I have to be totally honest, I’m not very goal or resolution oriented. Maybe it’s a result of my sobriety, but I prefer to take things day by day. I believe setting intensions are more manageable on a daily basis and help you take small steps towards what you really want. Having lofty goals or resolutions like “work out five days a week” almost always ends up making you feel defeated because it’s a constant reminder of what you haven’t achieved yet which sets you up to fail. Whereas setting an intention like “incorporate movement into my daily routine” just feels more motivating and inspiring. Besides, say you don’t make it to the gym one day but you take a work call while you go for a walk, rather than from your desk. In the end, you’ve gotten more exercise than you would have but your resolution would tell you that you failed while you’re intention didn’t.
So, I always say when you change your energy you change your life. Tweaking the way you think about something like an intention versus a resolution is way more effective and sustainable in the long run. Intentions also give you more room and flexibility. You can get more creative about how you go about achieving things which often results in smaller lifestyle changes. Resolutions can feel very rigid and structured. Besides, if you’re able to stick with something like “incorporate movement into my daily routine” it gives you room for growth. Maybe today that means a 15 minute walk but in a couple months from now it means a 30 minute walk. Resolutions on the other hand make you want to give up on them after you’ve missed just one workout.
Anyway, if you’re curious what some of my intentions are, I’m sharing them down below for you. I’d love to know what intentions you hope to set for 2023 – any I need to adopt?
