Why I Am Not Writing Any Resolutions (Finally!) for 2021
We have arrived at that time of the year where people run to their local Staples — or favorite Etsy shop, if you are fancy — to purchase a 2021 planner.
Some will open it and scribble in the important dates, hoping they will not forget them this year. Others will meticulously outline the first 30 days with new habits and goals with the aim of finally making a change.
Most of us, sadly enough, will buy the planner with good intention and fail to go beyond the purchase.
We are conditioned to ceremoniously christen each new year with the infamous resolution. A task undertaken from young to old to ward off the bad juju of the previous year and implement a real shift in behaviour.
Unfortunately, even after a year like 2020, most resolutions in my personal experience tend to fail.
We place stock in far-fetched, nearly-impossible goals for which we have not laid the foundation, diving head-first into a pool with no water.
For that reason and more, I am not setting any resolutions in 2021.
No lofty promises I am making to myself starting today.
No new gym memberships or purchases of fitness equipment I will not use.
No new plans to run a marathon or triathlon or Ironman.
I will not force myself to start writing that book I have been talking about for years.
I will not cancel subscriptions to save money or delete Instagram.
I will not tweet less (or more).
And, I will resist that strong temptation to order a personally monogrammed 2021 journal where I list these soon-to-be lies I would have told myself in order to become a new me.
No resolutions. No failed attempts. No false starts.
Instead, I am setting intentions not just for this year but for the years to come.
Once of the most common resolutions each year. Instead of saying: I will lose x amount of pounds in 2021. I am challenging myself to say:
I will learn to love, grow with, and cherish my body where it is now and where I hope it will be in the future.
Intentions are the anti-resolution, allowing us to manifest what is truly important in our lives without a deadline.
So, here are my top five intentions for today, next year, and the years to come.
- I will be present in every moment, taking heed of the small things wherever I get the chance
- Placing the spiritual at the core of my world, I will connect with what is most important on this earth and beyond
- I will celebrate the high and lows, knowing that the peaks and valleys give life its seasoning
- I will allow love to be the driving force and north star in my relationships, my work, and my actions
- I will dance and laugh like everyone is watching, because joy is meant to be shared with others
Your intentions are infinite and grounding. Let them do what they do and grow with you in each moment. Cheer, to new intentions — and cheers to finally leaving this year behind.
