“Declare your intentions”
So many lessons in 2019 that have primed me to catapult into a New Year and Brand new decade.
Historically, I was a resolution setter, it always involved the usual…losing weight or going to the gym more. My resolutions were repetitive and lacked creativity. They were often driven by some upcoming event…a hot vacation, Christmas parties, another impending summer. You know how it is.
Once February or March rolled around, I was often disappointed. I would have either slipped up, or just decided to throw in the towel, and that was it for the resolution. Those kind of New Years resolutions usually always meant failure for me.
Last year I chose a guiding statement that would affect the behaviour, actions and inactions I had hoped to take ALL year; “to do the things that make me feel the way I want to feel”. I was not relentless in my pursuit of following through on that. I allowed other things to get in the way and severely demote those priorities.
This year, I chose a word for 2020. It is PROUD, and I am declaring it. I want to feel proud about every.single.faucet of my life, as a parent, a partner, as a friend, in every single relationship I have with others, as an employee, etc. Choosing a word to guide your ENTIRE FREAKIN’ YEAR is pretty awesome when you think about it, because it’s so distilled it can be applied to so many things. It will sit in the back of my head so I am conscious about every single behaviour, action and inaction. The best part? Each day is the opportunity for a reset if needed.
So whatever you want for this year, declare it. No year is going to be any different than the previous if you don’t make changes in your life. And the changes don’t have to be executed perfectly. Instead embrace the practice of consistency.
Start by auditing your previous year…EVERYTHING! What made your year awesome? What affected you in a positive way? Those are the things you need to see MORE of this year. What was a waste of time? What kinds of things sucked the energy right out of you? Was there anything you wished you never took on? That made you stressed or anxious? Omit as much of that as you can this year.
Gosh, as I reviewed my 2019, I took note of SO much. I want to see more focused one-on-one time with my kids and Brian. It is so easy to get caught up in what we perceive needs to get done, that we often make those important to us wait.
I want to lean into reciprocal relationships and away from those that are one-sided. What a simple way to protect your energy! I want to reserve more of that for the things that are important and impactful for me, and waste LESS of it on situations, realities and outcomes I can’t control.
I want to pursue more interests and passions without feeling the need for approval, because it is important to be YOU.
This year I want to be proud for making all of the above a MASSIVE priority in my life. For a good part of January, I’m going to map it all out. My intentions, and the actions that will support those intentions, so I’m ready to rock 2020.