Approaching 2018 with Intention

Another Tip for Reaching Your Goals

This is a follow up to the Resolutions for 2018 post where I listed some of my goals (not resolutions). In that post, I mention that 80% of all resolutions fail within the first few weeks of the new year. Why? Most people lack intention. Recently, I read a blog post from my physician and trainer, Dr. Stacey Naito, which followed the same train of thought with an added suggestion.

Making only a mental note of your goals is rarely an effective means of reaching those goals. That’s why vision boards have gained popularity over the years. It puts your goals for career, relationships with a significant other, friends and family, finances, etc. there in front of you for you to see every day, hopefully motivating you to take the necessary steps to achieve them. You can do this the ‘old school’ way with poster boards, glue sticks, and a stack of magazines, or you can look for any number of vision board apps for your smart phone.

Vision boards are great and can definitely be helpful in reminding you of where you want to go. Meditating and visualizing yourself reaching these goals is another helpful tool. You don’t even have to know how you’re going to get there. Just visualize yourself succeeding. Take it as far as really trying to feel how it will be to reach your goal and you’ll begin to notice opportunities which will bring you closer to your goals, one step at a time.

But, there is one step according to Dr. Naito’s post that I don’t think I’ve ever really done. Writing out my goals for the year. Not entering them on a computer or smart phone, but literally writing them out with pen and paper. It seems a bit archaic, I know. But the physical act of putting pen to paper slows the brain down enough to take stock in your intentions.

Vision boards are great for a visual representation of the goals we want to reach. But for the most part, the mind just sees a pretty picture. The act of writing down your intentions forces the mind to get a bit more creative and strategic. It becomes more of an active participant than just an observer. So as 2017 comes to a close, I will be sitting down with pen and paper to state my intentions. And at the end of 2018, I will look back on the year and see how much I have accomplished. Even if I only reach a percentage of my goals, I’ll still be farther ahead than if had I not set any. Who’s down for reaching some goals this year?

To read Dr. Naito’s entire post, click here.