As the new year approaches I am thinking about what I would like to create in my life for the next trip around the sun. Some may call it goal setting, but my way of thinking about goals and bringing things to life has evolved over the years.

When I was younger, I was very committed to SMART goals and resolutions, and they served me well at the time. I excelled in my work, bought a home and generally improved my life. In later years, as I studied coaching and psychology and worked with more people, the potential downside of this method became more clear.

When you set goals and make promises to yourself that don’t come to fruition, you can end up feeling like a failure. The very goals that were meant to serve you can diminish self-trust and self-esteem. It’s not that setting goals is bad. It’s a great tool, but you need to be careful to set realistic goals you have the capability, willingness and readiness to achieve.

My goal setting evolved into creating intentions, which are softer and less specific. They leave room for you to shift your focus or change direction when needed or if something better appears. They allow for realignment based on what you learn along the way. Most importantly, there is less room for judging yourself while you are still moving forward.

I often think of intentions as the umbrella under which you can make small goals that are usually short term and easy to achieve. These small goals can be used to form a ladder of baby steps that will take you where you want to go.

This year my intentions are softer, things that call to my heart and guide me back to myself. They will be the foundation for the life journey I am on. They are things that are aligned with what I want to create in my life and how I want to feel. They bring a sense of peace.

My intentions are also aligned with my core values. I recommend doing a values discovery process at least once a year and using the results to guide your life. If you would like to explore this, I have an exercise available here.

Before setting intentions, I chose a theme for the year.

My theme for 2024 is: Living a Grace Filled Life

Here are some of my intentions:

Honoring my body with nutrition, movement and self-care

Grounding in integrity as how I show up and its definition of wholeness

Savoring simplicity in my environment and approach to life

Embracing spiritual practices

Creating a sense of community and opportunities for contribution

Appreciating the beauty, people and magical moments around me

Aligning with Contentment and Joy

I’m really excited about where my journey will take me as I align more and more with these intentions. They will be posted where they can be seen often and influence my daily life. When I look at them I feel a sense of clarity, fulfillment and peace.

Keep in mind, my way is not the only way to plan for a new year and different methods may fit better with different phases of life. There is no right or wrong.  Listen to your heart and do what feels right for you.

As for me, I am not setting goals or making resolutions, but I am using the energy of the new year as a jumping off point to refocus on my values and dreams and create a more grace filled life..

I hope you join me.

If you would like to share your values, intentions or goals, you can do so in the comments below or message them to me here.

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