A New Years Intention and Goal Setting Ritual

Originally published on Annmarie Gianni All Natural Skincare Blog.

It’s the time of year when we all turn into the “new year, new me” internet meme, setting goals we give little to no weight and forgetting them before February 1st rolls around. New year’s resolutions have turned into a passing fad and moved away from their true intent of making meaningful life changes.

This year, change your perspective to achieve lasting results and set intentions rather than goals. We’re here to guide you through transitioning your goals to intentions and following through with them in the new year.

By giving physical weight to your intentions and creating a ritual around each one you are giving them life and manifesting them into your reality.

Be specific and understand your motives

When taking stock of your 2019 hopes and dreams it’s important to understand why you want the things you want. A good way to get to the root of your desires is to determine what the material desire signifies to you.

what do your goals mean to you?

If I decide my goal is to buy a brand new car I should ask myself what the car means to me. There’s an infinite number of possible answers. For some a new car could signify financial stability. For others it could represent reliable freedom.

Go through your goals and understand what they signify to you.

Break up your goals into smaller benchmarks

Big, audacious goals can be too intimidating to take on and the last thing you want to do is enter into the new year stressed and already feeling defeated. We often times never turn our dreams into goals because they seems so abstract and unattainable.

make an attainable plan

Instead of watching your dreams from afar, turn them into actionable goals by breaking them down into bite-size portions you feel confident you can take on.

This takes planning. You want your mini goals to be spaced out enough to allow you time to reach your accomplishment, but you also want them to be frequent enough to be a reminder and motivator. Each stepping stone you surpass will feel like its own accomplishment, fueling your fire and keeping you motivated.

Share your goals with someone you trust

After you have crafted a clear plan to reach your goals share them with someone you trust. Even though your confidant would never judge you, sharing your goal will give you a sense of accountability. This is the first step in giving your goals life.

Not only does sharing your goals give them more weight, it also gives you a support system who will cheer you on when you need it the most.

Turn your goal into an intention

There’s a reason so many of us quit on our goals before we even give them a fair shot. Goals are black and white; you either succeed or you fail. With that kind of pressure there’s no wonder people avoid goals and build toxic relationships around them. No one wants to feel like they’re constantly falling short.

less about outcomes, more about intentions

Turning your goals into intentions helps mitigate this risk and ease your fear of failure. When you carry an intention with you throughout your day-to-day it becomes less about the final outcome and more about creating habits that will better you as a person.

When you set an intention, you are focusing on staying present and bringing your goal to the everyday. It helps us remember that each decision we make either furthers us towards or goal or works against us.

how to structure your intentions

Your intentions should be a short phrase, maybe even just a single word, that is easy to remember and repeat. Connect the intention to your passion or sense of purpose.

Meditate on it so when you repeat your phrase or word you feel everything that has gone into it. You remember your big goal, your short-term goals, and your motives.

Honor each intention and give it life

There are a number of ways to do this. You want to give your intentions weight by turning them into a material item, something you can hold and feel.

It can be as simple as writing your intentions out and keeping them somewhere safe, or as elaborate as painting different rocks to match how your intentions make you feel and displaying them somewhere to keep them front of mind.

However you chose to give them life, make sure it’s personal and you feel connected to the process.

Cleanse yourself and let go of the outcome

Once you’ve integrated your intentions into your life and routines it’s time to let go of the outcome. This will help you enjoy the process and allow you to learn from every step without discounting anything just because it’s not your final goal.

Let go of your intentions through a skin care ritual to incorporate the body. I never feel more refreshed and renewed than when I put on a clay face mask.

incorporate your body with a skin care ritual

Make a mask that’s equal parts clay, equal parts apple cider vinegar, apply to face (avoiding eyes) and let it pull out all the impurities in your skin.

After about 20 min rinse the mask, cleanse your face, and cleanse your mind from the grip of goals.

How do you set intention? Opening the comments up for discussion.