I just spoke to a friend who said, “You know that my year starts tomorrow (1st December), right?” What she meant is that she starts planning for the next year at the start of December. I know what she means, because I do that myself. I’m sure many of you are getting ready to start the exercise of preparing for 2021. With the experience of many years of not making resolutions, may I suggestions that for 2021 you set intentions, not resolutions.
Set Intentions Not Resolutions
An intention is an aim or a plan. A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. Of the two, intention and resolution, which do you think is most probable to make you achieve anything this year?
How many times have you heard people making resolutions every start of the year? And how many of them actually achieved their goals? Fairly low percentage, I bet.
Resolutions aren’t enough to reach a dream or goal. You must intend to do it and be 100% determined in doing so. An intention is a deliberate action.
This year, if you want any change and improvement in your life, set intentions, not resolutions.
Know what you want
Before anything else, know what you want. It’s quite impossible to act on something you don’t know what in the first place. You can start your car but if you don’t know where you’re going, you can get stuck there. You can buy the most expensive machine and it will be useless if you don’t know how to use it.
Be clear, concise, and resolute in your plans. Set your mind into it and give it your all. At the end of the day, how important the goal is and how hungry you are for change will determine your effort to achieve it.
Be specific
Intentions, plans or aims are more specific than resolutions. If you go to a restaurant, the service may be 5-star, but if you don’t know what to order, the waiter will not be able to give you what you need. Having a resolution that says to be fit is good, but it’s not enough. How do you intend to get fit? Eat right. Reduce meat and sugar intake and eat more veggies and fruits, dedicate at least 30 minutes of your time each day to exercise. Find an exercise that you enjoy doing. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a day. These are only a few examples of being intentional and specific about your goals.
Don’t just decide to do something, make a plan to do it. Welcome the New Year with a new mindset. Welcome the New Year with intentions. Don’t just resolve to improve your life this year. Intend to do it, and see the change for yourself.
As many regular readers know, I set intentions for myself using the Word of The Year exercise. I will have a post out soon inviting you to link up with your word for 2021.
Heads up!
Please join me for the next three Mondays with your posts:
7/12 – __(your age) I’m grateful for. For example, mine will read – 55 things I’m grateful for
14/12 What 2020 has taught me
21/12 Word of the Year for 2021
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- Write a post sharing your thoughts with us – happy, sad, philosophical, ‘silly’ even. Make it as personal as possible.
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Agree that it’s better to set intentions than resolutions. Would love to join word of the year post.
Looking forward to reading your post. Will tag you once my post is up, Mahati.
I like how you differentiate between intentions and resolutions. My intention for 2021 is to live a more intentional life. I know I must get more specific than that and make a plan on how to do it. It’s a beginning, though! 🙂
Thank you for sharing, Laurie. I just read your post on your Word of the Year for 2020 and 2021.
Hmmm… This is helpful guidance for sifting through all the thoughts I have for 2021!
Agree, resolutions never work. Will try from today on to set intention for the coming month. Why wait for new year ?
Resolutions, intentions, goals…I have such a love/hate relationship with them! I’m learning to weave grace into those places as I remind myself I don’t need to do any of them in my own strength!
I stopped setting resolutions a few years back. I guess Cory your WOTY (Word of the Year) really helped do that too. So thank you so much. <3 Though I didn't write mine in 2020, but I worked with it pretty much successfully.
I guess it's a good idea to start creating goals from December. Maybe this will set me in motion too. 🙂
Thanks so very much, for this post.
https://natashamusing.com/2020/12/birding-weekend-wordlesswednesday-wednesdaywisdom/
Corinne, I love that this time of year prompts reflective thought and assessment as we prepare to move forward into a new year. I try to live every day with intention and have long decided that ‘balance’ is the key to my contentment and growth. For me, the framework of balance depends entirely on what I value. Thanks for the reminder to establish intentions, rather than resolutions.
I agree, Corinne. Making resolutions is a futile exercise, as I have discovered over the past years. Now, after all the experience of these past eight months, I have learned to take one day at a time and give it my best. That’s it. And, of course, make sure that whatever I do, I do it with love, passion, dedication and happiness. The rest all will fall into place. That’s the intention I plan to live with in the coming new year 🙂
Perfect! I don’t do resolutions but I have set intentions. Some of them have worked, some don’t. This year was very weird in all ways and so when we came to know we would be working from home for the near future, we had to re-set our intentions as well and make sure there is separation of home and work.
I think the Monday musings are a great idea and would love to take part!
Resolutions lose its appeal after sometime. Maybe, keeping a resolution for a year is the wrong thing. Instead keeping a resolution for a month might work, since most of the resolutions die after January anyway.
I dint remember when was the last time I kept a resolution. Word of the year is a better way to manage the year as a whole, I agree. Can’t believe that it’s time to set another one! Will try to join the next three weeks, Corinne.
This makes so much sense. Intentions are empowering and give a broader vision and serve as a starting point for setting more specific goals! Thanks for the inspiration, Corinne!! Great prompts for Monday Musings, joining you for the next 3 Mondays! 🙂
I love the idea of setting intentions instead of resolutions. I never follow through with resolutions.
I have never met my new year resolutions or life has thrown me things because of which I have at times forgotten what my resolutions were.
Setting intention seems right. I have been trying word of the year and that kinda works better for me.
May your month of reflections and plans be a rewarding experience m, Corinne.
Love and hugs,
Ramya
A very thought-provoking post, Corinne. I like how you differentiated between intentions and resolutions! It makes a huge difference in the way we see our path ahead and how we act upon our plans at the start of a new year.