Forget About New Year’s Resolutions: Because it’s the intention with which you do things that counts – and not necessarily the things you do.
Johannesburg, South Africa (28 December 2023) – It was at the end of 2020 when I realised how disheartening New Year’s resolutions actually are. One small step in the wrong direction and boom! You’re off track. But that was also the year when I started focusing all my energy on my intentions.
You see, New Year’s resolutions seldom work. Too often, we set “big changes” for ourselves, and we don’t take into account the massive lifestyle changes that come with some resolutions. After a little bit of time, the resolution becomes too much and is left by the wayside. On top of that, we are still dealing with the fallout of a global pandemic that seemed to be relentless. How the hell are we supposed to lose weight, stop smoking, run more or do whatever big idea we are trying to add to our already crazy lives while we’ve dealing with “the most” for the last three years?
It’s time to throw the idea of “resolutions” out the window and focus on goals and intentions, because, in reality, it’s the intention with which you do things that counts – and not necessarily the things you do.
Choosing an intention is like creating a theme for the new year, and that theme becomes a guiding principle instead of a guilt trip.
“What makes a theme so special is that you don’t have to stick to it every day,” says Megan Poorman, a biomedical engineer. “You don’t have to check a box; you don’t have to guilt-trip yourself. There is no task to fail at, no rubric to measure yourself by, and no waiting for next year to try again. Having a theme for the year is almost like setting a mantra. It serves as a guiding principle when making decisions and reflecting on events. Setting a theme removes the daily pressure of measuring yourself against something you wish you were and encourages a holistic approach to self-awareness.”
Your theme can be an idea, a word, or a simple goal for your year. By journeying through your year with the theme in mind, it can help you make day-to-day decisions or evaluate choices and short-term goals as they come up. Each one of these choices or short-term goals will help to build up and reinforce your theme as you go forward.
For example, you could set your intention to be “health”. This way, your decisions will revolve around being more healthy – like when going to a restaurant, a health intention would have you choosing a side salad over chips, or taking the stairs instead of the escalator, or even adding in a run every other day. It’s small changes which start to add up and bring your theme to life.
So what’s my intention for 2024?
It’s all about purpose. To have purpose. To be purposeful. To live my life with purpose and on purpose.
But what does that mean? Well, for me that means doing everything with all my heart, putting my all into every facet of every little thing I do. To be mindful of the effort I put in, and to measure that outcome.
Hope in a New Year!
I keep seeing a meme about “walking into 2024 slowly and quietly and not calling it your year.”
Stuff that. I will claim it as MY YEAR. And if you don’t want to claim it, then I will take your portion as well. I will be walking into the new year loud and proud… and hopeful. And I know nothing will physically change at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, but I also know that I have the power to make something great happen.
You see, the way we see the world depends mainly on how we look at it, and I am not afraid of the New Year; in fact, I am choosing to see all the hope and good things in 2024!
Sometimes it feels like there are so many things in this world we can’t control. Pandemics, earthquakes, floods, the past, the weather, change, reality shows… the list goes on! But it’s important to remember the things that we can like happiness, forgiveness, second chances, being kind, fresh starts and loving louder.
And I guess that’s it.
The one thing that turns the world from a longing place to a beautiful place… is love. Love and any of its forms. Love gives us hope… hope for the New Year.
Remember, what the New Year brings to you, will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year.
So let’s claim 2024. And make it the best year we have had in a while.
Inspiration and Intention
So here’s some inspiration to kickstart your year… if you want 2024 to be a better year than the last, then don’t sit on the couch and wait for it. Let’s make it happen!
Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Get excited about your goals. Grind like you still got a point to prove. Network with the right people. Get rid of the ones that are not. Step out of your comfort zones. Be brave when it comes to challenges. Feed your mind. Go out there and make things happen. Complain less. Let sh*t go. Stop negative habits. Keep your circle positive. Smile, laugh and love often. Make kindness a priority. Keep counting your blessings. Talk about the things you love. Try new things out. Travel when you can. Live in your means. Spend more time with your loved ones. Take good care of your body and soul. Make happiness a priority. Love louder.
And if you can’t fathom to be inspired today, then take a deep breath and try again tomorrow. Just please don’t stop trying and always remember that you will have tomorrow.
Love, light and good things to all of you.
Here’s to winning in 2024… a new chapter in our book of life.
by 