Hard time reaching your 2023 goals? Try intentions for 2024 instead

At the end of each year, I usually find myself sitting at my table exploring the previous year, and setting goals for the year to come. I usually come up with a list of things I would like to achieve for the coming year, or habits I want to create. This is all done in an attempt to roar into the new year with a solid plan for success (usually after realizing I did not reach every goal set for the previous year). As 2024 inches closer, I find myself questioning the value of setting goals. It’s not that I don’t think goals can be useful, or that they help to set a course of action that can help bring about positive changes in the coming year. But I have realized that setting goals in the past has not always resulted in the changes that I had hoped for. There is something different that I need to focus on in the coming year. Something that assures that I am in the right mindset for my goals to even begin to come to fruition.

This year I have decided to set intentions, instead of goals. I find myself intrigued by the idea of intentional living which is defined as living with purpose, consciously, according to our values and beliefs. Being intentional means we know for sure our values and beliefs. Our values are long standing beliefs about what is important to us. They are standards by which we live our lives and make our choices. Over time, our beliefs become our values, as they grow in commitment and importance.

I can’t help but think that our values and beliefs come from the heart. They are the things that matter most. As I have come to understand, examining and deconstructing our values is an important part to creating an intentional life. So living an intentional life, in some way, may be capturing what’s inside your heart, instead of ignoring it, pushing it aside, minimizing or denying it. Being intentional is a state of being - it is how we want to show up in the world, how we want to be.

So what’s in your heart this coming year? This year consider being led by what’s in your heart and how you want to feel, instead of what you want to achieve. By following your heart, and pursuing how you want to feel, your action plan and goals will fall into place. Perhaps the key to success is to start with identifying your intentions, which will drive your behaviors towards success.

So what are some possible intentions to set? The following are in my heart this year:

Live purposefully - I intend to live with purpose each and every day. Whether it be dedication to my family, my work, my health, or learning and growing, I will seek to be purposeful each and every day.

Appreciate the World - I suffer from deep wanderlust. I envy those that freely travel. I appreciate beautiful places and spaces. This year, I want to live intent on seeing more beautiful places, and enjoying all that this world offers. I realize that it’s not possible to see all the places I have pinned on by bucket list board on Pinterest (that would probably take a lifetime!), but I certainly intend to stop making excuses for why I can’t see some of them, or start a plan to see them. I can certainly start to appreciate all the local beauty that is available to me.

Grow in spirit - Continuing my spiritual journey is key to my overall health and well being. I intend to continue to pursue things that align with my personal spiritual beliefs. I know that developing my spirit leads to hopefulness, compassion and understanding, purpose and meaning, inspiration and appreciation, and a deeper relationship with God.

Be at peace with work/money - Our relationship with money and work is at the forefront of nearly every day. I realize that if I do not create intentions around my worklife, and my money, I risk letting it control me. Finding peace with my work, setting out each and every day with a mindset of abundance and fulfillment creates a better work life balance, and likely increases the chances that I achieve all that I seek.

Living Authentically - Probably the most important of all my intentions this year is living authentically. There are so many ways to talk about being authentic (this deserves its own blog!), but in short, I believe that being authentic means following your intuition. It means not engaging in, following, or trusting anything that does not feel right to you, speak to your heart, or align with your values and beliefs. This year I will choose activities, friends, relationships, and pursuits that are authentic to me. And I will eliminate anything that is inauthentic to who I am.

So what are possible intentions for you this coming year? I encourage you to consider setting intentions for how you want to show up in the world. Write them down. Look at them every day. Then be purposeful in living through these intentions each and every day for a better year ahead.