I am so excited to dive into this post. 2020 feels fiery and exciting to me already, and I am very interested to see how it will play out.
In my typical LMAO fashion, I am sharing my intentions for the year. As I’ve mentioned in last year’s post, intentions to me are different from goals because they are never ending. They represent a journey toward a destination that keeps shifting as you get closer.
Currently, my heart is called toward these specific intentions, and I wanted to write them all here, almost like a letter to the future me. A reminder that this is what I want to happen this year.
At the same time, the beautiful thing about intentions is it’s okay if they don’t quite happen or happen in different ways than anticipated. They are meant to be flexible and are only there to help you stay on-course when you feel you’ve lost your way a bit.
So with that, I’d like to share my 2020 intentions with you. I hope these serve as a source of inspiration for you and maybe encourage you to make your own intentions for the year.
Be bold and brave in pursuing what you want
I am ALL about manifesting this year. If you are unfamiliar, manifesting is kind of a woo woo concept that involves aligning yourself with your desires to allow them to come to fruition. In less woo woo terms, though, it essentially just means getting really clear on what you want and then taking focused steps toward getting there. This feels like the year to DO, and I’m feeling pretty hyped about that.
In terms of specifics, to be honest, those are mostly still a mystery to me. I know I want to make strides in career and personal goals, but currently I’m playing a bit of a waiting game to see what I am called toward. So let’s just say I am watching for signs and ready to heed them when they come.
Be unapologetically you
I’m proud of the growth I’ve gone through over the past few years, and especially 2019, that has allowed me to shed my old people pleasing tendencies. I used to be terrified of the idea that someone didn’t like me and would do anything to change that. Now, I see the futility and senselessness of that. Not everyone is SUPPOSED to like you. And I always loved the quote, “If everyone likes you, you’re doing something wrong.”
This year is about pushing the envelope and being fearless. Adamantly staring into the faces of the naysayers and doing the thing that I know is right for me. And not apologizing for that.
I’ve learned that doing this will cause you to lose some friendships and may cause some friction, but it also will create significantly deeper and more fulfilling relationships with people who truly love and treasure you for you. Never make yourself smaller or try to change who you are at your core for someone else.
Create (and share) your art
Art can mean so many different things, from writing to singing to really anything else that gets your brain working in novel ways. I’ve always loved writing as a creative release. It has always been something that gets me totally out of my own head. When I get into a groove, hours can pass before I lift my head. Whether it’s journaling or writing for this blog or just writing some creative fiction for fun, it’s something that always brings me joy and a certain lightness.
In this new year, I want to use more of this innate creative energy, and when applicable, I want to keep sharing it. There is little more satisfying to me than when I write a blog post that flows effortlessly out of me and that I know will help with others who relate. Storytelling is one of the most basic ways of connecting to others, and it helps us feel supported and less alone when we know someone shares a certain experience.
But I also want to share other forms of art outside of this blog, and though I’m not sure how that will look yet, it’s been something I’ve wanted to figure out for a long time.
Do things just for fun
Fun is often grossly under appreciated in our society. Which might be a weird or unpopular opinion, but I wholeheartedly believe it. How often does society encourage us to do things just because it’s fun? For no other reason than it will bring a smile to our face?
No, most of those things are labeled “guilty pleasures,” to be done in the twilight hours after we’ve already put in an acceptable amount of work into our “productive” tasks.
What I’ve found, though, is that time spent having fun is never time wasted. Most of the time, in fact, if I do something fun BEFORE something I have to do, the task feels infinitely less daunting and even more enjoyable. When I used to force myself to crank out all the necessities before I allowed myself any kind of fun reward, I was constantly stressed and burned out quickly.
So just let yourself do more fun things, even if they don’t accomplish a specific purpose. Life is meant to be more joy than struggle, remember that.
