New Year Intentions

res-o-lu-tion (n) - a firm decision to do or not do something

in-ten-tion (n) - a thing intended; an aim or plan

I feel like there's a big, mildly depressing letdown after all the Christmas cheer and busy-ness has come and gone, and the dull, cold winter ahead can appear daunting. The one bright light in the midst of it all comes from the freshness of a new year, and along with it the opportunity for internal (and external) transformation.

I have nothing against resolutions. I've flipped and flopped about whether I'm for or against them, and I know myself well enough to admit, simply, that they're not for me. The idea behind trying to improve oneself or one's life is awesome and I'm totally on board for it, but for the sudden, rigid change that is needed to accomplish a resolution is the reason that diets don't work for many people -- it's so sudden, it's so strict and all-or-nothing, that it's near impossible to hold oneself to such high standards, no wiggle room allowed.

So, this year, I'm choosing to make intentions. As you see the definitions above, an intention seems more flexible, less strict, and even a less stressful of a decision. We can aim for a particular goal while making steps, big or small, along the way. It's definitely a slower, more intentional (see? Intention?) way of hopefully putting forth positive change in your life.

Here are some of my goals and a few of the steps I hope to take as part of this new year:

- Get healthier. I love that this isn't a specific goal beyond FEELING healthier. A little at a time, I'm hoping to get our diet even cleaner (we're currently pretty much natural and organic, but still need to eat more 'real foods') and have finally told Dave that, yes, we're going to take part in a CSA when the season comes. It wasn't worth it, financially, before because much of the stuff we'd be receiving wouldn't really be eaten by 2/3 of the family. I'm determined to make it work, though, and to start diversifying our diets. Oh, yeah, and I need to get into yoga or SOMETHING again since I've fallen off the "exercise for energy" bandwagon.

- Enjoy gardening. I've had issues with our garden (last year was a complete failure thanks to neighborhood cats), but I think that if I learn to enjoy the process of gardening, I'll be more successful with it. That said, I'll do smaller-level gardening due to the CSA I already mentioned.

- Embrace the happy. This is probably the biggest of them all. I try to do this currently, but being more present and seeking out the simple joys of our family life is a priority that needs to be appreciated. This also involves our quality of life, which means that we may be doing some house hunting and some other changes may be on the way. Even in the midst of changes, though, it's important to remember that it's not important to seek out "bigger and better," but rather to take the everyday miracles to heart.

- Write more and find opportunities to share it. I've finished the premise of one children's book and have one or two stories on simmer, in addition to the writing I do for Green Child Magazine, but would like to find other opportunities to flex those writin' muscles. It's something I've always enjoyed doing (or else I wouldn't blog, of course!), so nose to the grindstone! The steps here include regularly hunting for freelance opportunities, searching for writing competitions to enter, researching publishing options, and partaking in writing prompts. Bam.

- Blog focus. I'm still not super happy with the look of this tiny corner of the blogosphere, so I hope to work on the aesthetic. Also, though, I'd like to get the business side of things and, of course, quality content organized. Hand-in-hand with this is the fact that I've been slowly but surely saving up for a DSLR camera, so I'm itching to finally buy the thing (and take some online classes to get to know it).

- Continue to simplify. This time of year, we always do a big purge, so that's nothing that new. However, especially with the thought that we may be moving, I'm hoping to REALLY purge every last thing, keeping only what will truly serve a purpose. Simplification can also be seen figuratively...so, yeah, I hope to do that, too. ;-)


What about you guys? Share your resolutions/intentions/goals for 2015 in the comments and we'll be sure to send you positivity and support for achieving them!