Intentions & Resolutions.....



allnaturalme.com



T''s the last friday of 2012.  In a couple of days a new year begins.  I feel like this year has flown by so quickly - almost like the blink of an eye.  Yet if I actually take the time to really note down significant milestones as well as things that on the surface may not be so significant, i find that i have so much to be blessed about and grown so much as a result of all these experiences.

Every new years' eve, my husband and i will do a writing piece on the year in review( or he lists rather) and after doing that, we will write out our resolutions.   We follow this by reading it out loud to each other - mine is usually a monologue, but the act of reading out loud what we wrote is very powerful.  This ritual is very important to me because it gets me to remember what may have passed and help me move forward to what is to come. It gets me to understand where I am in this place on earth, and analyze for me my vision for the future. It sets the tone, the intention for coming year.
The key word here is intention - our intentions guide us towards our resolutions - but our intentions are often clouded by our emotions and a writing ritual often helps overcome our clouded judegment.   AN example - if our resolution for the coming year is to lose weight - which for many of us it is is - it is not enough to simply state I want to lose weight this year - it has to be specific - i intend on exercising more and eating healthy in the coming year - writing out the plan helps because it allows us to actually visualize what we intend to do in the coming year.   Another resolution - is make more money - it is not enough to simply state  - I want to make more money - there has to be an intention of some sort - i plan on creating more opportunities for financial gains by ......xyz.....
. I remember last year when i made my resolutions, i was very specific with what i wanted for myself in the coming year - i had done an inventory of what i felt was lacking for me spiritually, materially, personally and also how i felt fulfilled in those areas and doing that consciously made me be more aware of what i want for myself this year....i haven't done my year end this year but as i sit and write about it, i am amazed at all that i intended to do for myself was accomplished and even more - so i can't speak enough of the power of intention and how intention can drive our thoughts, our visualization and our path. Another piece here is that it is not just enough to set out ur plans for the year ahead but it is also importnat to list how and the supports we will use to get us through. We are not alone and if we know how to ask for help, the right kind of guidance comes to us when we ask....all we have to do is learn how to ask for that help ---and figure out people in our lives who are supportive - it could be a stranger to a family member to a co worker - identifying them is key.

Writing out the resolution helps you visualize what you intend to happen and reading it out loud helps you internalize the resolution sort of like an affirmation.  

One may aske why do a year in review? A year in review whether you do it in list form or you do it in narrative form and reading it out loud is that we can really see how blessed we all are in the simple ways.   Yes from a global perspective this has been an intense year filled with all sorts of natural and man made catastrophes.  But in the middle of it all if we look at our lives individually and list it out we really see how blessed we are- it can start with the simple fact that we woke up this morning with a roof over our heads and being warm with food in our stomachs and our families by our side.  It can even start with being unemployed for over a year and still managing to keep the sanity and the smile and accept what may come ...the lesson of that is acceptance...or perserverence. It can start with someone breaking free from a relaitonship that is hurtful and harmful and even though being alone can be very difficult - being free is even more liberating....it can start with families not talking to each other and how at the end of the year u see that they can still be in the same room with each other for the sake of their children.  It can start with starting a new job and waking up everyday not knowing whether you are going to be laid of or no and keeping your positivity regardless of that....all these are lessons ----lessons to make us grow - they may not be measured in terms of outcomes. For those that like lists - make a column - Highlights & Challenges and list out in each column things that came up - look at lessons learned, look at blessings....write it out...

dave.rowley.com

Sometimes the act of writing out a year in review puts things in persepctive for us -it allows us to look at our lives from a hawks point of view and we begin to see that nothing is really insignificant.  Every little thing leads us closer to our goal, our idea of where we want to be in our lives and it is a shame if we fail to realize that as the years fly in front of us.&- but they are the baby steps that teach us how to really live.
So as the new year approaches take the time to reflect and renew for the year to come ahead. Some ideas to put for you...

- This year for me was....
- For the coming year I intend on
- For the more creative ones do a vision board - you can even do it with your kids - i love collaging and i do it with my son - have them cut out images that are appealing to them and to you and paste it on a board - for the younger ones it is more a fun activity - but for you - i ask you to imagine the life you want for yourself and have that image in the version of a vision board in front of you--everymorning look at that poster/board....see what happens with it....
-pick an affirmation that will get you through 2013...a prayer....anything that in the midst of that chaotic/emotional/unbalanced moment, you have a mantra to go to that will center you.....

And above all a happy healthy, peaceful, joyful, love-filled, abundance-filled new year.....