Goals

Goals.  In yoga we don't set goals; we set intentions.  Goals are often seen as big-ticket items that might be a bit out of reach.  Intentions, on the other hand, are smaller steps possibly leading to a bigger goal.  Intentions are meant to be attainable in the short term but are the building blocks for larger goals.  However, intentions aren't seen as invaluable if they don't eventually lead to a large goal.  Oftentimes, we set goals, and the moment we stray from the path toward that goal we just give up.

Example: I might say, "I want to lose 10lbs."  That is a goal.  We all know that a diet cheat day leads to a diet cheat week and then the diet is just blown.  We feel like our goal will never be met, so we give up on reaching that goal.

An intention looks more like this: "I will not eat any chocolate today."  If I do eat some chocolate, I can start the next day with a clean slate and new intention.  Make sense?

That said, the 2014 day planner I recently purchased challenged me to set some goals for the year.  I took the opportunity to think of a few large goals and smaller intentions I might set for the new year.

Number 1 is an intention that I set every day, not just for the new year: Greet each day with gratitude.  It is impossible to live a fulfilled life without gratitude for the small things, the big things, everything.

Number 2 is a goal: Less time online; more time with kids.  I will set intentions every day to build habits that achieve the larger goal.  Setting a timer for Internet usage.  Adding 10 minutes to our reading time each day.  Small intentions lead to success and success leads to encouragement and positivity.

Number 3 is probably the hardest of all: Listen more; talk less.  I'm a talker, and I often miss out on vast parts of a conversation because I am so busy thinking about what I should be saying next instead of listening to what the other person is saying.  Part of the process involves quieting my mind as a general rule.  My mind never stops running, and that's a problem.  It causes me stress.  It causes me to miss out on words people are saying.  It causes me sleepless nights.  So, having a quiet mind is also on the goals list.  Hmmm.  This is getting complicated.

I hope you have been inspired to set some intentions in your life. I guarantee that if you can set small intentions you will have much more success and much more joy in your New Year's resolutions.

Namaste.