Intention – The dictionary describes intention as “a determination to act in a certain way. A resolve. Resolve means we are firmly moving forward.” It’s not a wish. It’s a determination. It is something we mean to do. Intention moves us forward on firm legs. If an intention is wobbly or weak, the chances are good we won’t see it through.
So, I’m calling my New Year’s Resolutions “Intentions” for 2019. I’m shaking it up a bit and looking at it through a slightly different lens.
I like the thought of having firm intentions for 2019. You already know what you want to do or see changed in your life in this New Year. What’s the best way to be successful with those intentions?
1. Start with something small but meaningful that you know you can be successful with. Focus on that. We can’t lose weight, stop smoking, discontinue our pesky two bottles a day wine habit, never again be late, always tell the truth, start a marathon running habit and stop our hair from frizzing all at once. Picking one main intention is okay.
2. With that in mind, change one behavior at a time. Our behaviors accumulate over years of habit. It will take some time to reverse deeply ingrained things we do without even thinking about it.
3. Exercise patience with yourself. Practice positive self talk. I find that when I slip into bad habits it tends to be when I’m not fully present to what I’m doing. The next thing I know I’ve eaten the whole basket of chips with a container of cheese dip.
4. Tell people that are supportive, what you are working on and engage their help while offering to do the same for them.
5. When you fall… get back up. No flogging allowed. None of us are perfect. Remember; the comeback is always stronger than the setback. Be one of the ones who come back.
6. Give yourself a start date. No, it does not need to be January 1. Pick one and then START. Hold yourself highly accountable.
7. Make sure it’s an intention you want to do, and not someone else’s or a society focused reason that doesn’t resonate with YOU.
8. Make sure your goal aligns with the acronym SMART. This system has worked successfully for years for business goals and is equally effective for our personal ones.
Specific – Details. Exact numbers, amounts. Make it a full-color picture you can see.
Measurable – What objective yardstick will you use?
Achievable – Humans can do a lot when we put our mind to it. At 5’3”, I will never be a pro basketball player. Don’t waste your time if you simply can’t do it.
Relevant – to you in your life. This goes back to item 7 above. It should be meaningful to you and you alone.
Time-bound – what’s the deadline?
Use these ways to be successful with your New Years Intentions. Make 2019 everything you want it to be.
YOU GOT THIS!
