What Are Your Intentions for 2023?
The start of a new year can feel overwhelming. Where do you start? What are your priorities? Is there a way to tell if you have succeeded at the end of the year? These are questions we ask ourselves when it’s time to turn over a new leaf.
We’ve found that creating resolutions for the New Year isn’t effective. Almost one out of four people quit their New Year’s resolution within the first week after setting it, and 43% expect to fail before February. Only 9% of people actually keep their resolutions beyond January.
Having goals is powerful when done properly, but being purposeful in achieving them takes more than just setting goals. What you really need is to set an intention instead.
Goals or Intentions?
What is the difference between a goal and an intention? Goals: what are they? A goal is the bigger picture. An outline of what you wish to achieve, broken down into bite-size manageable steps
Because they need to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and have a timeline, they can support you in focusing on what you want to accomplish in the long run.
Alternatively, intentions help you stay focused on the day-to-day. The feelings and thoughts you want to experience as you go through the activities and interactions on your to-do list, whether the list is formal or informal.
Therefore, it includes the activities and interactions that will help you to achieve your larger goals.
Intentions, on the other hand, have no time limit (unlike goals).
Then you can spend your whole life practicing how you want to experience a quality of engagement with different people, places, situations, and experiences.
Consequently, promoting your feelings of self-worth (and happiness).
When you set intentions rather than resolutions, you leave room for the magic of the universe. It is possible to miss out on something even better than you imagined if you are too attached to your resolution or goal.
How to Set Intentions
Make your intentions for 2023 big and bold. Journaling, creating a vision board, visualizing or simply creating your personal headlines for 2023 are some exercises you might consider.
Put your desires into words or write them down when you decide what you want. This will help you recall what you chose and assist you in accountability. You don’t need lofty goals to motivate you. Instead, they should be achievable and realistic. They should also be focused on the positive since setting intention is rooted in how you want to feel.
Following Through
Often, we overestimate our memory. As long as we think things are simple, we won’t forget to do that very important thing. We are unable to do so due to our brain’s resistance. Throughout our lives, our brains are constantly scanning the environment and responding to cues and triggers that inform us what to do. When there is no cue, it is more difficult to remember. You can follow through on your intentions more often if you use alerts, alarms, or even something as simple as a post-it note.
If creating a vision board seems overwhelming to you, try writing your intentions on Post-It notes and hanging them on your mirror or desk. When something is out of sight, it is out of mind, right? You can achieve success by reviewing your intentions regularly and visualizing them becoming a reality. A vision board can help you stay on track whether you make it a year, a month, or even a weekly one.
We are nearing the end of 2022. Spend a few moments reflecting on this year’s accomplishments. Allow yourself some time to dream big about your next year and what you want it to look like. Brainstorm how you will get there.
It will be easier to reach our professional and personal goals in 2023 if we start preparing for them now instead of cramming it in at the end of the year.
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