Happy New Year, 2021!
How many New Years have come and gone and you’ve set huge intentions for yourself and then come January 2nd you’re already a failure. I do it every year. I create a laundry list of things I’m going to do differently. The dream feels nice when creating it. To visualize someone that wakes up without an alarm and drinks water before coffee. She stretches and journals and meditates. She prioritizes family over screen time and cooks all the meals from scratch. She smiles and is quick to forgive others. I love her. I want to be her. And so I write all of her qualities down and think about how she lives her days. And then reality sets in and my son wakes up with a wet bed and my kids open the Pringles before I can figure out what’s for breakfast and I start mindlessly scrolling on social media. And I’ve failed. So I chuck that laundry list and just get on with getting on. And then before you know, another year has gone by. Tell me this happens to you too! Tell me I am not alone.
So last year I went to an Intention Workshop and I wanted to share what I’ve learned and what I’ve put into action.
Resolutions vs Intentions
There are resolutions and there are intentions. Resolutions are action items – “do a handstand,” “speak Spanish,” lose 10 pounds.” Resolutions have success and failure attached to them. Intentions are words or phrases that guide your actions – “love,” “you are enough,” “live with purpose.”
Resolutions offer us a course of action and don’t have any give or leeway. They also usually begin with something that is “wrong” with us. They come from a place of lack, something we want to change. This can be beneficial for sure, in moderation, and perhaps not as the metric that will make or break a year.
Last year my intention was Love. Everything was asked with Love. Do I love this? Show love to others. Do they love me? Love was my guide, my compass. This is called a Power Word. Having a powerful word, a phrase that sums up the essence of what we desire keeps us focused and can serve as an ongoing mantra. This word must be able to elicit an emotional response from us. Some examples are Abundance, Authentic, Joy, Peace, Surrender, Spontaneous, Prosperous.
Reflections
Before I jump forward into the new year, I always pause and reflect on the one past. Grab a pen and paper and jot down your own reflections.
- What’s 1 thing you did that you’re proud of?
- What’s 1 mistake made and lesson learned?
- What’s 1 story you’re willing to let go of?
Work to not dwell and create diatribes of every misstep. Rather, just jot down the first one that comes to mind. It can be very cathartic to see your reflections on paper – and even more cathartic to light the paper on fire or put it through the shredder!
Auto-Pilot
Another exercise to slow down the transition from one year to another is taking time to pinpoint
Where Am I on Auto-pilot?
For me, personally, I have the terrible habit of morning screentime. I wake up and the first thing I look at is my phone. I check my notifications on Facebook and Instagram, Messenger, and Email. But it’s not a quick in and out and usually, I end up spending too many minutes just mindlessly scrolling. And then when I think about the wasted time I feel guilty and bad about myself.
Again, work to not dwell, but perhaps create a different habit to guide yourself towards your Intention. Now I charge my phone in the kitchen, not my bedroom. I’ve put an alert on my phone when I’ve hit a certain amount of time on Instagram. And I meet myself with grace and compassion when I inevitably have a hiccup. “Learn to rest, not to quit,” is vital for Intentions.
Create three categories for Growth
- R&R – go to more sunsets is one of mine
- Personal Growth – reconnect intentionally with friends 1-on-1 is a recurring theme in my life
- Professional Growth – back in the day, speak Spanish, was always part of my professional growth, to be able to teach more people in a Spanish speaking country. Falling in love with someone that speaks Spanish helps!
Science
The Science of Intention Setting
Neocortex Brain: creative thinking, helps us to calm and focus
Limbic Brain: emotions, memories, arousal, stimulation
Reptilian Brain: vital functions – breathing, heart rate, body temp, balance
- The brain doesn’t know if something is real or imagine
- The more you imagine something, the more neural pathways you create, eventually creating a neural net
- Spiritually, this is your conversation with the Universe!
Manifesting your reality always starts with visualizing a dream.
I am so grateful to have created Robin B Movement in 2020. Thank you for being on this journey with me. Please take some time today, or this weekend, to sit and pause, to create your own intentions for the New Year. I hope you create magic and fall in love with yourself in 2021. I wish you a thousand blessings to carry with you in your heart.
I wish you an amazing 2021!
xo Robin
