Today I am sharing with you why you should “ditch the New Years Resolutions” trend. By the end of this post you will have justification as to why you might want to do away with resolutions, and replace them with intentions AND reflections. You will also be provided some prompts to help you with this!

There’s a lot to cover here, so let’s get started…

New Years Resolutions

You have made it to the next year. Hooray! Have you already set new years resolutions? If so, how’s it going? Resolutions are a great concept, a wonderful idea, though there are some things to keep in mind:

What New Years resolutions are AND What they are NOT:

New Years Resolutions ARE goals that you have set for yourself. They tend to be these big goals that you ideally would like to achieve within a set amount of time. Let’s say a years time.

New Years Resolutions are NOT meant to be something to beat yourself up over when you haven’t achieved them, OR when you might have cheated and ate that piece of cheesecake only 5 days in.

New Years Resolutions are NOT a way for you identify the negatives of yourself.

I PROPOSE…

I propose, that instead of creating New Years Resolutions, you spend some time reflecting.

Spend time reflecting on what the past year has been like for you. Take some time and think back to all of the accomplishments you have achieved. How you have changed. Identify the goals that you had set in the previous year (in this case, 2021) and share what went well.

I propose, that instead of creating New Years Resolutions, you spend some time setting intentions.

Spend time setting your intentions for the next year. Perhaps, you intend on spending more time with family. Maybe, you would like to prioritize your physical health more. What intentions do you have at home, with yourself, your family, your friends, at work?

Helping you have a growth mindset.

Growth mindset versus fixed mindset. A fixed mindset tells us that something is a particular way and there are no ifs, ands, buts about it. A growth mindset allows us to see possibility, to have hope, to see change, to see the good.

A very well-known example of this is with grades. If someone gives you an “F”, you may start feeling like a failure. You may start being hard on yourself for not studying well enough, for not making the grade you’d like, etc.

On the other hand, let’s say the teacher gives you a grade of “not yet.” Wow. What a subtle change, but a big shift. Okay, so you just don’t know the material well enough YET. Doesn’t mean you failed. Doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough. Just means… Not yet.

When we set intentions, we allow ourselves that space to say “not yet.” Or “I’m getting there,” or “this is my intention.” See the difference? Better yet - FEEL the difference!

Below you will find some examples of reflections and intentions to get you started!

Year-End Reflection Questions

Here are some examples of journal prompts you can utilize to help you reflect on the previous year to assess the changes and where you were at the end of the year (2021, for example).

• What was the biggest lesson I learned this year?

• What changes did I experience in my mental health this year?

• What goals did you set for yourself for this year? Which ones did you accomplish?

• What is the biggest challenge you had this year?

• How do you think you have grown throughout this year?

• How did you help others this year?

• How did you receive help from others this year?

• What were some of the most positive experiences you have had this year?

• What were some of the challenges you overcame this year?

New Years Intention Setting

• How can I create more space for things that bring me joy?

• What are three qualities I have that I would like to grow?

• How can I foster more creativity in my life?

• What are some characteristics that I admire about myself that I would like to focus on throughout the year?

• What are some qualities or traits that I would like to improve over this year?

• A new skill I would like to learn this year is:

• What would I like to make more time for this year?

• A way for me to be more physically healthy this year is to:

• A way for me to focus on my mental/emotional health is for me to:

• A word or phrase that I would like to remember this year is:

Of course, there are many, many more intentions and reflection statements out there, but here are a few to get you started OR you can also come up with your own!

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