Being Intentional for a Successful Year

Some people create resolutions for the year. Or develop goals they hope to accomplish. They begin to put in place a plan of success that will guide them for the upcoming months. I agree with doing all of these things. But for myself, I set my intention. I understand that attracting things to my life that I want more of requires me negating other things that are not going to build me up. This evaluation includes people, goals, and actions. All things, including years, have characteristics. I am in charge of the characteristics of my year and set my intention to get what I want out of it.

Intention means the thing that you plan to do or achieve : an aim or purpose; what one intends to do or bring about; a determination to act in a certain way.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intention

The first step to set your intention

Looking at what you intend to experience through this year as you live and learn during all of your life events can frame your interaction in all situations. As I have gotten older, I have realized it is so much less about what people do to me; BUT it is how I respond to what people have done. What is my reaction? How do I let it affect my mood? Is there anything I can learn from it? I set myself up to be in control of my environment. I refuse to let my environment control me. 

Using a word of the year is one way to reinforce your intention for the year. Look into my process of choosing a word of the year right here.

Word of the Year ideas

• Abundance
• Balance
• Better
• Brave
• Courage
• Focus
• Fearless
• Happiness
• Hope
• Intentional
• Leap
• Mindful
• Joy
• Success
• Thrive 

My word of the year is FORWARD. I intend to move forward in all areas of my life and achieve another level. I plan to focus on personal development this year. In the previous year, I focused on professional development and volunteerism. I participated in many online learning activities during the previous year in my professional area. I also volunteered with 2 different professional organizations. I spent numerous hours addressing my professional area last year. I definitely have seen the rewards of it. In the upcoming year, I want to focus on personal development, which would directly address relationships with my family and friends as well as my own self image. 

Could I have addressed professional development and personal development at the same time? Yes. And I do that every year. I will just place a greater focus on the area of personal development.

You may chose to focus on your physical health or your financial health or another area that is important to you…..Having a focus area allows you to develop habits in this area that will allow you to continue to carry those improved traits into other areas of your life.

What will be your intention for this stage of your life?

To solidify your word of the year even more, you can also chose to make a vision board or page that you can reflect on throughout the year. This can consist of pictures, phrases, other words that relate directly to your word. The more ways you can visualize your word in more areas of your life more times throughout the day, the more you will be able to achieve that word in everything you do.

The second step to making your intention a reality

Being practical and ready to put in work is the next step. Some of us are heavy in the dreaming aspect. Others are always ready to do what is next. In order to have a successful team, you need both types of individuals. In your own personal life, you need to be able to combine the characteristics of a dreamer and a doer. 

This second step is where the doer in you has to be in charge. You have to take steps to achieve your intention. Most of the time this is not easy. This is why many people make limited progress from year to year. They dream big and get overwhelmed by the day to day.

Break your intention into smaller daily steps. What can you do each day to make this happen? You have to make it not overwhelming, because in overwhelm is an ‘over’. Be very practical and visual. Make goal steps for each week. Reward yourself when you accomplish your goals. Allow yourself a realistic timeline for completion. Get to work!

Be on the lookout for productivity barriers to include Parkinson’s Law is defined as the process by which work will expand to fill the time allotted for its completion. It was first described by Cyril Northcote Parkinson in an article in the Economist in 1955.

Remedies for Parkinson’s Law

• Identify and address your deficits in the area of time management 
• Set reasonable time expectations for task completion 
• Focus on completing tasks in ways that optimize your strengths
• Plan for the routine tasks in order to complete them in less time
• Give yourself less time to complete small tasks like looking at social media, checking emails, meal planning
• Use a priority list
• Seek support as needed

The third step to living in your intention

Here is where you can celebrate. This is where all the smaller goal accomplishments actually pay off. The big picture is realized. If you make it here, you have to maintain the drive to stay where you are. By the time you reach this third and final step, you experience a changed mindset. This renewed mindset allows you to settle into living in this new found place. You also need to prevent yourself from over thinking the improvements and changes you have made. (See imposter syndrome and self doubt.)

How intentional living looks to others

• You have everything together
• Everything you do comes easy to you
• You do not have to work hard to accomplish anything
• You are not ever stressed out
• Nothing bad ever happens to you

How you feel when you are intentional

• You plan each area of your life to fit various pieces together
• You work hard to accomplish self imposed goals
• You have to determine the best way to perform self care for the biggest return
• You look for alternatives to your present situation when things are challenging

Resources

More Word of the Year ideas

More information about imposter syndrome

https://www.verywellmind.com/imposter-syndrome-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4156469

I have such a huge passion for productivity in all areas of my life. Please follow along for more information in this area and check out some recent posts.

• How to Use Affirmations to Support Your Children
• How to Customize Your Morning Routine so It Works
• How to Discover Your Passion and Develop Your Midlife Business
• Mom [Boss]
• How to Identify and Set Intentions for Your Morning Routine

I am also passionate about optimal work life balance and can assist you so you can excel in both areas without compromising in either area. I have found systems of planning, organization, and personal development that help achieve goals. I am not a doctor of mental health, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a counselor. I am a wife, mother of 3 children, and an entrepreneur who has numerous life experiences that I utilize to create blog posts, as well as personal research that I perform. Thank you for reading this post and sharing it with others you know will benefit from this information! Be you, be focused, be well! Find Your Flourish! |Shanna|