setting intentions for the new year (part 1)

“Intentions are the starting point of every dream—the seed of creation.” — Deepak Chopra

Instead of setting resolutions that have very little emotion attached to them and can easily be made and broken, try setting intentions that will empower you to live and give your best every single day. 

Over the past few years, more and more people have switched from setting empty and hollow resolutions to committing to one or more conscious intentions. In a recent survey, only 14% of respondents said they were setting New Year’s Resolutions, while a whopping 72% of them said they were setting an intention for the coming year.

Intentions fall somewhere between desires and resolutions. They contain more commitment than desires, yet are less rigid than resolutions, which are nothing but vague and poorly defined goals that put unnecessary pressure on us. Joan Hyman, a professional traveling yoga instructor who has led several teacher training programs and retreats all over the world points out, “Resolutions are goals,” says They set us up for failure because they don’t give us a plan for how to [achieve it].” According to her, intentions are more like a how-to for making your life better, keeping you accountable in the process. While a half-baked resolution tethers you to the future with no clear path forward, an intention, on the other hand, grounds you in the present. “[Intentions] take the pressure off,” says Hyman. “It’s not so do-or-die, black and white.”

So, go ahead and set your intentions for the New Year by writing down what you want to give your attention to in 2022. Research shows by writing down your intentions, you are more likely to work toward them and succeed in reaching them. Out of that list of intentions, rate and prioritize what is most valuable and important. Then choose the top three intentions and set clearly defined goals around them. 

Not having goals is like taking a trip without having a roadmap or worse without having a predetermined destination; you’ll never know where you are going to end up.

PS: Please refer to my previous essays and podcast episodes to learn more about effective goal-setting.

Did You Know?

Rejuvenate originated as a combination of the prefix re-, which means “again,” with the Latin parent of juvenile and junior—juvenis, meaning “young.” Rejuvenate literally means “to make young again” and can imply a restoration of physical or mental strength or a return to a more youthful, healthy condition. Things that are timeworn can also be rejuvenated.