Stephanie here.
In this month's email, I mentioned that I keep hearing about failed resolutions. For so many of us, life is busy and despite careful planning, things don't always happen according to that plan. I've also found through the years that those things I really want to have happen in my life are worth working through a few (or more!) failures in an effort to make them fit. I have to admit, it's been years since I made resolutions. What I *have* embraced however is the idea of intention, and additionally I've found myself intrigued by friends who are choosing themes for their year.
Intention has been present in my yoga practice for years, and makes so much more sense to me than resolutions, which we seem to label as 'failed' the first time we don't do that which we'd resolved to. Unlike that approach, intentions and themes give us the space to be human, and to occasionally slip up as humans tend to do. Intention and theme both set a tone, and they provide a framework from which to make our day-to-day choices. Just because we don't choose according to our intention today does NOT mean we can't tomorrow. Doesn't that sound MUCH more reasonable, and much more do-able?
Here's the thing: it's not too late to choose intentions over resolutions- in truth, it's never too late! Think about your list of resolutions this year. How have you done so far? Three weeks in, are they still good ideas? Maybe a little editing is in order.
Go ahead. I'll wait.
Taking a look at what's on your edited list, are they really failures if you only do them, say, 80% of the time? Doesn't that sound like excellent progress toward a goal? Set the intention!
- Picture that goal in your mind- what would it look like if it were happening RIGHT NOW?
- Describe it, as concisely as possible, again as though it's happening in this very moment.
- "I am taking time for me."
- "I am making healthy choices."
- "I am active, happy, and healthy"
- Or as it went for a coworker who struggles in the morning, "I am on time!"
- Keep picturing it. Repeat that statement three times, and put some feeling into it.
If you've worked with intentions in your yoga practice, you've probably noticed that the best results come from working with the same intention over time. So, much like we want to make our intentions into new habits, we can help that along by setting that intention, habitually. Set aside some time- even a few moments- to set your intention for the day. It can be done when you wake, while you're waiting for your coffee to finish brewing, in the shower- whatever works best for you.
Every bit as important as setting your intention is not punishing yourself when you don't always live up to it! We all have days when even our most established and best habits get set aside because life happens. Dishes don't get done. We call for a pizza because there's just no time to cook the kale. That planned yoga class didn't happen because something broke at the office 5 minutes before quitting time. So we do the dishes tomorrow. The kale goes into a lovely salad. And maybe we take some time for a few poses after work tonight, and go to the next class we can. Our intentions need be no different, and the benefits of 80% success are still pretty awesome.
What intentions are you setting? Do you have a theme or word for the year? I'd love to hear about it - comment on this post below, or share it with us on Facebook!
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Danielle — January 23, 2014
While I’m still going strong on the 30 day challenge, I think an 80% rate for the rest of 2013 would be amazing. I intend to do just that.
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Stephanie — January 26, 2014
I love it! Everyone that’s been involved w/the challenge has inspired me in some way. It’s been amazing to be part of the journey- such a privilege!