I'm sharing my 5 New Year Inspired Intentions that set you up for all other areas of your life. Use these principles as the backbone that creates a space to cultivate a life made in love and focused inspiration.
Each New Year I write goals for myself to achieve. Each year I have accomplished those goals. What I've noticed though, is even though I accomplish those goals, part of me wanted the joy that came with accomplishing those goals. Typically the shiny satisfaction I felt from accomplishing my goals faded and life dealt it's new challenges I needed to overcome.
This last year I decided to live from a different place. I drew on my meditation practice and deepened my intention to have freedom and abundance in every area of my life. The result is a list below of my five favorite spiritual tools I have used the last five years and deeper practices I've developed in 2018. I hope these practices bring you a full, loving, and successful 2019. These tools have brought me more joy and freedom in my life and I hope they do the same for you too.
1. Creating a new mindset shift for greater joy
Often times our small ego selves can convince us that it's better to be right than happy. But the reality is when we live in this limited state it blocks us from connection and creativity in our relationships. Releasing the need to be right in situations while still speaking your truth can bring new freedom in relationships. Look at your defensiveness in situations and decide if you need to "win" or if you can objectively look for creative solutions of the greater good. When we make decisions of the greater good, things often turn out better than the small defensiveness we originally held onto- then you are really coming out ahead. This doesn't mean you should try and be perfect and avoid conflict. This gives us the tools when we do come in to conflict on how to get through it better. I use this shift constantly when I find myself getting defensive in my personal relationships with loved ones to come out stronger.
2. Set goals from a higher perspective to receive more
When we set goals from our limited perspectives of what we think is best, we get limited cramped results. Instead, try letting go of the outcome of specific goals and set intentions for the best outcome of everyone. Our limited minds grasp a specific outcome, thinking that is going to bring us the biggest joy when we get there. What ends up happening is our version of what reality can look like is limited and so our results can feel controlled, cramped, and forced. By embracing goals that excite your spirit and being open to how you get there makes it easier to collaborate with an abundant set of resources around you. Then, it's easier to enjoy the process and get more into the flow of how things unfold.
3. Discovering deeper connection in your relationships
Make a practice or deepen your compassion when you feel triggered in situations. It can be tempting to jump on social media, eat food to distract us, and other ways to handle triggers. When we run from our triggers they keep building up. When we lovingly face our triggers, we transform ourselves and our relationships. Instead of running, look within at what is getting triggered and mentally lovingly hold yourself with no judgement. After emotions settle, it's easier to make decisions from a loving place for yourself and other people. Handling situations like this interrupts patterns of disconnection to slowly form deeper bonds over time.
4. Design an abundant life through gratitude
Whether you like to journal or mentally take in moments and catalogue their importance, building moments of gratitude can transform our life. When we keep telling our mind we don't have enough, eventually that becomes our reality. Instead, shift your mindset to notice every little and big thing you are grateful for daily and how it makes you feel. Your life will start feeling more full and it makes room for miracles in your life. This also helps us stop forcing outcomes and tune in to loving ways to create in our lives.
5. Give what you need to have more
Beyond gratitude, giving what you need can change your life around to have more of what you need. If you are feeling impatient, gently give yourself patience. If you want friendship, invite someone to lunch or coffee. There's no need to go beyond your means and overgive, (I.e. debt, and energy depletion) but when you lean in to joy this way, it carves out more of what you were looking for in the first place.
These 5 New Year Inspired Intentions are things I have practiced over time and are now a part of my daily life. They were incredibly hard for me to do at first, but now they have become a sense of strength and joy in my life. It wasn't easy until I stuck with it daily. If you want to go deeper in a one-on-one guided meditation for your 2019 intentions connect with me here kalenlolson@gmail.com or on my work with me page.
Wishing you miracles, joy, and adventure in 2019,
Kalen