I like beginnings. Fresh starts and blank pages fill me with excitement and hope.
The excitement that comes with starting something new and the hope that I’ll reap the rewards from doing it.
For many of us, January 1st marks a significant beginning. It’s a chance to do things a bit differently and for some of us, to tackle our to-do’s and to-don’ts.
My regular readers may remember that last year at this time I wrote a blog about this same subject called Reflect then Resolve. I shared that setting resolutions dates back to the Babylonians and while half of North Americans set a resolution, less than 10% of us realize our goals. My message: invest some time in reflection before you start declaring your resolution. In short, be intentional.
My New Years practice has (thankfully) evolved over the years – initially I would write a list of resolutions, generally things that had been weighing on me. At the time I would have said those items were borrowed from my ongoing list of SHOULDs. What becomes clear to me as I share this with you now is that those resolutions were actually taken from my SHAME list.
No question, exercising regularly, improving my diet, saving money, and being kinder were all worthwhile pursuits. The shame part came in because I was coming from a place of LESS THAN. A (someone better than me) person exercises regularly, makes healthy food choices, doesn’t squander their earnings. I should be that person.
My results. Not so good. In fact, coming from the LESS THAN perspective, and then abandoning my resolutions a few short weeks later, because they were shoulds and not wants, only added to my shame. Ugh.
So, after many failures (that were really fail-forwards) I transitioned from resolutions to goal setting. My goals were often… shall we say, broad in nature (wiggle room) and not that SMART.
That transition did however shift my perspective from LESS THAN to ACHIEVE. Some success here for sure. One improvement I realized I needed to make was in the sheer number of “achievements” I was taking on. Too many, and as a result, another fail-forward.
A couple of years ago a friend introduced me to ONE WORD intentions. One word that I keep close to me all year long, an intention that guides my mindset and behavior. In his blog My One Word Intention for 2020, author Kunal Gupta shares “What I have learned is that this one-word intention acts as a compass of sorts, or a North Star.”
Is one word really that powerful?
In author Gretchin Rubin’s article for Oprah Magazine she wrote “One-word themes are most engaging when they have multiple meanings, or work on both an abstract and concrete level—themes like “Refine,” “Clear,” or “Voice.”
My ONE word for 2021 is SURRENDER.
The moment of surrender is not when life is over, it’s when it begins.
Marianne Williamson
Here is the context of SURRENDER expressed as a word-string:
flow/receive/BE/trust/feminine*
Why? A word string creates clarity and brings life to my one word.
Flow: Be mindful of energy – my own, and the energy around me, then flow with it. Don’t be the salmon trying to swim upstream. Instead of overpowering the current, or trying to change its direction, flow with it to see where it takes me.
Receive: This is about patience and acceptance. Wait for it and accept it from a place of being worthy.
BE: Capitalized for emphasis! Find more opportunity to BE in the moment, instead of DO in the moment.
Trust: This is a big one. Trust in the process, my instincts and intuition.
Feminine: I added this one to really summarize the energy I want more of – creativity and collaboration. I don’t mean instead of masculine energy (taking risks, moving things forward) Not either or. Full on AND.
Surrender for me isn’t about giving in or giving up. It’s quite the opposite. Surrender is about getting out of my own way – my biases, hurts, opinions. It’s opening up to new thoughts, possibilities and perspectives.
Resolutions, goals and one-word intentions.
What speaks to you as you embark on 2021?
“The more aware you are of your intentions and your experiences you become, the more you will be able
to connect the two, and the more
you will be able to create the
experiences of your life consciously.
This is the development of mastery. It is the creation of authentic power.”
Gary Zukov
The happiest and healthiest of New Years to you and yours.
The articles referenced here can be found on my Resources page.
