PHOTO CREDIT: ADRIANA D. 2016
In 2016, my women's group in Buenos Aires met for a New Years brunch and offered a ritual of letting go and setting intentions for the new year. This had a huge impact on me and how I went through the year.
What I noticed most about the activity of setting intentions instead of resolutions, was that it is much more freeing and expansive. Instead of forcing ourselves into doing something (or not doing something) in the new year, we were opening ourselves up to cultivating something meaningful in our lives.
It was so compassionate and appreciative that I no longer want to set the old, out-dated resolutions that I used to make! How limiting that was!!
Here is an activity to try when setting New Year's Intentions:
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What do you want to open yourself up to this year?
- What do you value most about your life, which you want to cultivate more of in the new year?
- What will move you towards a happier, healthier version of yourself?
- What can you do to spread more happiness in the lives of others around you?
If you have already set a New Years resolution, here are examples for how to transform the old resolutions into new intentions:
Most resolutions are phrased as a single solution to a problem we see with our lives. The issue with focusing on one solution is that our circumstances and experiences and lives change so much over the course of a year. So, we need to stay open and flexible to what the solution is going to look like and instead, focus on the reason behind the desire to fix the "problem" we see.
EXAMPLE 1:
- Old Resolution: Lose weight
- Question to Ask: What is the real desire behind wanting to lose the weight? Is it to feel better, have more energy, love yourself more?
- New Intention: Refocus on my health and wellness so that I feel better about my body and increase my energy.
- Note: Losing weight can still be a goal to achieve in the new year, but let's set our sights higher and be more intentional about the reason why we are losing the weight.
EXAMPLE 2:
- Old Resolution: Travel more
- Question to Ask: What are you hoping to gain from the experience of travel? Are you hoping to witness beautiful sights, meet new people, experience new cultures?
- New Intention: Be open to new experiences and new ways of life.
- Note: There is so much that we can learn from travel and I highly encourage it. But we all don't have the time or finances to travel throughout the year. So, it is important to remember that we can find ways to learn important lessons without having to travel across the world.
What is your New Years Intention? What are you going to cultivate in the new year?
Please share with me in the comments below! And if you have an old resolution that you want help transforming into an intention, don't hesitate to contact me.