I said something on Twitter a few days ago that resonated with several people — simply that “you don’t have to wait until January 1 to start doing something differently.” You can make any day your new day, the start of your new year, no matter what the calendar says.
And yet, many of us also pay more attention to some days than others: the start or end of a month; the solstice or the beginning of a new season; the beginning of a new academic semester; and our birthday tend to be days that prompt reflection and the setting of new intentions.
Because so many people use the start of a new calendar year to set goals and make plans for the future, there’s a strong energy around intentions right now. You may also encounter its opposite — a kind of resistance or cynicism about resolutions or goal-setting that often arises from trying to force change that isn’t really what you deeply desire.
If you want to use this time of year for reflection and planning, here are three different sets of questions that can be helpful. Choose the set that speaks to you — some of us prefer to think in concrete specific details, and others prefer to imagine the big picture. Or you can try your hand at all three.
Keep in mind — if you find a set of questions that are useful, you don’t have to wait until the next January to use them again. They are helpful for checking in with yourself on a quarterly or monthly basis, too.
Set A
- What accomplishments, experiences, and events were most important to you in 2012? List at least 5 in each category.
- What would you most like to do in 2013?
- Where would you like to go?
- Who would you like to connect with?
Set B
- When you think about the past year, what themes seem most important?
- Who have you been this year? Who would you like to be next year?
- What personal qualities would you like to strengthen next year?
- What three key words capture the essence of what’s important to you for 2013?
Set C
- What do you want to leave behind you or let go of?
- What do you want more of in the year ahead?
Set Your Intentions
After you’ve spent time reflecting on some of these questions, try writing out 4-5 intentions for the year ahead, phrased in the present tense. For example, one of my personal intentions is to focus on my health, which I phrased as “I take good care of my physical well-being.” Setting that intention encourages me to ask each day how I might put it into practice. Some days that might mean going for a run; other days it might mean taking a nap. Right now, on December 31st, I can’t anticipate which days in the new year will require which specific activities to support that intention. But I know it’s important to me.
Phrasing these intentions in the present tense means that each time you read one, you’re saying it inside your mind (or even aloud) and helping bring it into reality. Writing out your 4-5 intentions on an index card, or posting them on your computer desktop where you’ll see them each day helps bring them into focus and make them useful far beyond the first week of the year.