An Intentional New Year
Historically, I have never been a "New Years Resolution" kinda gal. In recent years, I’ve probably been more of a goal setter than anything. However, 2016 was the first year that I set goals, intentions & a word of the year.
There is absolutely no right or wrong way to start a new year; that is for certain. We will each have our individual ways of saying goodbye to last year and setting ourselves up for the year to come. So why did I set goals, intentions AND a word of the year? Because they’re all amazing, and they’re all a bit of a different focus.
Goals. For me, that means SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time-Limited). I set a bigger goal that I want to achieve in a given amount of time, and then I break that goal down into smaller goals (baby stepping stones) to help me achieve the larger goal. That might look like:
BIG GOAL: To go away on a five-day holiday before October (next year).BABY STEPPING STONES: Decide where I would like to go; work out how much money I need to save; look at my diary and work out when might be the best to go away given other commitments. Start saving money each week, so I reach my goal by the time I need to pay for the trip…. etc. etc.
Intentions. To me, an intention is more of a heart thing than a head thing. I feel like goal setting is largely cognitive, very head-heavy. Whereas I feel that intentions are softer, more general, more like adding a flavouring to the way I approach the year. For example, I might set the intention to be more mindful; to live in a more sustainable way; to approach things from a place of calm.
A Word. I feel like having a word for the year is more about setting the tone for the year, the vibe if you will. It’s like an overarching term to describe what you want and how you might get there. Your word may be anything that means something to you: balance, achieve, be, freedom, accomplishment, strive, believe, or growth. It can be anything that encapsulates what you want the year ahead to be for YOU.
Always remember if you are setting goals, they need to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-limited. That means you need to set a goal that you can actually reach; otherwise, you’re going to get to the end of the year and be very frustrated, disappointed and less likely to set goals at all next year.
So, bendy ones, please share some of your goals, intentions or your word of the year with us - we would love to hear about your plans for the year ahead, and we hope we can play a part in supporting you to get there.
Go gently. Be kind to yourself. And from myself, Renee and the blogging team, we wish you a happy, healthy & stable New Year.