I rang in 2022 with my word of intention, Surrender.

I’m looking at my intention as letting go of controlling what I cannot control. Giving up trying to manage every outcome and instead allowing things to unfold. To observe what is happening around me, and then formulate what only I can do, not what others may do.

Yet here I am, 3 weeks into the new year and I’ve had to remind myself several times to surrender. Reverting to my controlling ways is not easy to change, but having one word to focus on has helped me stay on track. It’s not easy, but I don’t expect changing something that has been a part of me for decades was going to be.

And then there was my intention of getting back to a regular yoga practice. Yes I teach yoga at least 3 times a week, and soon to be 4 with the opening of Yoga37 in Mansfield, but any yoga teacher will tell you, teaching is not the same as a practice. So over a week ago, I joined The Movement in Allentown. I scheduled a class. Then, last Sunday I wasn’t feeling well and I didn’t want to risk infecting anyone, so I canceled. Almost a week later, I’m feeling fine, but I haven’t rescheduled.

All-In – but then what?

Many of us, (if not all of us) start the new year with grand plans, intentions, resolutions, and goals. We are “All-In!” This is the year I’m going to do that thing I’ve been talking about for decades! Or maybe it’s the year you’re going to finish that project. Or maybe you’re going to get healthy! Get a new job. Stop complaining! So many things we are going to do and boom! It’s February 1^st and we are back on the treadmill, running and running, but still in the same place as the last minute of 2021.

Where are you in these statistics from https://discoverhappyhabits.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/?

64% make it through January in keeping to their New Years Resolutions

In a 2016 study, of the 41% of Americans who made resolutions, only 9% felt they were successful by the end of the year.

Why do so many of us give up on our intentions? The article gives 4 reasons:

• Unrealistic goals
• Didn’t track their progress
• Forgot about them
• Too many resolutions, goals, or intentions

Which one has stopped you in the past?

Unrealistic Goals

This is a great one when it comes to weight loss and exercise. After watching a motivational speaker like Tony Robbins or Les Brown, we think we can do anything! We’re going to lose 50 pounds and get into that skinny black dress we wore 10 years ago by June! Too often we set unrealistic timelines on ourselves.  The intention or goal isn’t unrealistic, but sometimes we simply need more time to get there.

Getting down to my ideal weight, the term Mark uses in his Metabolic Mindfulness program to describe the weight I would like to be at, is another one of my goals for 2022. Rather, my goal is to continue to progress to that ideal weight throughout the year.  See, I don’t want a short-term fix here. Sure, I could go on several diets, start running 3 times a week and get to my ideal weight in a few months. But then what happens?

Well based on my history, when I hit my ideal weight I go out and celebrate, eating all the stuff I gave up on the diet. I take a week off from running. And in one week I’m no longer at my ideal weight.

Not the end I have in mind.

I want a realistic goal and for me, that is continuous progress toward my ideal weight.

If you are already struggling with your intentions or resolutions, is it because you place unrealistic demands on yourself? Is the timing necessary? We want our intentions to be a stretch, to invoke change, but we want them to be achievable. If you are looking at your 2022 intentions with doubt, change them up now and make them achievable!

Progress

When making intentions for the new year, just like when setting any goals in business or life, we will more likely achieve them if we regularly measure our progress toward them. This can be done in so many ways, but my favorite is checking in on my progress each day, each week, each month.

You may be thinking that’s a lot of progress check-ins.  It’s not that I measure my progress say on my yoga practice every day, but I have a journal, a calendar of sorts, where each day I set my intentions. These are based on my weekly intentions, which are based on my monthly intentions, which come from my yearly intention. Of course, some things come up that need my attention and they get added as well. But I am very clear in mindset. I have my word, it is easy to remember.  I have my intentions, they are achievable.

Measuring my progress is answering one question.  Am I closer than I was yesterday?

Am I closer to naturally letting go of control? Does it feel more like me?

Am I closer to my ideal weight?

Am I closer to getting back to a regular yoga practice?

If the answer is yes, well I’m on track. If the answer is no, which is where I am right now for my yoga practice, I can make that a priority. Decide on one thing I can do that brings me closer.

Forgot Your Intention?

If you make it a priority to measure your progress, you can’t forget your intention. But if for some reason you do, then it clearly wasn’t your heart’s desire. Make a new intention, one that resonates with your entire being, and move on.

Too Many Intentions

This one gets me every day! Seriously, it really does!

I start the morning by writing in my journal all the things I want to accomplish for the day. Because I wake up refreshed and energized, in a positive mindset, I think I can do it all!

Sound familiar? Did you feel that way on January 1^st when you set all those goals for the New Year?

I’ve learned from experience that I set myself up to feel overwhelmed when I give myself so many goals and intentions, whether it’s for the day or the year. And when we are overwhelmed, we tend to not be productive because we are spending more energy trying not to feel overwhelmed instead of just doing what we can.

