New Year, New You (?)

Intention Setting instead of Resolutions

New Year's resolutions are usually goals we set for the coming year, goals and results we wish to achieve. For example: “This year I will exercise, meditate, or achieve more…and I will stress, drink, and overeat less.” Resolutions often quietly judge behaviors as "good" or "bad."  Optimistic and taken in the spirit, "New year, new you" makes promises in the name of "Future you." The problem is that “Future you” never stands a chance, because the goals set in the future often remain in the future, and we find ourselves making the same resolutions each year. While resolutions are usually measurable and specific (key for goal-setting), we often don’t implement a clearly defined plan to achieve these goals.

Intentions, on the other hand, are gentle, qualitative, and compassionate. Intentions embody a quality - and as we know, qualities are felt in the body before they are known in the mind. Taking an intention-based approach to making change is a gentler, more compassionate way to address the voice that tells us it's time for something to change or happen.

For example, someone might set a resolution to consume no grams of refined sugar, indefinitely or for a certain period of time. The intention behind this could be:

• listen to and honor the needs of the body
• eat high-quality, unprocessed foods
• be aware of attachments to certain foods as a means of avoidance or distraction.

At the deepest level, it’s not about sugar, but about our relationship to ourselves.

In some cases, a resolution-based approach may be exactly what is needed (but be sure to make a solid, achievable plan!) However, in many cases, we find ourselves falling short of our resolutions, which leaves us wondering if they are the most effective option for bringing about change.

To set intentions this year rather than resolutions, focus on how you’d like to feel rather than a specific outcome. Rather than forcing the self to be something other than what it is, we explore our heart's intentions, the mind softens, and we tune in to what is "truest" for us. Placing the heart over the mind, our vision is fixed on images and qualities that unveil more stable aspirations and virtues.

Steps for Setting and Manifesting your Intentions

1. Look what you have - your gifts (dharma). This can help guide you in what direction to take. Focus on the gifts in your life and be grateful for what you have.
2. Clarify your vision. Focus on all five senses and how you’d like to feel in the future. What is the setting? The clearer you can be about what you want, the better you can "ask" for what you want in life. Creating a vision board or other artwork of your intention can be super helpful in clarifying your vision. Return to this vision often; perhaps even meditating upon it regularly.
3. Commit fully and believe. Trust that the process will work for you. The fear of whether you can create your reality will only hinder your ability to fully commit to your future.
4. Drop the expectations or “product.” The process may not unravel as you believe it will… just keep focusing on how you want to feel in the end and let the universe unfold as it’s meant to.
5. Be open to receiving. Let the change happen in your life. Start acting like your goal is inevitable and it will be.