Let’s Set Intentions Not Just Goals

“New Year New You”….how many times have you heard that slogan in the last few days?

This is the time when almost everyone is thinking about making big changes and setting those Goals ….especially when it comes to weight.

As a health coach, I want to share an important reframe on goal setting: Setting goals is a limited and outdated strategy for creating what we desire.

Because goals don’t build habits.

And habits are the building blocks to creating ANY real positve lasting change in your life.

To build habits you need to work with your mindset.

This starts by harnassing the power of setting Intentions.

Intentions set you up to do the important work of changing your mindset and habits every day instead of being a slave to some future goal’s promise of happiness.

Intentions are like guiding principles that you want to live by and give you the essential support you need to achieve your goals.

Unlike a goal, which is a specific outcome that you can check off a list, an intention is ongoing. It’s less focused on the final destination and more focused on who you are being, what you are doing, or how you are feeling along the journey.

Intention setting invites you to live in alignment with what really matters to you. Your mental focus and behaviors are based on the internal state you wish to create.

Intentions keep you focused and engaged throughout the behavior change process and give you the flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing present moment. When the inevitable obstacles occur, your attitude and actions will be guided by your intention, while goal setting alone simply tells you to muster willpower and fixate on a future reward.

Chasing goals focuses your energy on a limited one time outcome. There’s a lot of stress and anxiety because goals are based an all or nothing, pass /fail situation.

Intentions are empowering because they motivate you to be more curious, mindful, self respecting and open to possibility.

Chasing goals can have you judging yourself and feeling like you are never enough. They’re based on you finding the “right” way of doing things to achieve. Intentions give you permission to feel good about yourself every step of the way.

So in addition to or even instead of setting the goal: ” Need to lose 20lbs”

Try setting one or two wellness intentions that you feel like you need most in 2023.

Here are a few suggestions:

“Feel energized and vital in my body”

“Find ways to move my body every day that make me feel good.”

Can you feel the difference? Goals are contracted, “supposed to do” energy. while intentions are an expansive invitation to do what feels right for YOU.