Setting 2015 Intentions

Hello friends! I hope you all had a nice Christmas and are looking forward to New Years!

I love January 1st.

To me, it’s a fresh start – a time to press reset on the areas of my life that need it and it’s a time to set new goals.

I hate the term New Year’s Resolutions, because it conjures up feelings of pounds not lost and vague aspirations that can be soon forgotten come mid-January. Or is that just me?

So this year I am making New Years Intentions, which sounds so much more positive, doesn’t it?

Intention [noun]:

1. an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result.

Love it.

In terms of setting New Years Intentions, here is how I look at that definition in respect to the new year:

1. Determine in your mind what you want and intend to do.
2. Put thoughts into action.
3. Enjoy the result.

I am organizing my New Years Intentions in a block of five different intentions and I wanted to share for anyone wanting to make some new years goals, but also make it fun, not daunting.

1. Purge / Organize Something

In order to open up space in your life for new experiences and opportunities, I believe you have to let go of some things that are cluttering your mind and personal space. Whether it’s a toxic relationship or unwanted negativity in some realm, or whether it’s a space in your home that has been driving you NUTS, it’s so invigorating to take a block of time and purge the space of unnecessary items and create a clean and organized space that brings you peace.

My personal purge:

I have a confession – I am an email and photo hoarder.

It’s gotten ridiculous. As of last week, I had 34,000+ emails in my inbox.  Many of which are just junk, 90% of which I don’t need, some of which dated back to 2011. This year I am setting the intention to go through and delete unneeded photos and emails.

I am starting with purging from A – Z by sender in my inbox. I have gotten up to D and have already gotten down to 26,000. Going to shoot for one letter a day until it is cleared out, and then at the end of each day I am going to go through emails received and delete so it doesn’t get out of hand again.

Same with my photos – going to take on the task one month at a time.

 

2. Make a Doctor Appointment You Have Been Putting Off

It’s funny how most of us will run our kids into the pediatrician if there is even an iota of doubt they should go to the doctor. Yet most moms I know have some sort of personal doctor appointment they have been putting off.  Come January 5th make your appointment(s) mamas!

Personal appointments I am going to make:

My insurance changed and my old dermatologist is not covered, so I have to make an appointment for a skin cancer check with a new dermatologist. I have family history of melanoma, so I go every six months for a skin cancer check. I also turned 40 so I need to make my first mammogram appointment. Lovely.  And, I have never had an eye exam, that is also on my list to do in January.

3. Take on a Project or Pursue a New Interest

Most people have some sort of project or something you have “always wanted to do”.  It could be taking a class you have wanted to…joining/starting a book club, simply reading more, trying a new sport, spending more time with someone you love, creating something, it can be anything that brings you joy or fulfillment.

My personal project this year: 

For me, it’s putting together family photo albums [affiliate link]. Life got so busy with small kids, I got WAY behind on the family albums. I am going to set the intention that I will do one family photo album per year moving forward, which I will work on in January for the previous year, and will order them as gifts for my girls for Valentine’s Day to give me a kick in the butt to get it done.

Hopefully they will learn to expect an album each Valentine’s Day and this will hold me accountable!

4. Find a Hobby with Your Hubby

In the early years of parenthood, for us there was essentially no extra time for anything other than taking care of the kids.  The thought of a hobby with my husband in the early years of babies and toddlers would have made me laugh out loud.

Now that our girls are 5 1/2 and 8 1/2 and both in school, I feel like we now have more time to do fun things together.  Having something the two of you love and can share together can be a fun bonding experience together. Plus, I really like spending time with the guy. 🙂

Our new hobby: 

We both love doing active stuff, so we talked about trying a new sport together this year – tennis! I signed up for a weekly lesson through the city and we are going to try to play together on the weekends.

Although, he put the kibosh on me running out and purchasing a cute new tennis skirt until we know if we like it. I hope to be sporting a cute tennis skirt [affiliate link] come spring…

5.  Pick a Personal Theme for 2015

Just like planning a party around a theme, we can determine a theme for our life each year depending on where we are at and what our priorities are.   If there is a word that resonates with you – set that as your 2-15 theme. It could be Health, Fitness, Strength, Adventure, Balance, Peace, what have you.

My personal 2015 theme

 

I want this year to be filled with JOY – meaning FUN and laughter and adventure.  My husband and I are in such a sweet spot with parenting, I feel like we can now take more time to ENJOY life together, not that we didn’t before, but things are just so much easier now that the kids are older, so I want this year to be FUN!!!

Are you setting any intentions this year? Please share some of yours in the comments below!

Happy New Year!!!