In one year from now, what do you want to feel like?

Strong? Happy? Grounded?

This is the start of your intentions for the new year.

And all it takes is that first step and you’re already on your way

Setting intentions are so often overlooked during the New Year as we often become focused on setting goals to saying we will commit to some sort of change.

Well, as with most goals, they will be hard to stick to if you don’t know your “why.” And your “why” is your intention.

It’s your motivation.

Because any transformation you want to make NEEDS to come from within.

Think of it as your no-fail plan this new year’s so when February or April rolls around, you’re still on your way to living your best version of you.

Because we all live busy lives. And before we know it, a month or year has passed and we have no idea what has even happened in that time frame because we are constantly on the go. And then another new year’s rolls around and you’re back where you started.

But not this year.

When you are clear on your intention, it gives you a compass of where you want to go or how you want to feel, in the present moment. Simply by bringing awareness to what you want can send everything you do in the direction toward that intention.

And that is when the magic happens.

That is the power of setting intentions.

And it’s time to start now.

Like right now.

New Year’s Intentions VS New Year’s Resolutions

Intentions are your “why”. They are your guide to how you want to feel and where you want to go in life.

So we are crystal clear, intentions are not goals or resolutions. These are often mixed up and they can be related to one another, but they are very different things.

Here is an example.

  • Intention: I intend to feel healthy.
  • Goal: I will buy most of my groceries from the produce section.
  • Recap: You buy produce at the grocery store. Why? To feel healthy.

Let’s unpack that a bit more.

Intentions vs Goals

  • Intentions are the why and goals are the how.
  • Intentions are our motivation and goals are desired outcomes.
  • Intentions are a feeling or an emotion and goals are tangible, and often measurable.
  • Intentions give power in the present and goals are more focused in the future.

See the difference?

Now I love myself some goals. And intentions very well may spark some goal-setting for you, and that’s great! But I need to stress that we need to start approaching goals with our intentions. It can be very easy to set goals because we feel we are lacking or what we have isn’t enough. Read more about why you should change that mindset here.

Intentions are powerful because they propel you towards actions to accomplish what you are setting out to do. It’s like turning the key to your car ignition, it just starts everything up how it should.

So, let’s do this already.

5 Steps For How To Set Intentions For The New Year

I want this to be impactful for you, dear friend, so plan to do this when you have time to grab a pen and paper and jot down your thoughts. Ready?

Here we go!

1. What to remember:

  • Reflect back on this last year. What accomplishments did you complete? What worked well? What is going well, right now?
  • This can be anything from your career, health and wellness, a relationship, or even your self-care routine.
  • What motivated you to do these things? Right this down and underline it three times.

2. What to evolve:

  • From this past year, where did you hold back?
  • What would you have done differently?
  • What didn’t you do you because you had fear or doubt?

I can’t stress it enough to be really raw and honest with yourself in this part. These areas are where we will focus on transforming in the New Year.

3. Fine-tune your intentions:

  • From the mindset of the reflection work you just did, what feeling do you want to cultivate more of this coming year? Hint: Revisit your feeling from earlier!
  • What brings you effortless joy?
  • What areas of your life do you want to grow this year?
  • What fear or feeling do you want to eliminate from your life this coming year?
  • Be very clear that these thoughts are coming from you and not someone else. It’s not about what your family wants or your partner or friend, what do YOU want?

Think of it this way, what would make you feel happy when your head hits your pillow at night?

4. Write Your Intentions:

  • As yogis, we are all about being present, so we will follow suit and write our new year’s intentions in the present as if they are already real. Yep, that’s right. Writing your intentions down wires your brain to start thinking that it’s already in that space and your thoughts and actions will be positively impacted as a result.
  • Keep it simple. And I’m talking to you ladies, do not overthink it.
  • Gather your reflections from last year and aspirations for this year. And write your intentions down as, “I am…”

Here are a few examples of my past intentions to help you:

  • “I am healthy on the inside and out”
  • The result: I mindfully made healthier food options and prioritized my yoga practice.
  • “I am close to my dear friends”
  • The result: I wouldn’t let weeks go by without checking in with the people I love the most around the country. This intention guided me to send quick little texts or other forms of communication to up my connection with my friends around the county.

Can you see the difference that by setting an intention, it allows me to make a lifestyle switch rather than chasing after a number of a deadline or goal to be done with something?

This is the power of intentions.

They change our lives because we are motivated and won’t set up for failure.

Now, as mentioned, writing intentions make spark some goal-setting for you, and that is just fine! Just remember to come from a place of abundance for yourself. Just because you don’t hit a number within your goal doesn’t mean you’ve made progress toward your intention.

With intention setting, there doesn’t have to be a finish line.

5. Hold yourself accountable and make intention setting fun

It’s up to you how often you write your intentions. Some repeat them everyday in their journal, others write the classic post-it note on the bathroom mirror, while some may just set them once a year.

How ever often you choose, I have a fun way that I personally set my intentions and I’m sharing it with you. And I am not kidding when I say it works. I’ve proven it to myself!

I write my intentions down via an email to myself.

And here is my proof.

A few new year’s ago, I wrote myself an email for my intentions for the upcoming year. I told myself I could read it at the end of that year to see what had happened, and how my year had progressed. I created a new folder in my inbox to save it in and would then see that unread message every time I opened my email. I knew that my loving intentions were inside, encouraging me to keep at it.

One year later, when I read the email, my jaw was on the floor re-reading what I had written. Literally I had manifested almost everything for myself that I had intended to do. My learning though was I need to read it sooner than a year later. I needed a reminder. I know do this intention setting quarterly to stay on top of my intentions.

It won’t take you long to do this and I promise you will feel amazing after you do it. Here is my template for writing your intention email.

Another fun option is to write you’re your intentions using my template or your own and have it sent to you at a future date with the futureme.org service. Your own message will pop up in your inbox for when you specify.

I personally think I will do both processes this year.

So come this New Year’s eve, what will you choose to do?

Remember, you have a choice with how you want to feel in life.

Do you want to thrive?

Or just survive?

Think of how amazing it will be to do this exercise one year from today to see how far you’ve come just by writing intentions for yourself.

And it’s so simple.

Just decide how you want to feel and how you want to live your life.

And then you’re off.

Prove it to yourself.