I've recently come across some interesting opinions (read: criticisms) on "New Years Resolutions." One of the prevalent ideas out there these days is that resolutions are pointless as no one sticks to them and they just end in disappointment, guilt and beating ourselves up. Fair! I'm going to lose 20 lbs by June can so easily turn into I've only lost 5 pounds, it's September, and this must mean I'm just a fat, lazy piece of... you get the idea. Another idea I quite liked was that just the societal tradition of setting resolutions in January can perpetuate the internalization of perfectionistic standards. It tells us we are not okay as we are, which may be counterproductive to mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. This sentiment suggests that it is okay to give ourselves permission to be just as we are. As someone who doesn't mind resolutions, it gave me much to think about.
As someone who doesn't mind resolutions, I also acknowledge that it is a very personal choice to set them, not set them, or set a less conventional one like to be just as I am or to slow down and do less. In fact, I quite love the less conventional ones, those that invite us to move into the traditionally feminine yin energy.
Another option that I quite like, which I have begun working with more often than yearly, is intention-setting. I find the new moon an apt time to do it, although I also do it whenever I feel like and don't fret too much if I miss a new moon or three. What I love about it is that setting intentions can lend to as active (yang) or as passive/receptive (yin) energy as one wants or has available. Setting an intention can be as simple as laying in bed thinking I hope I get that job...I want that job...I deserve that job...I will get that job! to planning an elaborate ritual with candles, incense, journaling and angel cards. It can also be listening to a guided meditation wherein you meet your future self and ask for their advice, and/or creating a vision board: a collage of images that portray the way you want to feel or the things you want to have or do. Personally I have done all of the above and found them each very fulfilling. What is really cool, is if you record your intentions in some way(images or written) and look back on them a few months later. It can be downright shocking how much of what you asked for actually came about.
"Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny." -Lao Tzu
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