I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. No one continues with them. I even have a whole rant about them here. But, I do believe in setting goals. I also have a whole 101 on setting them here.
I set goals daily. Sometimes, it’s just a chore list. Other times, they’re goals that will take weeks or months to accomplish. I tweak these as I go, adding and updating as needed. With everyone’s resolutions and goal settings clogging up my feed, I started thinking about how I want this year to look.
I think about plans for the following year, often. Mainly, they’re travel, garden and reno plans. These take time and money and I can’t do it all in one year. I also can’t change my entire life in just one year. Yes, I can start the changes, which will lead to changing my life, but much like the travel and garden and reno plans, goals and intentions change. I’m hoping these will grow and adapt instead of falling off of my radar. Here are my intentions for the coming year and beyond:
I want to spend more time in nature. That means going outside daily, even in the winter. It means going for a walk, even if just around my yard. I stood out in the trees the other day while the wind slapped my face and felt better, happier, calm despite the cold air. Spending more time in nature is always a good idea.
I want to get back in touch with our Earth. I asked for a wild plant edible book for Christmas, along with how to pick mushrooms and medicinal plants for my area. I would love to plant these medicinal plants and use them to enhance my diet (but not replace western medicine. I’m not insane). The fact that we live amongst all of the wonderful and poisonous plants and have no idea which is which is baffling to me.
I want to get back to our roots, so to speak, as a species. I want to understand this Earth we are trying so desperately to save. I want to feel more connected to it, because we’re all connected and right now it feels like we’re further apart from each other and the Earth than we’ve ever been.
I want to travel in my own country. This one may seem a bit weird, but traveling in my own country is usually an add-on or simply thrown off the list for me. I want to explore more of my provinces, especially those I have not visited, at all.
Our need for travel and how we are contributing to more emissions and overtourism is a hot topic right now. I had originally thought I’d be pulling back on traveling once I was home from Australia, but it turns out, all I needed was a rest. I love to travel, love to see different places and I won’t ever want to stop exploring. There are just too many experiences out there. There are so many cool things about Canada I often forget about and with Indigenous travel becoming a thing, I can explore my country and connect with nature all at once.
I’m going to listen to my body. It’s funny how I’m fighting the world around me and my own damn body. While I’m looking at how nature plays the most important role in our lives, I’m also looking inside. It’s hard to keep as a habit, but perhaps one of my most important intentions going forward is to really listen to what my body is telling me.
It means going to bed early and leaving a party early because my body will reject late nights. It means relaxing on days when my body is vibrating with anxiousness and stress instead of staring down at my goals and hoping to accomplish them in an afternoon.
It’s simply listening to what my body needs (more veggies) and what it can handle (make Kim Mitchell proud and go for that soda).
I want to be kind. There’s this sort of weird stigma around being nice. It’s as if we’re embarrassed to be seen caring for others or helping others and especially to stick our neck out for others. You want to look cool, seem like you’ve not a care in the world. I, like most people, have definitely struggled with this for years. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to care less about what people think of me in regards to my cool factor and more about how they feel about me.
My goal, not just for this year but for all of the years ahead, is to help people, more. It could be as simple as signing a petition or re-posting something to get more eyes on the issue at hand. It could be that I donate money towards some really great causes I always love (Spana Charity, Humane Society, One Tree Planted, any women’s shelter, anything that helps youth, both at-risk and not).
It could also just be that I don’t ignore the world around me anymore, but open up to it and see people for people instead of annoyances in my way. People will always annoy me, but maybe spreading some good to others will help.
I want to worry less. This is one I doubt I’ll ever fully accomplish, but I already feel my mindset changing. Driving would cause me massive amounts of anxiety for various reasons. After two trips back to back, I came back exhausted but refreshed. I stopped thinking about having to drive for groceries, or to work, or to see friends. I just did it.
I can’t control everything in the world and worrying about it won’t help the world or myself. So, I’m going to try to sit back and mindfully make decisions. Some days I’ll fail, of course I’ll fail. But, others I’ll feel free and happy. And, that’s all I need.
All of these so-called goals or resolutions aren’t just for this year. They’re for every year. And, if I fail at one aspect or another, that’s fine. I’m not going to drill myself into a hole stating that I NEED to do all of this. But, I want to. So, why not? I’m sure my want to’s will change and continue to grow as I do. They may become shorter and longer depending on the year I’m having.
None of these, as you’ve noticed, have to do with weight-loss or overhauling my whole life. They have to do with me trying to live my best life (sorry for that cliche sentence). If you’re reading this in the middle of June, make your own intentions for the life you’re living now, don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to feel better and change your life. Do it, now.
