After the whirlwind that was 2020, welcoming in 2021 felt different than welcoming years past. Much quieter. Perhaps not as jovial, however still filled with hope.
Reflecting on previous years had me rethinking my resolution practice. I am one of those people who will make a list of five or more resolutions, write them in a journal, then hope that they magically happen. Learning French had been a new year's resolution of mine for well over five years. To date, I know about that many French words, five
As I thought about the idea of writing down my new year's resolutions once again, it occurred to me that instead of making these big resolutions, what if I focused on daily intentions and habits. Slowly adding new habits to my day with the simple intention of finding joy and happiness. The idea of setting an intention of being joyful seems so much more exciting than a laundry list of to-dos for the year that I write knowing I may or may not actually accomplish them.
The result - a move across the country that I’d always wanted, a raise, a new job, my dream apartment, and a consistent morning routine. I couldn’t believe it. In letting go, I’d somehow managed to check more off of my hopes and dreams list than I had the years before.
What I didn’t know at the time was that I am a non-specific goal setter. Contrary to common beliefs, it is actually possible to accomplish more while thinking about it less, if that is who you are designed to be.
Since 2021 had such great results, I decided to do the same thing in 2022. Focus less on a to do list for the year ahead and instead prioritize my daily joy. And just like that I’m ending the year with another raise, new circles of friends, two dream vacations, and a true sense of self that I could only have imagined of a few years ago.
Now I’m not saying that this way of letting go is for everybody - I don't believe that it is. But I do know that for those of us who are not necessarily meant to be so specific about our goals, focusing more on joy is a pretty sweet way to get to the final result.
Do you know if you’re a specific or non-specific goal setter?
The easiest way to learn more about your most aligned way of setting goals is to book a human design session.