2020 Intentions

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

 

We are already 3 days into 2020...and I don't know about you, but I love the idea of a new year representing a new start; a new beginning to an entire 12-month calendar ahead of us.   And I'm not just talking about traditional 'resolutions' here.  It's safe to say I'm not a fan of most of the public's reported New Years' resolutions, because a majority of them are infused with diet culture and the belief that we're not already good enough.

 

Newsflash:  we are ALREADY, INHERENTLY, GOOD ENOUGH. 

 

The New Year does NOT have to include a "new you."  While some may resonate with that lingo, for me I'd rather focus on continuing to learn, grow, and bringing out my best self (which is always present internally - I just have to work to bring those qualities and traits into my main focus)!

 

 

 

Growing up, I don't remember specifically setting a lot of "New Years' resolutions," but I know in my adult life this is my second year really fine-tuning my self-reflective practice.   I've definitely changed my dialogue to focusing more on reflections of the previous year, followed by intentions for the upcoming.  You can actually read how I started this practice in 2019 in this Blog Post ; for the most part my 2020 goals for creating, accomplishing, and avoiding have stayed similar...with some minor few tweaks here and there.

 

I will say I was extremely proud of myself when I evaluated my 2019 progress in December - it's amazing what writing down your goals can manifest!  I was not only a guest on one podcast, but THREE! :)  I made yoga and meditation a very regular practice, meeting or exceeding the 5x/week goal.  I finished an art journal, created even more art than I initially thought was possible; I even knitted a blanket!  I've also been very deliberate in how I show up, both at work and in my personal life...reminding myself that I CAN take up space (without saying I'm sorry all the time).

 

For 2020, I really want to focus on more or less the same things.  I am going to be deliberate about journaling daily (if not most days), reading 50 books (I reached ~45 last year), creating content/presentations for work, attending weekly therapy sessions, trying new fitness/dance classes (think Bollywood, belly dancing, aerial fitness), traveling, take more PTO, setting boundaries, attending a professional conference (or being active in planning this venture), traveling, and date nights 1x/month (which is a 2019 goal I didn't reach).  Basically, my themes for this year are self-care and self-love, which will only better my abilities at building myself up both professionally and personally. 

 

Below is the vision/intention board I created with fellow coworkers on December 30th (yes, even during a snow emergency in the Twin Cities we were committed to this)!  While I really connect to both words and visuals, others simply listed their objectives and plan to re-visit mid-year.  Either way (or a completely different take) works...as long as it is authentic to you.

 

On December 31st, I used my day-off to my advantage and spent 4+ hours journaling and reflecting, utilizing prompts from The Yoga Girl Podcast (here's the link to the episode Intention Setting Ceremony - Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020!).  My vision board was also useful in helping me create affirmations and mantras for the new decade that I plan to use in future meditations. 

 

By seeing all my processing visually written on paper, (including the not-so-easy stuff) was challenging, but also rewarding to allow myself permission to finally move past this tough year.  I'm so excited for a new chapter - and a new DECADE! - to bring amazingness my way...I'm even turning THIRTY come August!!  So much to look forward to...and my plan is to be physically, emotionally, and mentally prepared for it all :)