When was the last time you checked in with your year’s Intentions? Or you may call them Resolutions.
I prefer Intentions. Why?
Because, let’s be honest, how many resolutions have you made in your lifetime and broken? Like most of us, I anticipate you will say “plenty” if we are being honest.
Intentions, on the other hand, are things we aim for and plan to address and work towards. Resolutions tend to focus on the future. Hence, year Intentions.
At the risk of tying in another theme and confusing my message, I want to encourage you to figure out what support method works best for you as your unearthing journey progresses. Give yourself grace and the gift of time to figure out what you need to not only state your intentions but also where and how to write them down if this is not something you already do.
I typically evaluate the previous year and write my Intentions for the current year in July. This is because the planner I use runs from July to June. I write my year Intentions in the front of the planner. Then, each month, I lay out my Goals to move me toward my year’s Intentions. Each week, I make a Goal or Goals for the month with accompanying bullet point Plans. At the end of each week, I mark the plans I have accomplished and those I have not. For the upcoming week, my plans adjust based on the previous week. The intent is for each month and week’s Goals and Plans to move me closer to the year’s Intentions.
Is my system ideal? No. Does it work for me? Yes. Well, mostly.
And the main reason it works for me is because it is fluid and personal. And it does not require much time, except for maybe the first time you do your year Intentions.
In the months after I first became a widow, which also happened to be at the onset of the country’s shutdown from the pandemic, I shied away from any rigidity in schedules. I did not block or mark times in my calendar except for necessary appointments. I had lived with inflexibility, and I now think one of the first steps in my healing and my unearthing, was to allow myself and my plans to be adaptable.
In time, I returned to using a planner, and I was able to have more structure in my day. I still will not time block except for appointments and obligations. When not locked into time restrictions or expectations, I do better emotionally and mentally.
This brings me back to my opening question. When did you last check in with your year’s Intentions or Resolutions?
I did my check-in a few days ago. And I recognized I had gone off track – particularly with my primary Intention of returning to Consistency with my fitness and nutrition. (In Thursday’s blog, I will expound on particulars regarding this, but it’s not the main point for today.)
It’s actually fairly easy to get off track, despite your best intentions.
Did you just chuckle and nod your head?
Getting off track is—well, human. This is especially true for nurturers and caregivers who manage the care and schedules of loved ones. Too often, we do not allow ourselves to be of equal priority as those we care for.
This is precisely why having check-ins multiple times a year is not only good but important. Check-ins are an excellent way to support yourself, gently bring you back on track, and remind yourself of what is important to you.
It’s also a great way to identify if there is a pattern in what derails you.
Intentions (or Resolutions, if you prefer) and check-ins are the practical application of self-nurturing and self-love.
So, again, when was the last time you checked in with your year’s Intentions? If it hasn’t been recently, I encourage you to make the time for yourself (there it is again 😊) to do so. Because you, my friend, are worth it 💙