If you think you may have set too many intentions for the year, go back to them and sit with them. Are they all important? Do they all need to be done in 2022? Which have you not thought of since January 1?

The last question gives you permission to let those go.  If you haven’t thought about it in three weeks, it’s not important.

Decide which three at most are most important to you and hold onto those. Make them achievable. Measure their progress.

Adjust Your Mindset

Setting intentions for the year can be a powerful tool to creating your life, moving closer to the unique person you are meant to be. It’s the premise behind The Total MindShift, where we not just set our intentions, but we do so with purpose and with an understanding that everything we need to live our dreams, is all inside of us!

But we must consciously create intentions. Setting those that bring us joy. Those that bring everlasting change. Allowing us to shine our light on others. To become “powerful beyond measure.” In turn, we liberate others to shine just as brightly. For when we step into our greatness, we automatically become a beacon for others.

The post New Year’s Intentions: Day 22 – 343 More To Go appeared first on Eclectic Well-Being.

So how do we reflect with intention?  I like to use 3 simple steps:

• What worked out well?  What left me feeling excited and inspired? And WHY?  Why is important to understand. It’s the need we are trying to fulfill.
• What was untidy about 2020?  What situations were challenging, stressful, or just plain aggravating?  But now turn it upside down and what was the gift?  What did we learn from it?  Did we find new direction?  Did it set us up for something even greater?
• What is the biggest take-away from 2020?  Maybe it’s a new skill, a new learning?  Maybe it’s a new thought pattern?  Maybe it’s a new organization you joined or a new job?  Find at least one thing to celebrate and then actually celebrate it!  Write it down.  Tell your spouse or partner or kids what you are celebrating from 2020.  Make it a big deal!  Let it marinate in your mind, finding new neural connections, so it stays with you!

Don’t limit yourself to just the last few months. I like to go through my calendar and recall the appointments, meetings, events that occurred throughout the year. Often when we reflect on the previous year, we think of only the last few months, our most recent memories.  Rarely do we go back to January 1 and reflect on all that happened that impacted who we are.  So be sure to take your time here.  Don’t rush the process.  Maybe write down a thing or two from each month first and then go back to the 3 simple steps.

Now, let’s get ready to set INTENTIONS for 2021.

Reviewing your reflections from 2020, what can you expand upon?  Can you take what worked out well and find more of it in 2021?  Purposely set aside time for those things you love and want more of in your life.  Or can you take something that was a little messy in 2020 and make an intention to work through it until you no longer see it as messy.  Maybe finding closure or simple peace.  Is there one thing you want to do in 2021 no matter what?

As I wrote in my last blog post, most of us set intentions and then forget all about them.  For Intentions to stick, we have to have two things: CLARITY and ACCOUNTABILITY.

Let’s start with clarity.  Take 2 or 3 of your thoughts about 2021 and write out exactly, describing every detail of what it looks like for this intention to be lived in 2021.  How would you feel?  How would it make your life better?  How would it touch others?  Go ahead, write it all down.  Write a paragraph, a page.  Make a Vision Board!  The more clarity you can express, the more likely you will cultivate this intention!  I highly recommend no more than 3 intentions for the new year.  Just one is fine if it lifts you, inspires you, and creates higher levels of happiness and well-being.  Quality, not quantity here.

Now, let’s talk about accountability.  If you keep these intentions to yourself, you might as well not make them at all.  We all need support.  There is no shame in that.  So how do you ensure you hold yourself accountable?

• Find an accountability partner or group!  There are many out there or organize one yourself.  Or join Eclectic Well-Being and we will support you and be your accountability group!
• Share your intentions or vision board with your accountability partner or group.  State exactly what you want out of this year, your vision for the year, and how it will come to fruition.
• Keep your intentions or vision board visible.  Look at it every day – YES EVERY DAY!  Get even more clear on what you actually want and make adjustments!
• Check back in with your accountability partner or group at least monthly if not weekly.  The more often you share with others, the more likely you are to keep your intentions!
• SURRENDER.  If it doesn’t happen, relax.  It’s not the end of the world. Dwight D Eisenhower said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”  We have to plan, to make intentions, but then we have to also let go and trust in Universal Intelligence.  Revisit your intention with new clarity and continue living the life you desire.

That’s it.  Simply, take a moment to reflect on the past, so you can visualize your future, but then surrender to the present moment, finding gratitude in each breath.

I would love to hear about your reflections and intentions!  Leave them in the comments and let’s see how changed our lives are a year from now!

Happy New Year Friends!  Wishing everyone Love, Joy, Health, and Abundance in 2021!

The post Reflecting on 2020 and Setting Intentions for 2021 appeared first on Eclectic Well-Being.