Being vs. Doing

Last week I challenged you to think about what you wanted to accomplish in 2016, to write it down, tell someone, to feel the fear and do it anyway.  After I wrote that, it was no surprise that the majority of messages and emails I received throughout the week all talked about the best way to start the New Year.  Author Gabby Bernstein shared her practice of focusing on one new intention, one meditation and one spiritual lesson to apply per month.  Professor and author Brene’ Brown talked about the importance of taking time to play in the New Year.  Dr. Christine Carter, author of The Sweet Spot, explained that it’s not about what you want to achieve, but how you want to feel. 

An email from the Coach Training Alliance looked at things from a slightly different perspective.  The email explained that a resolution is an act that requires doing.  A resolution implies that there is something that needs to be fixed, so you must do things differently to achieve your goal.  Instead they suggest setting an intention, which they define as a “positive directional desire grounded in a goal.  It artfully recognizes the journey of change and begs the question of how an intention is going to be supported.”  An intention then is not as much about doing, but an overall way of being.  In simpler terms, by setting an intention you try to make it a part of your everyday life so that it can become second nature.  This was, and still is, a hard concept for me to get my arms around because I am a do-er.  I like to make a list, check things off and feel like I am making forward progress in accomplishing something.  However in our hyper focus of checking off the list, it’s easy to overlook what it would take to incorporate this into our everyday lives.  In other words, the resolution to fix something isn’t as simple as putting duct tape over it, because the crack under the tape still remains.

As some of you know I’ve recently started a series of Journal workshops*.  I’ve been writing down my thoughts and ideas since I received my first diary for my tenth birthday.  I love that my journal the one place where I can say whatever I want with no filter.  Over the years I’ve found that it is a great outlet and often leads me to look at a situation differently.  This year I am going to start something new within the blog and include journal prompts for you to think about.  I encourage you to take 5 minutes and free write (or type) whatever comes to your head after reading the prompt (no editing allowed).  Try it out, you might just be surprised with what you learn about yourself.

Journal on this: Are you setting resolutions or intentions?  How can you make small changes to make it less about what you do and more about an everyday habit?    

Heart-FULLy Yours,    

Kacey

*My next workshop, Setting Resolutions that Stick, will be Sunday January 24^th in Chandler (watch FB for more details). If you don’t live in AZ, or can’t make it to the workshop, let’s schedule time to get on the phone and talk about what you need to do to make your resolutions/intentions work for you!