Hi ,
I hope you had a restful break at the end of last year and you’re ready to kick off this new year.
As someone who values intention and planning, I love this period of the year when we traditionally start plotting out what this next year could look and feel like. Y’know: setting goals, intentions or resolutions.
Setting new year goals used to give me anxiety: the pressure of achieving everything on my list. Or that sense of failure when “yet again” I couldn’t nail that 30-second straight-line freestanding handstand (yes, I set very SPECIFIC goals 😂)
On one hand, setting goals provides direction. On the other, embracing the saying, "One makes plans and the Universe laughs," makes me wonder, "What's the point?”
Yet, reflecting back on 2023, setting intentions allowed me to:
- Continue recording meditations on Insight Timer and YouTube while leading a team in my full-time job.
- Teach mindfulness workshops at corporates - both live and virtually.
- Host pop-up Yin + Yoga Nidra classes.
Setting intentions gave me a direction to “what truly matters” and where I want to spend my time.
It allowed me to reintegrate activities that bring me joy, like teaching, despite my demanding full-time leadership role at work.
Challenges:
These are the areas that have held me back with new year goals:
- Overcommitting.
- Not having a plan.
- Not adjusting the plan along the way.
- Forgetting goals until the end-of-year (when it’s time to reflect and review for the next year. LOL).
- “All or nothing” thinking: a minor setback is perceived as total failure and abandoning the entire plan.
A Better Approach:
Now I ask: “what’s my minimum input and how can I make this easy?”
You need to:
1. Define a meaningful goal
A goal and solid reason of why this matters. An arbitrary goal, like “Doing a 30sec freestanding handstand”, often leads to quick abandonment. A meaningful goal, like “I want to get into the best shape of my life so I feel strong” increases commitment.
2. Create a detailed plan
A plan of how you’re going to get there, eg. I’m going to the gym 3 - 4x per week and paying for a Personal Trainer to keep me accountable.
3. Establish a tracking system
A daily system to periodically track progress and more importantly, make adjustments to your plan.
Most new year goals fail because people stop at #1 without a plan or system.
PS: Due to a chronic wrist injury, I can barely hold a plank let alone a handstand now - so my goal shifted to kettlebell/ bodyweight training and HIIT classes for strength.
Same goal. Different execution. Still happy.
Your Move:
Take a half-hour this weekend or the next to reflect on what truly matters. Imagine the version of yourself a year from now—how you'll look and feel—and, most importantly, consider the easiest path to get there.
I’ve got various methods you can try this year - ranging from a simple intention setting meditation to a more involved “plan with me” video reflecting on last year and setting intentions for next. Alternatively, dive into journal prompts based on the above “why, when, how” of goal setting.
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