Have you set your resolution for the New Year? If not, consider setting your intention instead.
As I set a resolution, I am resolved to making it happen and to be honest, especially if it is a lofty goal, I fail at some point in the year. When I fail, I get discouraged….sometimes I pull myself back up and start again and other times I fall off the wagon completely.
Setting your intention provides some leeway or forgiveness. It says that you intend to do something. You are not perfect. It’s a statement that you are continuing to work on improving your situation….no matter how tough it may be.
I set intentions every day. It is a practice that I picked up in my coach training a few years ago. Each morning we would set an intention for the day. Your intention could be the same or change depending on what you wanted to focus that day. At the end of the day we would share our golden nugget – a personal learning ah ha that gave us new perspective.
The framework of setting an intention and then reflecting and on how you grew on a daily basis reinforces what is working – a strong signal that you are moving forward in your life. It doesn’t matter is your step forward is in inches or by leaps and bounds. Every positive step is step in the right direction.
So if you dread New Year’s resolutions think about setting your intention…it could be for the year or carve it out day by day.
Thanks for sharing this advice on making the right New Year’s goals and then following through with them. I agree that setting your intentions is a great way to make sure that you see the effects of following through with your resolutions. Plus, it is true that we aren’t perfect, so it is good to use intentions so that we know that we are at least trying.