Setting Intentions for the New Year

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The weirdest thing happened to me over Christmas vacation — I lost my voice completely for 8 days. Whispering was the loudest sound I could make. Unable to communicate, I felt isolated from my family.

Silence

Then, as silence brought in my New Year, the silence became transforming.

The time in forced quiet gave me something unexpected – the gift of inner and outer peacefulness.

My Intentions

Just before I got sick, I wrote my intentions for the new year. Have you done this before? I wrote them using active, present tense verbs. 

I connect parents and teachers with information that makes their lives and the lives of their children better.

I live in balance with God, family, work, and self.

I charge and am paid for my time and expertise in writing. 

After the quiet of the last few weeks, I added:

I listen. 

I speak wisely with deliberate intention.

I used my art journal to express my sickness and my intentions. I enjoyed the process of creating and am taking an art journaling with Kelly Kilmer to learn more about this form of expression.

Set Your Intentions for the New Year

Use these guiding questions to help you get started. Spend time with each question noticing your breathing and your inner voice.

1) What does God’s highest purpose for me in the upcoming year?

2) What do I need to let go of?

3) What do I need to embrace?

4) What more information do I need?

Write what it is that you vision using active verbs in the present tense.

I think you’ll like this post from the Life Liberated Project which expands even more on reflections and writing intentions.

Intentions and Goals with Kids

Did you see this fantastic printable to do New Years Goals With Kids from Thirty Handmade Days? (I shared on Facebook last week.) Jeff and I did the questions with the girls to model our thinking. Now the sheets are hanging on our fridge to remind us of our direction for the year. AJ wants to get better at math. JJ wants to get better at reading.

What do you want your 2012 to be?

What are your intentions?

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5 Comments

  1. I love the idea of setting goals and intentions with the kids. We also like to look back and evaluate. I’ve updated our play audit for the 31 day series I’m doing.
    You can download the audit