Setting Goals and Intentions- Ask, Seek, Knock…

Because it is the start of the year, I felt compelled to write an article about goal setting. But first, let’s talk about setting intentions. Last year January I wrote, Ditch New Year’s Resolutions. Set Intentions Instead. In that article, I discussed what an intention is and I shared my intentions for 2021.  An intention is intangible. It is a word or statement that can help ground or recentre you when you get a little off track. It is what you want to embody as you move through your year. A drishti of sorts, an intention can create for you a point of focus.

Find Your Drishti

I first learned the Sanskrit word drishti, which means ‘gaze’ or ‘view’, in my yoga practice. When doing balancing poses, the teacher would often say, “find your drishti.” This is usually the cue for the student to find a spot to focus on. If the student’s eyes are gazing all over or shifting too often then he/she can easily fall out of the pose. Finding a drishti, helps the student remain focused and balanced. Similarly, an intention, can help us to remain focused and balanced, as we go through everyday life.

One of my intentions for 2022 is mindfulness. We live such hurried lives, that we could sometimes operate on autopilot. We engage in activities without being fully present, because mentally we are already planning for or anticipating the next thing that needs to get done. When this happens we miss out on truly enjoying the present moment, fully engaging in the present activity, as well as the benefits of the experience. Even if the only benefit is mental fortitude. This type of living can also affect our relationships. I found that I often fail to live in the present moment. Even in my yoga practice my mind will regularly drift off to the next thing that needs to get done or to some difficult situation I may be dealing with.  Hence, I decided on ‘mindfulness’ as my intention for 2022. I encourage you to celebrate the gift of this new year by setting an intention. Find your drishti.

Your One Thing

Now when it comes to your goals for 2022, my question to you is, what is your one thing? Maybe you have a long list of goals or maybe your list is short. Maybe you have nothing on your list as yet.  Sometimes we get pressured into thinking that we need to have a certain number of goals or we need to have a long list of goals. If we don’t, we feel like something is wrong with us. Or we feel like we are not ambitious or productive enough. I certainly used to feel that way at one point. If all you have on your list is one thing, then that is what’s right for you. That is what is enough for you. I ask you again, what is your one thing? If you accomplish nothing else in 2022, what is the one thing you would like to do?

Do you have a long list of goals?  Then that is also great, because that is what is right for you. But you still get to pick your one thing. When you do, put that at the top of your list. You can of course, make revisions to your goals as the year progresses. Though we traditionally like to set goals at the start of the year, goals can be set at any point during the year. So do not feel pressured if you have not yet decided on any goals. Remember to be realistic in your goal setting, in terms of how many goals you tackle at once. You don’t want to be overwhelmed or stretched too thin. You should also remember that without a plan, that goal is nothing more than a wish. So once you decide on your one thing or your list of things, create a plan and break your goals up into actionable steps. You may enjoy reading, A Roadmap for Your Life. In that article I describe goals as a roadmap for our lives and I share some steps for setting goals.

Wrapping Things Up…

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7. This is the promise our Heavenly Father gives to us. This is the verse I am taking with me throughout 2022. I also see goal setting through the lens of this scripture. Writing that goal down, drawing up a plan then taking action is like the asking, the seeking and the knocking.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “When you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” The universe is your Heavenly Father, He owns it all, and He is just waiting for you to ask, to seek and to knock. So why don’t you?

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Namaste ~🙏