If 2021 is as unpredictable as last year then it helps to have a more flexible map for success. Try setting a 2021 Intention this year instead of hard-to-keep resolutions. The first week of any new year is the normal time of resolutions. A brand-new year offers us the chance for turning over a new leaf and introducing new habits and routines. The slate is blank for us to design our ‘perfect lives‘, however, this time every year many people have already failed and give up totally on their future life.
What can you do instead? Where do you start? And as importantly, how do you make a guiding 2021 intention that will keep you on track throughout the whole year?
As with any journey it certainly helps to know where you are right now. Usually I like to start the year with a quick previous year review. A half hour’s skip through last year’s diary listing the positives and the negatives. Noting who and/or what gave the peak emotional highs on one side of the paper and the ones that triggered the problematic troughs on the other.
The lists can be used as evidence to support what is most likely to work for you. If you commit to more activities that you know are fulfilling and block those that drain you, you are much more likely to succeed overall.
Pinpoint what the main highlights were so that you can schedule more of these into your diary going forward. You might need to get creative this year, so if seeing particular friends was your thing in 2020 you obviously won’t be able to do that this quarter. But you could arrange a Zoom cocktail hour on a Friday for example. Most importantly block out the time in your diary so that you make room for the things that move you forward, bring you joy and make life worth living.
Naming and shaming the key lows will enable you to make a DO-NOT-DO list. I like to pin mine to the top of my online notes so that I am reminded multiple times in the day not to get lured into any of these activities. You might do the same or you could use a Post-it note on your PC, fridge magnets, a collage, whatever structure works best to remind you. I also find that it helps to list some suitable rejections for each one if you feel that you might go unconscious and automatically accept an invitation to repeat a negative experience. That way you can assertively and politely turn down unwanted additions to your diary or to-do list on the spot without causing offence or having to later undo anything.
So now you should have scheduled in some rewarding slots that you can look forward to and will energise you as well as a clear warning not to let the energy vampires in!
Once clear on the activities that will be a priority, look for a theme. This will help you to focus on what you want the year to ‘be’ and will be an invaluable guide to know if you are on track. If unsure, run the question (X) past your intention for an answer, example; “Will X take me closer to or further away from my 2021 intention?”. Prioritise anything that will move you closer, reject or push back anything that takes you further away. My 2021 Intention is going to be the ‘Year of Light‘ which encompases for me brightness, humour, enlightenment, healing, de-cluttering and positivity. This symbolic focus will be my constant method of orientation and will allow me to move forward exponentially and integrate more ‘light’ in my life. Previous year’s themes have included: Awesomeness, the Warrior, Miracles, Liberation and Health. Whatever your intention is, keep your radar up and be open to exploring everything in your path. Simple but extremely effective.
Find your 2021 intention word to guide you and try for yourself. If you need some help honing it, then book a half hour free sample coaching session with me to get clarity.
