I’ve always been a fan of the New Year. I like the fresh clean slate it brings, and despite the cold weather and general meh I feel about the winter season, I’m always pleasantly surprised by the inherent sense of enthusiasm for life that somehow seems to bubble up every time January rolls around. In 2017, I wanted to learn more about micronutrients and develop a better grasp on my finances. I shared my intentions for 2018 in a podcast episode, hoping to work towards a better work/life balance, and I set some financial goals for the business. This year, I’m keeping it pretty simple.

How to Set Intentions for the New Year

Every few months throughout the year, I do a lot of self-evaluation and take an inventory of my life. I view it as a way to take a step back from whatever I’ve got going on in my life and I ask myself what’s working and what’s not. I’ll set mini resolutions throughout the year to help shift away from what’s not working and make more space for what is working. That way, by the end of the year, I have a pretty clear idea of where I should focus my efforts in order to have a solid start to the New Year.

When the New Year arrives, I set my intentions. I break up the goals by category. In the past, I’ve been really specific, breaking it down to Health and Wellness, Finances, Personal, and Professional. This year, I’m keeping it simple with Personal and Professional. It’s not that one way is better than the other way, just that there is so much on my plate right now, I wanted to simplify in order to not make this intention setting unenjoyable.

I also try to keep my goals attainable and measurable. When I plan it out, I create a Next Step bit which helps me think of the next action I need to do. Then, I think about what I want to have accomplished by certain dates throughout the year. I keep checking in repeatedly throughout the year to see where I am in relation to my benchmarks, and I always give myself permission to refine or edit the goals, dates or intentions.

Personal Goals and Intentions for 2020

Daily Meditation - Meditation is not something I naturally gravitated towards when I was first introduced to yoga over fifteen years ago. Initially, when I fell in love with yoga, I came to it because it was hitting two birds with one stone - I felt a physical benefit from practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa, and I knew there was something going on that was positively impacting my mental health, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Now that I can “drop in” to that meditative state easily when I practice yoga, I’d like to focus on deepening my seated meditation practice in 2020. That is, while it’s easy for me to get into the zone and experience a meditation in motion, I’m really interested in deepening a still meditation practice. First steps: Getting up a few minutes earlier, so I have the time to meditate in the mornings, which I think will be a good way to start the day.
Continue to Have More Fun - I talked about Operation Have More Fun a few weeks ago, and I’m going to continue to do that in 2020. I’m going to keep taking dance class, and say yes to more things that excite me, with people who add vibrancy to my life. Next Steps: Identify some activities, or experiences that I’ve been wanting to do for a while but simply haven’t, and then create a list of the things I definitely want to do in 2020. One thing on that list is taking a knife skills class.
Continue to Workout with Intention - Last year one of my resolutions was to workout with intention. I wanted to have purpose with each workout, rather than just going into the gym and doing whatever. I kept track of every single workout and saw growth in my muscle development. This year, I want to continue to workout with a planned purpose, to feel more well rounded. I’d like to continue to develop my back strength, upper body strength, and cardiovascular health. Next Steps: I sat for my personal training test and passed (!!!) and will begin implementing the things I’ve learned in my personal training course to strategize a macrocycle plan for the year.
Learn about Investing - After years of shaking my head and saying, ‘Absolutely not,’ when family asked if I was ever going to invest in the stock market (I prefer my money where I can see it, and I do not like gambling, which is what I feel like I’d be doing if I put money in the sock market), I finally have decided this is the year to at least learn more and stop shaking my head. It all started when I gifted my boyfriend this book, when he expressed an interest in learning about investing and the stock market. My brother even went as far as to set me up with a Charles Scwabb account, so really, all I have to do is fund the account (and figure out what the heck to invest in). Ultimately, I just want to learn more. Next Step: Read the aforementioned book and then make a more educated decision.

Professional Goals for 2020

Strategize - I’ll be taking over the books and payroll in early 2020, and I am nervous but want to approach feeling empowered. Next Steps: I’ll be meeting with a business advisor who is going to help identify trends and statistics based on the last few years we’ve been in business. From there, we’ll have the blueprint to develop a strategy moving forward this year which will help us all to focus on the right aspects of the business, and continue to grow.
Grow Namaslay® Studios - The studio has been slowly picking up over the last few weeks and I’d like to keep the momentum going. This year, I’m committed to learning more about the ins and outs of brick and mortar spaces, which I have learned are night and day different from the online business model. Next Steps: Look into local magazines and papers for additional coverage. We had an article written about us in one of the papers, and it brought in so much business!
Give Back - This year, the YBC® team is going to be deepening our philanthropic efforts, and giving back in a big way. The initial planning stage is under way, and I am really excited to help others through business and the YBC® Community. Next Steps: Decide on an organization we want to support.
Expand the YouTube Channel - YouTube now offers membership options, so I’ll be making some big changes in 2020 with regards to what I put up on YouTube. I want to deliver longer, more strategic content, and create an online subscription for that monthly content. Next Steps: I’ve already filmed this month’s content, now I just need to film an intro for new members, develop a marketing strategy, and mark it live!