How Do You Want to Feel?
“You are what your deepest desire is. As your desire is, so is your intention.
As your intention is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.” -Upanishads (ancient Sanskrit/Vedic text)
How the heck is it December already!? A sentiment I’ve heard more than once over the past week.
With 2019 only a few short weeks away, I’ve begun my annual reflection and intention setting process. (Don’t let the word process scare you. I just find that it takes more than one sitting to remember all of the awesome things I want to celebrate from the past year, reflect on the many lessons learned, and to mindfully consider how I want to rocket into the next year.)
Two years ago a mentor of mine asked how I wanted to feel by the end of the year. It was early 2017 and without hesitation I said, “Loved”. She then asked what I was willing to do to feel that way. That took a bit longer to come up with (e.g., be very choosy about who I let in my life, deeply cultivate and practice self love, etc.), but by the end of 2017, I can tell you that I felt more loved - both by myself and others - than I ever had in my life up to that point.
This started a yearly ritual of intention setting around how I wanted to feel by the end of the new year. Now I don’t set goals, I set intentions - a focal point for the year. For 2018, my “word of the year” was fly - it was a feeling of freedom, of expansion, of spreading my wings and truly trusting myself enough to take a leap.
I’m still working on 2019 - currently what’s resonating are the words open and joy - but meanwhile, I wanted to share part of my process in case you wanted to join the intention setting train. Below is an abridged version of what I walk myself through that can help you to set your 2019 intention(s):
Make a list of all of your wins for 2018 - big, small, ones you had forgotten to celebrate.
Think of what is working really well in your life right now (aka what you want to continue to call into life for 2019).
What do you know for certain you don’t want to bring over into 2019 - a mindset, relationship, belief, habit that is no longer serving you and your highest good?
Envision it is December 2019, what wins are you celebrating? How are you feeling?
Narrow #4 down to one word or short phrase to umbrella how you want to feel by the end of next year?
What do you need to stop doing and/or start doing in order to begin the journey to that feeling? Remember - magic happens when action meets inspiration!
Happy intention setting and Happy (almost) 2019!!
Be still. Be Love. Be You.