My life has changed dramatically in the last 5 years. Like, truly. I can’t even begin to go into the nitty gritty details of all the never ending self work and realization I have done. A lot has been taught to me by my amazing partner, and a lot of it was brought on by SEVERELY needing change in my life and not stopping until I found out how I was going to achieve it. Relentless energy is what I finally discovered. I was fed up, so I finally made the adjustments I needed. I believe self growth is a lifetime. It’s something in general I have enjoyed learning about and practicing. It has not been easy, to say the least. In lieu of being stuck in a rut for another decade, I kept trucking through the hard times and lessons. My point is, I am a firm believer in not making excuses for yourself. Excuses got me nowhere, trust me, I made up a shit ton of them. The magical time when all your hopes and dreams just appear… doesn’t happen without WORK. May it be work mentally, in your career, or in your relationships. Now, with all of this being said, I am not a therapist or mental health professional. I leave that to my fiancé. (If you don’t know us personally, he is a therapist.) However, I have gained profound knowledge about psychology and spirituality from him. (Yes, we are totally into crystals and “wooey-wooey” stuff, but don’t worry you don’t have to be to get some use out of this blog.) And although intention setting isn’t my cure-all, it’s a fun little thing that began the very first practice of manifestation in my life. I’ll get into all the other changes and things about my personal life at some point, but let’s keep on the NYE theme, shall we?

SO.

Do you know the difference between “New Year’s resolutions” and Intention setting? I sure didn’t. I thought there was only one kind of goal setting. Turns out there is a million. When Jay first brought this idea to light, in 2015 during our first NYE together, I thought “Well, okay I’ll give it a shot I guess”. It has now become my absolute favorite tradition ever. It is something so special that we do each year. Before I explain our tradition, I will explain the best I can what Intention setting is. If you know this already, you can skip through.

The definition of resolution is 1) a firm decision to do or not to do something and 2) the action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter. The definition of intentions is 1) a thing intended; an aim or plan, 2) the action or fact of intending. Some may think an intention is not strong enough to create change. It seems to me that intentions allow us to be more creative, aware, and mindful of what we would like to change. Resolutions seem to ask us to be perfect, at least that’s always the vibe I have gotten from the entire thing. Resolutions seem to focus only on the outcome, not the journey of it all. Intentions have come to seem more inviting. I’ve learned that Intentions ask us to look deep inside ourselves, to become more of an imperfect human being so to speak. Again, encouraging us to seek out what we learn along the journey. Intentions do not hold you to a specific outcome, just head in the direction of ambitions. Some may think that intentions are not the same as goal setting. To the contrary, goals are synonymous with intentions. Set goals, work for them, just don’t beat yourself up if your accomplishments are less than your desired goal. Take comfort in the journey and embrace your progress.

Half the battle is just even taking a few moments to set your intentions.

This is where our tradition comes in. Every evening on the 31st we write down our intentions. For us, we find it enjoyable to have a glass of sparkling cider (We don’t drink alcohol, but even if we did, I wouldn’t advise adding this into intention setting.) We light a fire, get comfy and get out our markers and pencils and begin.

If you plan to party on NYE, or go out, make up your own perfect timing. Like, do this before your night out, or create a time where it works for you. This works for us, and honestly is the main event of our intimate little NYE each year.

With intention setting, there are a few rules we stick to. Make them clear. Like, so specific that you can feel the intent with every fiber of your being. Are you with me still or is this already starting to get too deep? Stay with me. Okay, so every fiber of your being, right? THIS IS HUGE! You want to feel what you are saying with integrity. I encourage you to not begin your intentions with “I think I will…” or “I don’t want to…” or “I will no longer…” Because, these beginnings are not only negative, but they extend into the universe your doubt and unsure nature. Instead, begin with “I will…” “I am…” “I choose…” Keep them positive. Another example is, instead of saying “Stress less”, try “I will practice being calm.” “I will learn to trust that everything will be okay.” “I will trust that I am capable to withstand anything that comes my way, even if it is scary.” See what I mean? Those sound confident, right? We have now evolved into making categories for our intention setting. Include things that your brain may tell you are “unrealistic” … trust me, it just may come true or come close.

After we have written your intentions, we re-read them a few times and truly FEEL what you imagine it would feel like for each of them to come true. What would it feel like to achieve that goal, to feel that feeling, to go on that trip, to tell someone that thing. Whatever it may be. Really let it sink in while reading each sentence. Now, here’s the important part of our personal tradition. We get an envelope and we seal it up for an ENTIRE year. No, really, we don’t look at it for the whole year. By the end of the year, you truly forget most of what was on your list. (Or, at least we do, lol.) We keep it somewhere safe. Then, on January 1st we open our previous year’s list. Let me tell you, it is so amazing to see what you imagined or dreamed you would do in that year. It is an amazing reflection of how much you accomplished. And, If it isn’t the case… say, we didn’t accomplish one of the intentions, it’s so cool to reflect on it. Like, it may not even be something you hope for now, a year later. It may be something you want to continue working for. You may even realize why you might be glad it didn’t happen. That goal/intention may have even completely changed. There have been so many years that I remember putting “unrealistic things” on my intention list and them actually happening. It is one of our most cherished moments all year. I am so thankful that Jay taught me this and we have incorporated it into our yearly tradition together.

I hope, no matter what you do, your year is full of contentment and peace. That you experience the magic of positivity, and lots of joy in the coming new year.

If you are subscribed to my email list, 2020 I am begining a “Positive email community” and I will start your month with my favorite positive quotes. I want to include checklists and even begin kindness challenges to follow along with. I can’t wait to see what 2020 bring for this blog, and for all of you beautiful readers. Cheers!

My NYE tradition (& why I think resolutions need to stay in the past)