How are we already through 2 weeks of January already?! It seems like I fell asleep planning my kid’s Halloween costume and woke up in 2019.

Sometimes the dates on the calendar seem to fly by and I’m still making plans for the days that just passed, I can’t seem to keep up!

I love the “fresh start” of the new year and enjoy accomplishing lofty goals. Most of us have reflected upon this past year, made resolutions and/or are in the process of making plans, and resolutions for 2019.

The struggle with the BIG goals are the TOO HIGH expectations we place on ourselves, either becoming a success or if we don’t comply this new found way of thinking and doing we see ourselves as a failure. Let’s be real: how many resolutions fall through after uttering the words, or days or weeks later?

This year let’s throw all of that, out of the window and try something new. Let’s set ourselves up for success without the crushing defeat of disappointment looming on the other side with all the other broken resolutions.

Let’s create intentions for 2019 rather than resolutions.  

Why?  

Unlike resolutions, intentions focus less on goals and more on the journey.

Intentions focus on changes you make internally, your inner power, and help you sow long term changes.

Resolutions are typically external goals, that may only make short term changes— more so, even the rewards of accomplishing a resolution may only be short lived.

Imagine your mind as a garden and intentions as the seeds. When you care for your garden,  and water your seeds, beautiful plants begin to grow. Gardens are work, yes, but also are rewarding and beautiful and more manageable than expectations (those pesky expectations always lead to disappointments).

Take your common New Year’s Resolution: I will lose x amount of pounds, (usually more quickly than is healthy!)

The flip side of this resolution — making it an Intention would be: I practice self care by nourishing my body with healthy and healing food.

Intentions (instead of resolutions) have the power to create an inner change in samskaric patterns of thought.

(SIDE NOTE for research junkies like myself)

Samskara, which means “impression” in Sanskrit, refers to the habits and patterns that keep us stuck in the versions of ourselves we seek to “improve” when the new year dawns. In Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar refers to samskaras as “the accumulated residue of past thoughts and actions.”

Intentions seek to address this residue from within in order to achieve change, in other words, pulling the weeds out of our garden so they do not suffocate the plants, where resolutions most often set awareness on the achievement of something externally.

The difference is subtle, but important.

In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, it is said that samskaras cannot be erased by simply going into the mind and clearing them away. But in Sutra 1.16, it is suggested that they can be eradicated over time by journeying inward and realizing the peace and joy that is our true nature:

“The moment you understand yourself as the true self, you find such peace and bliss that the impressions of the petty enjoyments you experienced before become as ordinary specks of light in front of the brilliant sun. You lose all interest in them permanently. That is the highest non-attachment.”

Putting it into action:

Here are six steps you can take when envisioning your intention for the New Year.

1. Have a vision.

Continuing with the garden metaphor.  When you are planting a garden you don’t throw seeds around in your backyard and hope for the best, you first make a plan and in your mind (or on paper) of what kind of garden you want, what it’s purpose is and where you want to plant each seed. Imagine your picture for 2019, your hopes and dreams.

2. Prioritize.

Start with your wish list of seeds you want to plant and then begin to narrow them down by which are the most important to you.  Your garden has limited space, plant what is highest on your list of priorities and next year maybe you can plant something different.

3. Build a Strong Foundation.

Your garden needs healthy soil to prosper as does your mind.  Think about the seeds you will be planting, what weeds need to be removed.  Maybe something needs to be added. Some examples of this are: decluttering your home, creating a spiritual practice, taking a class that teaches you a skill to help your intention thrive etc. When you have laid out a good foundation, it will be easier for your intentions to produce the plants for which you are looking.

4. Your habits support your Intention, AKA You reap what you Sow.

If things aren’t turning out the way you imagined, perhaps you planted the wrong seeds.  Reevaluate your intentions and habits and see if they are in line. Ask yourself what you want and then plant the seeds that produce what you want.

Do something each day that supports your intention, reflect as needed.

5. Detach from the outcome.

Everything will work out as it should.  Let go and allow opportunities and openings to come your way.  You can’t control whether or not it rains.

6. Reflect with Gratitude.  

You can continue to make changes as you go or even at the end of the year, be thankful each day for what you have and what you were able to accomplish, big or small.  

Now that you have your intention(s), the most valuable thing you can do at anytime is to slow down, take a few deep breaths, find your way to good and enjoy the moment you presently are experiencing.   

Honor the ending.

Remember: you matter, you are important, you are loved, and your presence on this earth makes a difference whether you see it or not.

Happy New Year, dear friends.  See you on your mat.