HEINZESIGHT: Setting Intentions for a New Year

It’s a new year and many of us have already set goals to combat elements in our life we hope to change, improve, or discard during the upcoming year. These resolutions range from setting financial or professional goals, to aspects of personal self-improvement, or even a huge renovation of our lives.

Our lives are simply a complex series of interwoven situations, people, and emotions that can evoke feelings of pride, contentment, despair, confusion, hopefulness, or hopelessness. It’s important to figure out how to build the best life for each of us.

As I approach this new year, I am going to streamline my efforts into three simple life goals: achievement, fulfillment, and happiness. Of course, these are extremely broad concepts that can include an infinite number of activities and experiences. That is what makes these extremely important concepts worth attaining.

Some people look at the potential for infinite possibilities and get completely overwhelmed. For them, there may be too many choices to potentially even begin evaluating where to start or how to prioritize them.

I can appreciate how difficult it can be to select from life’s huge buffet, but realize that you don’t just have to fill one plate. Choose a few things and go munch on them for a little while. You can always go back for more. You also have the choice to decide that some of what you put on your plate doesn’t really taste as good as you expected. There is nothing wrong with discarding those to allow room for other things that are more satisfying.
I think that my three broad-based goals of achievement, fulfillment, and happiness will help me focus on developing my next year of existence. I’m not exactly sure how it will be designed or developed, but I’m really excited to put the effort into figuring it out. Here is where I’m going to start.

Commit to Connecting

I love building friendships with a variety of people for multiple activities. Although online chatting happens more often, it is great for my soul to engage with people face-to-face. It doesn’t matter if it is a flirty exchange, coffee conversation, cuddle time with a movie, or a sweaty activity. Spending time and energy on developing a potential new friendship or supporting an existing one is important to me. I will make time in my crazy schedule to spend quality time with quality people.

Quit Wasting Effort

I only have so much time and energy to give in my daily life and I’m pulled in many different directions. Figuring out what makes me quiver with excitement and pride can help me decide what efforts support my desires. Of course there are things I need to do because I’m a responsible adult, but I think I need to focus on cutting out some things from my life that waste valuable resources. Conservation is extremely important so I don’t run out of fuel when it really counts.

Shake It Off

I need to discard those situations, people, and feelings that keep me down. If I am going to powerfully run towards a wonderful future, I need to get rid of dead weight and baggage. These only keep me from obtaining my goals, and they slow me down. Consider how often regret, guilt, shame, stigma, trauma, or fear stops us from feeling strong or confident. I will grab the metaphorical scissors and start cutting. It may be painful to leave some of these burdens behind because I have grown accustomed to having them around, but it is important to not have unnecessary things drag me down.

Unfortunately, like many intentions, my focus on achieving these goals may fade over time. Even the best plans can lose momentum as life gets crazy. Additionally, returning to old patterns is easy because they are familiar, even if they cause elements of negativity in our lives. Knowing these potential pitfalls, I am making a firm public commitment to myself, as well as to those who love and support me, that I will strive to continue finding achievement, fulfillment, and happiness in my life. I will also continue encourage others to work at finding those aspects in their own lives.

Whishing all of you a safe and loving new year.