Spend more time with people who make you feel loved and supported
As much as I try to always focus on this, I am proven year after year how nonnegotiable my friends and family are to my wellbeing. Relationships can be hard, especially the ones worth working on. Sometimes I start catastrophizing and thinking if there’s a conflict that emerges, it means this person and I are just no longer compatible. In actuality, conflict is a normal and necessary part of any strong healthy relationship, and having relationships that you want to work on and improve is definitely something to be grateful for.
This year I want to keep working on the relationships in my life that fill me up and make me a better human.
Reconnect with music
Music has always been a source of immense joy in my life. I was singing probably before I could talk, and there is nothing quite like music to help me access emotions that are brewing below the surface.
In high school, I sang in chorus every single day, and I think it wasn’t until I got to college that I truly began to appreciate the joy that singing daily brought me.
At some point, I became more guarded and subdued with my singing. Maybe part of me didn’t feel good enough to keep singing in public, and while I am not trying to be the next Grammy Award winner, I’ve definitely let my personal fears and insecurities hold me back from doing something I really love that really lights me up. And that’s a big no no for me this year. So here’s to reconnecting to that part of me and being a little more fearless with doing what I love.
Trust yourself
Trust your gut, your intuition, your heart. Never ever will it lead you astray. Sometimes I have a hard time distinguishing between anxiety and my intuition, but ultimately I can usually tell what actually feels downright wrong, and what just feels scary or a little uncomfortable.
Sometimes we don’t know why something feels right or wrong, but it just does. I find the best things in my life have happened when I didn’t try to question that inkling and just chose to see it through. It feels a bit like jumping off the deep end, but it’s important to remember that your heart truly wants only what is best for you.
Laugh every day
I think this makes it onto my list of intentions every year, and it’s truly so important for my personal well-being. Even on crazy or exhausting or challenging days, I try to carve out even 5 or 10 minutes to either watch something funny or have a quick light-hearted chat with a friend, or sometimes just find some humor in whatever sucky situation I am in. A lot of times laughing at yourself shows you things aren’t really as bad as they appear.
My favorite quick laughing fixes usually come from one of my comfort sitcoms like Friends, The Office, or The Big Bang Theory, or a Youtube video (bloopers from these shows always work!).
Read and learn for pleasure
When I was abroad, I had a significant chunk of free time that I decided to do for learning. This included diving head-first into different spiritual books and texts, watching super cool Netflix documentaries on topics that fascinate me, and listening to podcasts about things I want to know more about. It’s truly incredible how amazing learning is when it’s something you WANT and CHOOSE to learn.
As someone who has taken a fair share of classes that felt like a total waste of time that added nothing valuable to my life, I can definitely appreciate self-guided learning at this point in my life, especially as my formal education comes to an end.
This year, I want to read more about things I am interested in and just keep expanding my knowledge and world view. There is an endless array of topics to explore, and I am really excited to carve out some time for that this year.
Be grateful
Gratitude is, in my opinion, one of the most crucial habits to practice in order to truly feel fulfilled in your day to day life. Some people associate gratitude with complacency. Like if I’m just grateful for everything in my current situation, doesn’t that mean I’ll just be stuck in it and have no desire to change things I want to change?
I think it’s actually the oppose. Gratitude lights a spark inside you that makes you feel like making those changes is worth it. That your life and you are worth it. It reminds you not to take the little things for granted. Gratitude puts you in a positive headspace so that you can be strong, resilient, and brave enough to fearlessly pursue your dreams or stretch your own boundaries.
My favorite thing to do is jotting down just a small list of things I’m grateful for every night before I go to bed. I usually do that after a quick journaling session where I write about my day and how I felt. This helps me tune in with myself and see what worked and what didn’t, so I can make informed choices on future days.
Sometimes the list only has something like “sleep” and “coffee” on it, and other times it’s chock full of friends and events and different blessings the day brought. In any case, looking back with gratitude at what I have helps me stay grounded and remember that there is always a bright side.
And that’s a wrap! Hope your 2020 is off to an great start, and I am so excited to see what this year will bring. Sending all the love!
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