Resolutions Versus Intentions
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Resolutions Versus Intentions

As Jan comes to an end, I’d like to explore the difference between resolutions and intentions.

At the beginning of the year, it's common for us to set resolutions and it's a healthy practise to take stock of our lives and consider habits we'd like to change or ways we’d like to grow. I love taking some time to set some new goals and relook at things in a new light. I love what the promise of a New Year brings.

However, it's important to ensure that the strategy we're using to implement change is an effective one. Often, we start with all good intentions only to break our New Year resolutions in the first weeks or months.

When we make resolutions, we're often looking at what's wrong in our life and taking action to fix that problem. We set a resolution to lose weight, so we go on a diet and start a new fitness routine. We put pressure on ourselves, and we feel guilt and shame if we fall off course.

Many of us feel a resolution is all or nothing and once we break it, that’s it we have failed. Intentions however have a much more compassionate energy because they don't tie us to an outcome, they simply ask that we bring awareness to our actions that help us make efforts to change. When we set an intention to eat more healthfully, we can view that second slice of cake with less criticism understanding that we are not perfect and sometimes life happens in between those good intentions.

Meditation teacher Sharon Salzburg uses the phrase ‘Just start over’ meaning that when we're knocked off course, we can begin again without getting caught up in self-judgement we can simply move on realising that the next moment is a brand new moment and tomorrow is a brand new day, we can start over.

An intention isn’t the need to fix something it’s the want to create something new for us, a shift towards, an awareness to modify, to stop and pause so you can make better choices throughout your day.

Reframe resolutions for intentions and you don’t need to wait for a new year to do that!

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