As the year comes to a close the subject of New Year Resolutions is bound to come up in conversation.  Studies show that only 8% of people that set resolutions actually continue with them through the whole year. Have you set a resolution in the past? What was the outcome?  With such a low success rate it is amazing that resolutions still seem to be as popular as they are.  We’ll let you in on a little secret.  There is an easier and more enjoyable way to set goals for the year to come! We bring you — the intention.

What is an Intention?

In common terms an intention is a course of action that one intends to follow, an objective, or an aim that guides action. It’s a clear and positive statement of an outcome you would like to experience. This can be a goal or vision that guides your choices and attitude. Have you heard of the concept of manifesting? This intention is usually something you want to manifest in your life and provides a guiding principle to live by.

Examples of healthy intentions:

  • To move daily
  • Get enough sleep
  • Spend time with friends/family
  • Be kind to yourself
  • Drink more water

What is a Resolution?

Let’s go back to resolutions for a moment. The biggest difference between an intention and a resolution is that by setting a resolution, you are creating a firm decision to do or not to do something. Because of its strict and rigid ways, most resolutions end in disappointment and broken promises.

Examples of Resolutions:

  • To go to the gym every day
  • Get 8 hours of sleep every night
  • Spend time with friends/family every week
  • To never have any negative thoughts about myself
  • Drink 64oz of water a day

Turn a Negative into a Positive

Take a second to review the examples of intentions and resolutions above.  Can you see how they are different?  For example, let’s take a look at the resolution of below:

 Resolution:

I’m going to go to the gym every single day.

 Intention:

I set my intention to move my body daily.

 In this example, the resolution sets the stage that if you miss going to the gym, even just one time, you failed.  Instead, setting your intention to moving your body daily allows for more flexibility.  Don’t have time to go to the gym?  That’s okay!  You can easily exchange the gym for a 5-minute dance party or a short stretching session between conference calls.

 Intentions can also be something as simple as embodying a single word for the year.  Some people choose to fully embrace words like joy, happiness, or fun throughout the year.

So why are intentions important?

Intentions allow you to set priorities, utilize your time wisely, manifest your goals in a positive way.  They are closely tied to the law of attraction which means a strong positive intention repels whatever is not aligned with it.  It will also attract more of the same to whatever it may be.

The power behind setting intentions is that it changes the conversation from an end point to a journey.  Without a concrete goal there is less risk of failure, less pressure, which in turn will allow the odds of success to rise.