My 2021 Intentions

New year, new me intentions. I made both my digital and physical vision boards at the end of December, leaving ample time to reflect on 2020 and decide what I wanted to focus on in 2021. I normally set my intentions by choosing four words to be applied to four aspects of my life; I typically consider my professional goals, personal goals, financial goals, and blog/social media goals when coming up with my intentions. Each year that I’ve been setting intentions instead of resolutions, I’ve been learning more about how to best set (and achieve) goals for myself.

My intentions for 2021: flourish, focus, imagine, renew

I searched for lists of intentional words on Google and Pinterest, and combed through many blogs, listened to podcasts…basically engulfed myself in the act of becoming more intentional. Those words moved me to take things a step further and promise to show up for myself every day in order to start healing from the trauma 2020 brought. So far, showing up for myself looks like accomplishing big tasks, accomplishing small tasks, and sometimes not accomplishing anything at all other than journaling, reading, and listening to podcasts. I’m learning that it’s all okay; being intentional with my time and actions doesn’t have to be anything grand, it just needs to help me in some way, no matter how small.

Flourish

The word ‘flourish’ means to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way to work and enjoy my life, especially as a result of a particularly favorable environment (definition from Oxford Languages). After a year of development (one of my intentions last year), 2021 will be the year for me to flourish. I’ve been putting in the work in various aspects of my life and I fully believe I deserve to reap the rewards of my hard work.

Focus

I also believe that this year will be the year of more intense focus. When I set this intention, I initially had ‘focus’ on my professional life in mind (as I will be finishing grad school and working on my next steps), but now I realize it’s equally important to focus on my mind, body, and spirit as well. Here’s to trusting my gut instinct, listening to my body, and feeding my mind with tools that will help me become better.

Imagine

I usually set a travel/big dream related intention, and my word for this year is ‘imagine’. Since the pandemic is still devastating populations across the world, I’m not going to get too far ahead of myself with plans, but I can certainly imagine the life I want to create for myself. I also feel that my imagination has been stifled since becoming an adult, and I want to push myself creatively/hobby-wise. I’d like to try things I’ve always wanted to do like artistic makeup, baking a cake, etc. as well as meditation. I haven’t been big on journaling or meditation since I took yoga classes regularly in undergrad, but I’d love to get back to doing things that stimulate my mind.

Renew

The word ‘renew’ goes hand in hand with my other three words. The definition I’m using for this intention is to give fresh life or strength to (from Oxford Languages). By the end of last year, my motivation was nearly lost, and getting out of bed grew more and more difficult, even though I knew I have a lot to be grateful for. It’s definitely time for renewal; I’m already working on it through journaling and small meditation sessions. I’ve been using the Five Minute Journal and free Headspace meditations, and I’ve found a lot of joy in creating mood boards and playlists for various scenarios. I’ve also committed to reading for thirty minutes every weeknight and alternate reading one non-fiction (usually self-help) book one week and a fiction book the next.