahead with purpose and intention: choosing a single word to guide me throughout the year.
The practice of selecting a single word as a guiding principle may sound simple, but its impact can be profound. Once, my word was 'Create,' a term that effortlessly found its way to me as I celebrated the start of that year. Create encapsulated my intention for the entire year. It served as a beacon, reminding me of what mattered to me and inspiring me to take new actions.
To help my brain connect to my word for the year, I made a collage of images that evoked the essence of my word. These images, cut from magazines, printed from the internet, or drawn from personal photographs, became a symbolic representation of my intention. It turns out our brains like symbols; they’re like shortcuts. I kept this collage on my desk as a daily reminder of my intention.
Intentions have a certain mystical quality that’s hard to explain. Whether you opt for a single word or craft several sentences to guide you, the essence remains the same: it’s about living life gently with purpose and direction, refusing to leave your life to chance. You have a say in how your year unfolds, and your intentions act as a roadmap to guide you along the way.
Living intentionally is a concept that resonates with me. I believe that each of us has the power to shape our lives.
Living the Year With Purpose
For those who may be skeptical of intentions or prefer a more structured approach, you can certainly refer to them as goals. The mind often appreciates the clarity and tangibility that the word goal provides. It makes your intentions feel more actionable and measurable, aligning them with a traditional framework.
Regardless of the terminology you choose, the point is to take time to reflect on the year ahead. What will you be satisfied with at the end of the year? What part of your life needs nurturing and focus? Set an intention. Revisit it frequently. Or let it linger in the background of your mind. Sometimes, events have a way of unfolding even when we’re not actively focused on a particular intention.
At the core of this practice lies the belief that you are the author of your experience. You have a unique part to play in the grand unfolding of life.
So, what story will you tell for yourself over the next year?
Five Ways to Begin Any Year with Intention
1. Keep it simple.
A single word or clear intention can be more powerful than a long list of goals. Simplicity gives your mind something it can return to when life becomes busy or uncertain.
2. Use visible reminders.
A collage, a handwritten note, or even a photo can anchor your intention. External cues help bring you back to what matters.
3. Let intention guide choices.
Intentions are reference points, not rules. They help you check alignment over time without judgment.
4. Revisit as needed.
Some days your intention will be front and center. Other days it will sit quietly in the background. Both are fine.
5. Focus on agency, not outcomes.
You cannot control everything that happens, but you can influence how you respond. Living intentionally is about participation and agency, not prediction.
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