New Years resolutions for me, induce a full body shudder.
I started setting intentions for the coming year a while back – as a rebellion act against the norm of New Years Resolutions! I haven’t spoken about my loathing for resolutions as I didn’t start my blog until February. So I thought I’d do a six month check in with where I’m at.
Most of us will agree, resolutions don’t work, are hard to do and generally make us feel like complete failures come the middle of February when we have failed to stick to our promises.
I decided initially that I would choose something to add to my life, rather than the usual ‘I will stop/give up…”
During the run up to the end of the year I start to ponder on what my intention will be. I ask my self questions and journal, noticing what words or phrases I’m drawn to.
This year I asked myself three specific questions:
What mantra do I want to adopt for the coming year?
How do I want to feel?
What practises do I want to incorporate into my daily life to improve my health and wellbeing?
My intention didn’t make itself know until quite late, new year had come and gone – but I had faith it would show up.
If you’ve never done this and are wondering what on earth I mean – I find if you keep a look out and have in the back of your mind that you are looking for an affirmation or phrase or word, it will make itself known to you. And the minute you hear it, you will know it’s meant for you.
So my intention finally showed itself mid February, and it came in the shape of a lyric – I heard the words “ebb and flow” and my inner compass did that thing where you get a little twitch to tell you to take note. I sort of liked it…but it wasn’t completely right.
Ebb, according to the dictionary is the flowing back of the tide. Now, I’m all for looking back to reflect upon your choices and behaviour – but that wasn’t what I wanted to focus on for a new year.
Flow, however I liked. It means to move continuously – perfect for someone who is all about striving forward.
So I started to play around with words that complimented ‘flow’.
Eventually I added ‘ease’ (free from anxiety or pressure, to lighten) and my intention for 2016 was born.
I wanted ‘ease and flow’ to represent how I carried myself, looked after myself and behaved towards others.
🌸 I decided to start every morning with yoga to help me feel grounded for the day and continue regularly exercising and eating healthily – but not feel guilty when I had treats.
🌸 I decided I was going to become more flexible in my thoughts and not get frustrated or stressed when things didn’t go the way I had planned.
🌸 I decided to regularly adopt mantra’s to remind me how I was going to behave and help me commit to setting intentions for the day or week.
It all starts with a decision.
A decision to live with intent – not just glide through life, but to live with purpose.
Six months on, it hasn’t always been perfect.
I’ve gone days without exercise, fallen off the food wagon a few times and let stress get the better of me on more than one occasion.
However, I’ve acknowledged each time this has happened and chosen to simply let it go and start afresh tomorrow. No raking myself over the coals, no feeling like a failure and definitely no giving up. Ease and Flow.
I’ve reflected on why I may have needed three cakes this afternoon, or my frustration at another colleague – and looked at how I might have been feeling which in turn caused me to act a certain way. Then I’ve moved on. Ease and Flow.
Choosing an intention, for me, is the prompt I need to remind me of how I want to be. Not where I am, but where I am headed. Ease and Flow.
Life is a journey – and this is where the learning takes place.
Tell me, where are you headed? How would you like to feel? Do you have a mantra you live by?
Let me know below…
The Shimmer Within Her 