Christmas is over, 2022 is next door: live by intention, not by chance.
Well. Many things bypass your control (normally, other people’s behavior and choices), but one thing shouldn’t bypass your control: you. You should be able to control yourself.
There are no kids here, most of us with some years of life experience, some outcomes that did not fulfill the initial intention.
At some point, you have been tempted to put yourself off the equation and deliver it to do wind… Right?
Not quite: whether you’re a God believer or not, there’s one thing that one must never lose, for the cost of losing it means losing yourself: one must always have Faith.
And the strongest faith one can have is faith in oneself.
That’s where all intentions should come from. That's where all accomplishments come from.
Speaking of accomplishments. 2021 is almost done.
Have you set your goals for 2022?
Have you made some work on identifying your core values?
Too lazy to do so?
Here’s an idea you might want to catch: live by intention this year, based on one sentence.
1. Live By Intention
Ok: the ideal would be that you have your core values written on paper, placed in a mirror, on the door of the fridge, on the door of your closet… Wherever: as long as you have them on-site, in mind, to back you up whenever you make a decision. Little or big decision.
Have them always in mind: to make sure that your daily tiny decisions are aligned with your values. You’ll see how much congruence you’ll get inside you and will reflect in your life.
And don’t be shy to have your values in a place where others can see them: it will make your task easier. People who don’t align with your values, or constantly disrespect your values will feel discomfort with that. And they will naturally step away.
Your values will function like as a natural selector. At its best: people will respect your values and boundaries. Which will naturally evolve into a healthy relationship.
Having your values well-identified in your head would be ideal.
To make sure the goals you set are aligned with your values. Congruence is the word, and the feeling that leads to less friction within, and outside too.
The best practice would be to write the whole set of goals on paper – it would be the best procedure) to go here and remind yourself of what’s important for you to achieve. And no self disbelieving would make you doubt yourself.
Let’s suppose you got it all figured out in your head, you don’t want to write it all down.
What makes us achieve our goals, after setting them is what? Action.
What’s the word the defines all actions? Is a verb.
What if you would find one crucial verb and make a statement to live by that intention during the whole of 2022?
2. Choose A Statement Or Affirmation To Live By 2022…
What is the thing you most want to achieve this next year? Is it a thing or place? is it a situation? is it a skill? Is it an intangible thing like self-confidence, more expressiveness, better communication skills? Be better at listening?
What is the thing kept you from getting there, or in that stage?
What is the skill you need in order to achieve that thing or stage?
Try and translate it into a simple statement.
And live by that statement during the whole of 2022.
(Ok: nobody is discovering the gold here.
Do you know those workshops of self-development? That’s where it came from. It happens that works for many of us: might work for you too!)
Make sure to write your 2022-statement before your “to do” list, daily or on a weekly basis, or: as it was suggested for your goals, write the statement/affirmation on a post-it and place it on the mirror, on the closet door, on the fridge.
You’ll see the difference in where you’ll go, what you’ll do, until the end of the year.
Is kind of a self-brainwashing.
Instead of being done by TV, social media, outsiders' opinions: you are brainwashing yourself for your own benefit.
Awesome or what? Definitely awesome
3. Write It Down And Put It On A Place You Can See Every Single Day
One of the principles to define a goal is that it must be specific and be expressed in the positive.
If you have quit the laziness here’s an article that can help you on: How To Define Your Goals And Work Toward Them: Eight Actionable Steps
This is not quite like defining your goals or identifying the values beneath them.
It’s kind of a hack.
For instance: if you recognize that you have traits of a procrastinator you’re your verb could be: "I am a doer".
As if you’re programming your brain to pass to the next phase of some process and: do. Whatever it is that needs to be done.
Another example is if you are too impulsive, reactive. It almost seems that you are always nourishing an environment of endless entropy, the non-creative one... your sentence could be, "I breathe deeply before I speak or act". To make sure that before you engage in any impulsive response or reaction: you breathe, properly.
And then think straight. And then have a controlled response to the situation. And limit the damages of the flight-fight system that is triggered by things that aren’t worth stress hormones to flash down your body, simply because normally, your life isn’t at stake.
If you are a bit lazy at acquiring new skills, you can choose the sentence: "I learn…".
If you have a tendency to see yourself poorly, your verb could be: "I have personal glow" or "I am a glowing person".
If you recognize that you need to work on your communications skills with public audiences you can state: "I am assertive in my public speaking".
If you have feelings of insecurity very often and you notice that it prevents you from endeavoring new approaches even to start things you can try this sentence: "I can handle anything that comes my way".
Did you get the picture?
These were just examples: the thing is to choose a sentence that will support you in achieving your goals. Because most of what we do or do not do: is a matter of mindset.
As you go through the year using your “magic sentence" or affirmation, you’ll see small changes in attitude. And the small changes in attitude, done consistently, will result in long-term changes.
You start the year in one determined state. And through the year, when you look back: you will realize all the work that you’ve done with yourself, all the steps forward, the work you’ve done in your life.
You’ll be proud of yourself.
Getting Better Every Day
Intentional Hugs
From Body&Soul!
Hey! I'm Eunice Veloso and you'll find more about me on my About Page
"In nature, nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed"
Antoine Lavoisier, 1789
The Law of the Conservation of Mass
