And here we are again, another year!  How is it possible for 365 days to go by so quickly?!  I hope this new year is off to a great start for you.

As always at the beginning of the year, I reflect on the previous year: did I honor my intention and my values as fully as I had hoped?  And, I check in with myself to see what I want and need, and how I want to feel in the new year. Sometimes, it’s radically different from the previous year and other times it’s quite similar.  From there, I journal and meditate to find a word or phrase that I can use as part of an intention to help guide me through the year. 

This year, I’m combining a few words and phrases from the last two years as they really sum up how want to feel and how I want to approach this year through the lenses of my business and my personal life.

 Intention setting is something I really value. It moves beyond goals or resolutions, which feel more like things to attain or change about ourselves – items we’re going to check off our list.

 Intentions, however, guide us; they form the foundation for our actions, thoughts, and words.  They help us connect to our core values - what we hold deepest in our hearts.

In yoga, the Sanskrit word is Sankalpa (San=connection to truth, kalpa=vow).  Our Sankalpa is a vow that can connect us to our deepest truth – our heart’s deepest desire for who and how we want to be in the world.

As you consider how you want to move through 2025 and how you want to be in the world this year, you might consider the following thoughts to support you in creating your intention.

• What quality would you like to experience/embody/express/cultivate this year?
•  How do you want to feel over the next year?
• What value do you want to align with?
• What word(s) or phrase(s) would guide or support you right now?
• What’s your heart’s deepest desire?

You can meditate on the above questions or journal your responses – see what feels most organic to you. 

As words and feelings come up, see if you can explore what’s underneath that initial want. 

Then allow any words or phrases that deeply resonate with you help you to form your intention. 

And as you home in on your intention, state it to yourself as if it were happening now – in the present moment -  as a reminder that you are in the present and as a reminder that this value, this desire is already within you.

For example, if I wanted to feel more spacious in my life, I might ask why I want to feel spacious, or what's keeping me from feeling that way. That might lead me to realize that I feel disconnected because I’m so busy.   Then I might explore who I’m feeling disconnected from, and ask why that’s important, which might lead me to realize that connection with family and friends is what nourishes me.  So, I might create the following intention for myself: 

I create space in my life for time with family and friends, and I feel nourished by these connections. 

And from there, if my intention is to make space in my schedule, then every time I accept a project or book a meeting, I’d keep that intention in mind and do my best to make sure my choices were aligned with that intention – that value of family time.  Make sense?

Have a go at it and have fun – let me know what you come up with!

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