Cultivating Intention in the New Year

It is difficult to believe we are almost a full month into 2022!

As we face the uncertainty of the chapter ahead, let us also remember that it can be a chapter that holds beautiful things. We may still live in wild times, and so much is out of our control, but we can still take the time to look at what is within our control, including where we focus our attention and how we make choices to show up for ourselves, for others, and for experiences and causes that matter to us.

As we begin this year, nestled between New Year’s Eve and the Lunar New Year, challenge yourself to find ways to renew yourself, to start fresh, and to cultivate intention.

Leave behind the pressure of making resolutions. Resolutions may unintentionally place restrictions on yourself and invite feelings of being unsuccessful and overwhelmed, rather than clear and motivated. Instead, consider setting an intention.

An intention is not a pass/fail task, but rather a way to orient yourself, like a North Star you identify for yourself. Once you identify it, consider writing it down and keeping it where you can see it often- your phone background, your bathroom mirror, your nightstand, or even a daily or weekly calendar alert reminding you of your intention.

Think of your intention as a sticky note written from the heart to the brain that helps guide your focus and behavior throughout the day.

To identify your intention, consider the following questions:

• What do I value?

• How do I want to show up in my life?

• What qualities do I want to cultivate in myself?

• What would I like my word of the year to be?

Your intention serves as an invitation to reorient yourself as needed, and to redirect your behavior at any time. Remember, when you find yourself “off course”- notice we said when, not if!-  you can always begin again! You may even decide that your intention for the year is “willingness to begin again!”

How will you show-up for yourself in 2022?