On Living with Intention

A new moon over Palermo

I love the start of a new year. A chance to take stock, to reset, and to look ahead.

Usually, I would make my New Year’s Resolutions: goals, ambitions, specific things I wanted to accomplish, as well as vague aims like “be healthier.” What I have realized, however, is that to make a resolution would imply that we have some kind of control over what will occur in the next year. It does not leave open the wonderful, unpredictable possibilities that we can only discover by living day-to-day. Our interests can change; our worlds can expand. Even though I spent much of the past year in my apartment due to the pandemic, I can still say that my life is profoundly different than it was at the beginning of last year.

So this year, I am resolving to live my life with intention. With purpose, with gratitude, and with patience. I have reflected back on the past year. What got me closer to those vague goals was to incorporate mindful and conscious intention into my daily life. I also zoomed out, and focused on being more productive overall, rather than having unrealistic daily marks of achievement. This allowed me to be more forgiving of myself. I had many weeks where my only “accomplishment” was getting through whatever I was going through. I learned that focusing on moderation and consistency would move me further along over time than strict regimens.

I realize this is easier said than done, especially while I am still on holiday from work and school commitments. But as I prepare to “re-enter” tomorrow, these are the lessons I want to take with me. To be mindful, so that when I feel distracted or overwhelmed, I can re-center and come back to myself and the present moment. To look at my daily activities, my goals, and my interests; to evaluate how they align and to adjust accordingly. My biggest intention of the new year is to be present.

The wonderful thing about New Year’s intentions is that they can overlap and accumulate. Habits you pick up one year, such as incorporating more exercise into your life, become part of your daily routine and stick with you. The next year you resolve to get more sleep, and so on. One year you make the effort to meet more people by being more social, and the next year you can be strengthening those relationships. It is not a one and done. It is a constant, ever-evolving process of self-reflection and self-improvement. Of discovering what one’s gifts and talents are, and moving, bit-by-bit, every day towards sharing them with others. The other great part about new intentions? They don’t have to start on January 1st, or on your birthday, or some other symbolic day. They can begin whenever you are ready to dedicate your time on earth to yourself. Why not begin today?

love,

greer