Your first impulse to make 2016 a better year may be to draw up grand plans of the brand-new person you’re going to be: Ten pounds lighter, cooking dinner every night, and meditating every morning.

The question is, what is the best way to go about setting a direction for yourself?A resolution is a firm decision to do or not do something. Or rather let’s not talk about New Year’s resolutions, but New Year’s intentions. Resolutions. Now you have a plan.

Resolutions Thursday, January 3rd, 2019. Hopefully, the governor will open the state’s museums soon, and that store can get up and running again, too.
Set New Year’s Intentions Vs. Resolutions vs Intentions. After some time, quietly with your inner voice repeat your intention(s), pausing between them, allowing associations, feelings, whatever may arise to come and go.Be open, allowing, and flexible – your original intention(s) my change; embrace the present rather than “chase” after the future. By cultivating intentions mindfully, we are working with habitual habits of behavior in the present moment, both in meditation and in every day life. And when not achieved you may feel this as a failure, which may lead to feelings of inadequacy, guilt and shame.Resolutions are future oriented, an imagined future.Resolutions depend on will power and are of the mind.Intentions are based on your inner wisdom, mindfulness, and wise reflection.Resolutions have a limited view of what is success.Intentions provide a sense of meaning and align you with your deepest values.Resolutions involve thinking about something you do not have, possibly a negative approach.Intentions incline us toward investing energy toward something you want, a positive approach.Intentions – “Sankalpa” in Sanskrit; an intention formed by the heart and mind.Intentions can be thought of a path or practice based on how you are here and now (being in the present moment).Intentions are cultivated through mindfulness (both by formal meditation and in daily life) and wise reflection.Intentions are a commitment to align your actions and speech with your deepest values.Intentions become an attitude or state of mind, a way of being in the world.Meditate on or with your intentions daily, ideally first thing in the morning. Mindfulness involves training in attention, awareness, concentration, and compassion.Mindfulness practice allows you to respond rather than react to stressful situations.

There is a more effective way – cultivating intentions with mindfulness.Resolutions are often based on a specific goal that is firm and fixedResolutions limit our focus and are largely governed by the mindResolutions are future oriented, not of the present moment; and are often related to fear from our conditioned past and worry about what the future may bring.Resolutions are often made because of a feeling something is lacking or there is a problem to be fixed. Why is this? It’s the New Year and you are considering what was good and bad in the previous year. Sometimes failing quickly, to get on with our lives, is easier than working at something.An intention is an aim or a plan. It may look like: 1) Set appointment with doctor to run some blood tests and discuss my health. It’s a fail!Now, if you set your intention to get healthier in the new year, which includes losing weight, you will develop a plan to do this. Following the steps on Setting Intention(s) above, start setting your intention(s). Check your posture, relax, follow the breath, allowing calm, stillness, and tranquility to arise. Now you have to do everything you can to lose that weight, work out daily, don’t eat sugar, etc. Mindfully Cultivating Intentions vs. Making New Year’s Resolutions Resolutions are future oriented, and we often find them difficult to achieve. Any questions?2. What has been your experience with resolutions?

It’s the New Year and you are considering what was good and bad in the previous year. You’re contemplating how you want to fill your 365 page book in the new year. Resolutions and intentions are both future-focused techniques for creating change in your life. I, too, have made resolutions in years past, but more often than not, I’m left with good intentions and excuses. Any questions?Take a few minutes to reflect on the “Supporting Your Intention(s) section above and visualize how you would go about this. The COVID-19 rules in New Mexico are relaxing, and THE PATIO, at the store, is once more open to enjoy. 2) Start following the Mediterranean Diet to the best of my ability. The Cork & Kettle located in Ruidoso is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm.

Intentions for the New Year. For more information and to Register, please go to MindfuLiving.org or email New Year Intentions VS. You jump ship and fall back into your old habits completely breaking your resolution. Setting Resolutions vs. If you have a few bad days, you can just go right back to your steps and keep going.Whatever you decide works best for you, we hope you stay the path and accomplish your goals this year! Resolutions often fail – 80 – 90% of the time. The Next Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction workshop starts February 11, 2019. The goals people often set are firm, restrictive, even draconian, and likely ghosts from New Years Past. With an intention, you start with an end goal then develop and work on the steps to get you there.If you have set a resolution to lose weight, you might say, “I’m going to lose 10 pounds this year”. What are your intentions for 2020?