Forget the New Year's Resolution, Set an Intention Instead!
For 2020, forget setting a resolution. Instead, ring in the New Year with an intention. This slight change to how you set your goal can actually improve your success in achieving whatever it is that you desire. You may ask, “Isn’t a person’s resolution and intention one and the same?” It’s easy to think so, since they are often times used in the same context. But there is a subtle, yet significant, difference between the two.
A recent article from Inc. sums up a resolution clearly, "It's a demand that we place upon ourselves, and there is no room for failure. Yet, failure is pretty much inevitable." A resolution is a specific goal that is firm and fixed. People often make resolutions because they feel something is lacking in their lives. Therefore, when you do not achieve the resolution that you have set, you may label it as a “failure.” This is a pretty harsh reaction, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy, guilt and shame. According to U.S. News & World Report, "By the second week of February, some 80 percent of those resolution-ers are back home with a new kind of remorse staring back at them in the mirror."
On the other hand, an intention is setting your attention towards a goal. It is an attitude. It is a way of being that helps you to focus your energy and powers toward achieving that goal. It is more fluid and allows for refinement and adjustments along the way.
When you set an intention instead of a resolution, you stop thinking about wanting what you do not have, and start channeling your energy toward what you want to achieve. If you happen to find yourself straying from your intention, you are less likely to feel you have failed, since you are still moving towards your ultimate goal. Instead, you can simply readjust, recommit and continue on towards that goal. As you can see, setting an intention is a gentler and often times more effective way of achieving a goal.
The most common resolution is to be healthier. Rather than setting a resolution to lose 15 pounds, you might might ask yourself, what's keeping you from being healthier? Or why do you want to be healthier? It might be that you've had a busy 2019 at work and need to find BALANCE again in your life. Or that you want to be healthier to have energy to spend quality time with your FAMILY. Your WORD of intention for 2020 might then be BALANCE or FAMILY. It's a WORD that reminds you of your why, of what's most important. It's a reminder of where you want to spend your attention and energy.
So go ahead, for this New Year, set yourself up for success by skipping the resolutions, and start setting New Year’s intentions. You may be surprised at what is possible for you in 2020! What would you like to you create with your intention for 2020?
To find your WORD of intention, try answering one of these 3 questions:
- What is a virtue you want more of in your life?
- What is an challenge you want to overcome?
- What are you most passionate about and want to do more?
Some virtues you might chose are TRUST in yourself, COURAGE to speak up, or STRENGTH to overcome.
What are challenges you want to overcome? Procrastination? Self doubt? Too many distractions? Set an intention to take ACTION, to BELIEVE, or to FOCUS on the projects that have the greatest IMPACT.
Do you love to DANCE, SING, WRITE, or CREATE? Set your intention to make time and space to do what you are most passionate about!
Join the MyIntent Movement
Join millions using MyIntent to stay focused on their WORD of intention. Customize a MyIntent bracelet or necklace as a daily reminder to take steps towards achieving your goals, dreams, or what matters most.
Research shows that having a reminder of your goals increases the success rate of achieving a goal. Your MyIntent wearable reminder is a tool to keep your attention on your intention.
"I really underestimated the power of my WORD on my wrist. It reminds me to stay in the moment [...] it is such a potent reminder." - L.H.
Need some more help to find your WORD? Check out our WORD Finder.
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