Setting Intentions over Making Resolutions
Every December as the temperature drops and we move through our varied holidays and acquired traditions, we all approach the pending new year with different attitudes. Some of us are excited, some are scared, some ignore it like the markers of passing time hold no significance and some roll through the seasons like seasoned elders. I used to stress out about the approaching new year. I used to worry about making resolutions and then judging if they were resolute enough, big enough, achievable and yet still enough of a stretch, until I finally had enough of the whole process. I was not enjoying it and I did not want to start anymore years off doing something I did not enjoy. So, I stopped making resolutions and turned to setting intentions.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the importance of setting goals, tracking achievements and constantly learning and growing, but I have varied beliefs about the how. “For those who set goals and sometimes fail to achieve them, the act of goal setting can lead to a sense of, not only failing, but of being a failure” says Marla Tabaka from Inc https://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/setting-goals-isnt-enough-setting-daily-intentions-will-change-your-life.html. As they say, it’s not always about the destination, it’s also about the journey. It is about the how you get there. More and more we are coming to understand that the how is where the transformation happens because the journey is where we grow. So I stopped making resolutions because resolutions did not work for me and no one had explained yet that there was another option. Resolutions are not bad, some people find joy in making resolutions every year and make plans to meet them and successfully conquer those resolutions and goals throughout the year. I am not that person and that is okay. So I turned to intentions instead.
The best intentions are positive, because you do not want to call negativity into your life. A great intention can also grow and change as aspects of said intentions are achieved because growth is constant, not stagnant. Another important aspect of intentions is that you have to allow your intentions to happen. “Detach from the Outcome” says Deepak Chopra from his site, https://chopra.com/articles/5-steps-to-setting-powerful-intentions, because “attachment is based on fear and insecurity, while detachment is based on the unquestioning belief in the power of your true Self”. Meaning that sometimes we have to trust our energy to attract what we need in whatever form it shows up. We have to let go of our belief of how it should look.
“Sankalpa—the Sanskrit word for intention—is generated for your soul’s growth” says Erin Hanafy from Well + Good https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/why-you-should-focus-on-intentions-instead-of-resolutions/. Intentions help you to stretch into the role you want to be. They are without limits and let your mind and imagination work their magic to get you where you want to be. Allow your intentions to work through you as you live your best and most authentic life. Allow intentions to be something you set each morning and then let your brain do the work in the back of your mind for the rest of the day. Live in the present and let your intentions be a subconscious guide for what is drawn into your life. You have more power than you realize.