Here we are at the beginning of a New Year. A time where, traditionally, we set goals for the year that lies ahead.
We often think of success in terms of things that can be externally measured and demonstrated. We judge ourselves – and by extension others – on what we do, how busy we are and how much we own and achieve.
There is no shortage of expert advice on how to set goals, do more and have more. But we rarely ask how these goals and visions align with our true inner being. We experience life from the inside out, but we typically set goals from the outside in.
What if, this year, we also bring into consideration the immeasurables? What happens if we shift from a human doing and owning to being? What might that look like? What if you didn’t measure the success of your life only by what you get and don’t get? What if you gave equal, or greater priority, to how aligned you are with your needs and values?
Rather than ‘What goals do I want to set for this year?’; the question changes into ‘How do I want to show up this year?’ or ‘Who do I want to be for myself and others?’
To answer these questions we have to start thinking about how we can live in greater alignment with ourselves, rather than in alignment with the demands of the outer world.
When we attempt to move into a space where we honour our “being” needs, a good place to start is with our values. While values may include aspects of morality and ethics, they speak mostly to that which is of importance to us at a deeply personal level – who we are at our core.
Values are what imbue our lives with meaning. Values that often take the back seat are those that speak to our state of being – things like satisfaction, meaning, fulfilment, authenticity, spirituality, peace, understanding, harmony, balance. They are not measurable, but felt, and often don’t make it onto the priorities list, or if they do, only appear after acquiring and achieving.
If we are going to honour our values and let our actions reflect our principles, it would mean giving as much thought to our intentions as to our goals.
Setting an intention is quite different than goal making. It is not oriented toward a future outcome. Instead, it is a path or practise that is focused on how you are “being” in the present moment. Intentions are about how you want to show up this year for yourself and others.
Goals help you make your place in the world and be an effective person. But being grounded in intention is what provides integrity and unity in your life.
Intention is about the attitude you are going to take in the approach to your goal and balances your focus on both the goal and how you are going to go about achieving it.
This is the first part of a series of posts. See Part Two here.
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