Intentions for the New Year

​At a New Year’s Eve party last night, the question of resolutions came up. What was my resolution for 2017? What was I going to do differently this year? Get a new job? A new home? Exercise more, eat healthier? Finally try to go blonde? To be honest, I can’t remember if I’ve ever made a resolution on New Year’s, but over dinner with a friend this past week, he brought up the idea of “intentions” for the year instead. His therapist wanted him to create an intention for himself for the year, think about it, and then put it off to the side and not share what it was. This “intention” focused less on a particular change, or resolving to fix something, but instead concentrated on an action or goal that you want to partake in, not just something you need to find a solution for. After a bit of discussion with him and talking about what I wanted for 2017, I came up with my intention (which I of course will not share with you now), but just the act of writing it down, and being conscious of what I wanted, was indeed empowering.
 
Ok, so I don’t like resolutions, but I do like goals, and a New Year is certainly a fine time to re-focus on some lingering goals. In yoga, there is a term called “Sukha,” which is often associated with “the path of more happiness.” If you know me, you know I’m not exactly into the hippy-dippyness of that phrase, but it is a goal of mine to generally feel better both physically and mentally. With that in mind, on January 3rd I’m starting my SECOND Whole 30 (more posts to come on that), and have also started a 31 Day Yoga Challenge. For me, committing to only a month of something at a time tends to work better than trying to over-committ, and I’m hoping the yoga will balance my mind, and whole 30 will balance my body.
 
And then of course there’s the goal that has birthed this blog: WRITE MORE. In college, an English professor made us write in a journal every day for an entire semester. The topic could be whatever we wanted, but we had to write something. That process of writing opened my mind creatively, and also helped me focus on ideas that I had whirling around in the ole’ noggin. I can’t promise that my entries here will always be perfect (ok, they will never be perfect), or that anyone besides me will even find them interesting–but hell, it’s my goal, so I’m sticking with it. I look forward to sharing more of me with you, and hopefully hearing from you as well. Here’s to 2017!
 
-M