A Year of Intention
Commemorating a new year can bring the hope of fresh starts, change, and desire for something new. Depending on how past years have gone, you may have different insight into how to approach the year but what I am going to recommend is a year of intention.
What do I mean? I want you to be intentional with what you take in through your eyes and ears, I want you to identify 2 to 3 areas where you will put your focus and energy. I’ll admit it can be overwhelming to determine where you want your focus to go for the whole year, so I say, let’s break it up into bite size pieces.
For example, if I say I want to focus on building my communication skills to attain a new position then my intention would be on intaking information that breaks down techniques followed by me practicing and modeling those skills in social settings. I can be intentional about this for a whole month or maybe the first quarter of the year. The goal is not to overwhelm yourself and get defeated in your pursuits. After time has passed then I can decide if it is something I still need or want to pursue or if I feel comfortable moving on to a new intention for the year.
Being intentional over setting a goal can be powerful because we are committing to how we show up daily. It’s about aligning our thoughts, actions and energy to that pursuit. Being intentional answers the why and how of your pursuit. It’s the approach in how you go about getting the goal for it to come to life. This is why mindset is impactful when we are in pursuit of something, we must ensure the things we take in help us to achieve it.
It can be easy to detach ourselves from a goal and see it as an external thing we want. When we are intentional with our time it can be for very personal reasons. I want to prime your mind for success and uncover what can happen behind the scenes. I want to go over barriers so you recognize them not as a stopping point, but to understand how the background of our thoughts can play a role in our follow through.
First, I’ll start by talking about vagueness. Clarity is key when we are being intentional about something but one thing that can get in the way of clarity is honesty. We must be willing to be radically honest about what we want. So, with that said, in knocks another barrier which can be guilt or shame. The truth is it can be uncomfortable to want to pursue something because of how it may seem or come off to others. Not only that, but we may have unresolved feelings about the thing we want to pursue.
For example, say you wanted to pursue a career that has the potential to make you a lot of money, but maybe you or those around you have associated a lot of money to be a bad thing. Maybe you’re afraid to let others know that is something you want because how they will associate it. This is why it is important to be aware of how our environment impacts our beliefs in the pursuit of something new.
For you to be intentional about anything you first must give yourself permission to pursue said thing. Once you give yourself permission then you can begin your journey. And it may take some personal awareness and digging for you to get to this place, but I believe you are capable. Moving forward happens in stages and degrees, and it helps when we do not take on more than we can handle.
After this point we open ourselves up to a new level of vulnerability. I know the “V” word can be scary to take in but it’s vital that we understand that is what happens next. We are more open and vulnerable which can bring feelings of fear of rejection. A feeling is just a feeling. We don’t have to get rid of it, rather we can acknowledge it and let it pass through. It can be uncomfortable, and we may not understand all the feelings that can come up once we set out on our journey. I want you to be intentional and I want you to have some insight into what comes after that decision.
Regardless of how big or small your intentions are for the year I want you to understand how vital it is to know what is happening behind the scenes in your mind. I wish someone would have given me more insight when I first started my business last year. Like most, I was excited and ready to conquer the world. I knew bad experiences I had with other companies, and I set out to be intentional about how I ran my business. I’ll admit it may have felt like an initial rain on my parade had someone went through these things with me, but it would have let me know that I was not crazy for how I felt in the thick of it. I would have assessed that what I was feeling was a normal part of the process. I want to let you know it is okay if you feel vulnerable, it is okay for feelings of rejection to come up, or if it’s hard to be radically honest about what you want.
Anyone who does something worth doing experiences this and you are not alone. Your intentions this year are worth all the ups and downs. You could be the first person in your friend group or family to pursue what it is you want. Don’t let that discourage you, you were meant to set the stage! I am rooting for you on your journey.
Talk soon,
Amanda