A lot of people make New Years' Resolutions that they are not able to keep because the resolution is too difficult to maintain for the first month, let alone a whole year. So, how do you make changes to bring out the best in yourself without setting a New Year’s Resolution?
Intention and Mindfulness
Live your life with intention and be mindful of what you do every day. Instead of picking large unattainable or uncharacteristic goals for yourself, reflect on what areas of your life need your attention or areas that you want to provide more attention to. Reflect, look back on your previous year and recall what areas of your life went well and what areas may need more attention. Observe the behaviors, attitude, and time spent focusing on the areas of your life that went well as well as the areas of your life that lacked attention.
Utilizing Mindfulness
Once you have identified areas that you want to provide more attention to you can now be intentional in your actions, behaviors, attitude, and time spent on these areas. Often, the intention is there, but the behaviors and attitudes change, this is where the use of being mindful and using mindfulness is applied. As you have identified areas of your life you are focusing on and want to provide more attention to, it will be important to utilize being mindful and using mindfulness. Engage at the moment, be present while you are engaging, and be fully aware of your actions. As you become aware, does this action or behavior fit in with the intention you have set for yourself? Allow yourself to just be aware, no guilt, fault, or
shame, just being aware.
This level of awareness allows growth in mindfulness and intention over time. As you engage in mindfulness behavior, you will start to live your life with greater intention. Making mindful decisions becomes a part of a healthier you, which results in bringing out the best in yourself.