Transforming Resolutions Into Intentions

Are you feeling like you have to set a New Year’s resolution even though year after year, they are short lived?  What if we told you there’s a different way of approaching things this year?  What if setting an intention was your approach this year? How would your year pan out? Let’s get curious and find out!

Oftentimes when January rolls around we begin to feel this unnecessary anxiety that we must have a new year’s resolution in order to improve ourselves. With that can come empty promises, unaccomplished goals and a very disappointing start to the new year. Intention-setting is less about a specific goal and more about a shift in mindset to help achieve that goal. An intention is something you want to manifest in your life or some guiding principle that you want to live by. While resolutions are fast and hard goals that are either achieved or broken, intentions are broader ideas such as a dream or desire that you want for yourself. How cool is that!?

It’s About The Journey, Not The Destination

Changing the conversation from the destination to the journey means there is a greater likelihood of being successful, without the risk of failure. Instead of setting a goal that is likely to be broken, you will feel a sense of connection to your journey through your intention. Resolutions are often focused on smaller goals like exercising more or eliminating sugar. But an intention has a broader focus and often has to do with our relationships, careers, self-improvement or a larger call to action, such as traveling or giving back to people in need. The key to ensure your intention is successful is to commit to your intention, making it a part of your everyday thinking.

Those who plan how they are going to achieve a set goal are about three times more likely to succeed than people who leave it a mere goal-setting. Specifying how to reach your goals makes us more likely to start on time, stay on track in the face of distractions, and persist until the goal has been reached. This is true for all kinds of goals, more abstract ones such as “I want to be more physically active!” or more concrete ones such as “I want to go running at least once a week!”.

No Breaking, Just Changing

Once you’ve chosen your intention, write it down to keep it in the forefront of your mind as this will help you manifest it in your everyday life. Use mirror markers or write on a colorful post-it note and stick it on your mirror. It will then be the first thing you see when you brush your teeth in the morning. Another piece to choosing your intention is how you want to feel. When we can connect a goal to how we want to feel, it gives it more depth and weight. It will be less likely to break.

Although this approach of intention-setting is a bit out of the norm, as they can be a bit more spiritual and less tangible– there are deeper changes within your soul. Remember an intention doesn’t have to be an overarching goal. It can be as simple as a specific word. One of our trainers, Brittany, has been taking this approach for the last three years. Here’s what she has to say, “Going into 2020 I wanted to do something different than put a ton of pressure on myself for a resolution that I just knew wasn’t going to work. Instead I decided to choose a word and have that be my focus all year long. Coincidentally the word I chose for 2020 was Surrender, and boy did I! We all did to be honest. This year, 2021, my word was Receive and my word for 2022 is Action. I feel this practice of intention-setting has allowed me to stay more present throughout the entire year and grow along the way. Remember it’s about the journey, not the destination.”

All of us at Unite Fitness Retreat want to wish you the best in setting your intentions for the New Year, if you are looking for a fitness and wellness reset, please give us a call, 866-589-5615.   Happy 2022!