Skip Resolutions: Setting Intentions For The New Year
New Year’s Resolutions can be fun to set, but success rates are around 9%. This is due to a combination of the fact that most resolutions are vague in what “finished” looks like, the goal and timeline are unrealistic, or the goal is what you “should” do and not what you truly want. So, skip the pressure of setting resolutions by setting intentions for the New Year instead!
Resolution vs. Intention
At first glance, these goal-setting strategies sound somewhat similar. However, there is a defining difference between resolutions and intentions.
Resolutions
Resolutions are goals you want to achieve, but they’re also a tradition. Something you “do” at the beginning of a New Year, in hopes of taking your life in the direction you want. Most resolutions fall into a handful of categories. This often includes financial goals, weight loss, physical fitness, and a few other categories. Goals often require ongoing commitment, but there is an easily quantifiable measurement of success.
Intentions
Intentions are value or purpose-based, therefore, unique to you. They encourage daily presence and mindfulness. To think about why you’re doing what you’re doing instead of going through the day checking off your to-do list on autopilot. Intentions encourage you to take (and make) more “time to smell the roses”. They evolve with you as you evolve, providing joy, meaning, and fulfillment. Also, an opportunity to get to know yourself better.
Intentions are often more feeling-based, therefore, they may not be as easy to measure or quantify—but you’ll see and feel the difference they bring to your life.
Tips for Setting Intentions for the New Year
Setting intentions for the New Year, or any time or season of life, requires you to get in touch (or back in touch) with your intuitive wants and needs. It’s more about feeling what is right for you than it is about thinking about what you should do.
Your intentions may be related to any of the areas below:
Self-care
Self-compassion
Quality of time
Love
Joy
Spirituality
Hobbies
Quality of time
Letting go
Nourishing your mind, body, and spirit
Living in the present moment
Living in authenticity
And more
Use the tips below to determine your unique intentions.
#1 Ask Yourself
When you wake up each morning, ask yourself what your day’s intention is. As you add commitments to your schedule, ask yourself what your intention for each commitment is. Maybe even set an intention for the month, quarter, or year.
#2 Journal
An excellent way to get in touch with what you want is to meditate, journal, or spend time in nature. This will help you to determine what you might want to improve, attract, remove, or make time and space for.
#3 Reflect
Another method of identifying your intentions is reflecting on past and current times that bring you love, joy, and fulfillment. Or reflect on the things you daydream about and consider how you can realize them. Also, consider how you feel mind, body, and spirit, and how you want to feel if your feelings aren’t aligned with what you desire.
Need Help Nourishing Your Body in 2025?
If you’ll be setting intentions for the New Year related to nourishing your body with healthy whole foods, I’m here to help. As a dietitian, I don’t provide deprivation-based diets. Instead, I provide nutrient-dense and filling foods that support your whole-body health. Weight loss may be a positive side effect, but nutrition should also make you feel your best.
From monthly meal plans to a comprehensive health and lifestyle assessment to personalized nutrition based on your individual medical history, medications, physical activity, and anthropometric measurements, we provide tailored strategies designed to support your unique health goals and empower you to live your healthiest life.