Why Some Intentions Aren't Always Good Enough
Why is it that good intentions and failure always seem to go hand in hand?
Coming upon the new year, many people are setting goals and intentions for an amazing new year. Not only that, 2020 marks the beginning of a brand new decade for the 21st century, which I think adds a little extra weight to the new year’s resolutions that are being set.
No matter what it is that you’re planning for this new year, chances are that you’ve set a resolution in the past that never came to fruition. Whether its losing that pesky extra fat, calling your parents more often, or leaving your old job to go work for yourself, chances are, at some point, you failed to accomplish it.
And that’s not a bad thing, per se.
In the grand scheme of goals and dreams, I imagine that many more important things in life took precedence and other things went to the wayside.
It happens, that is LIFE.
So, what is the point of even setting a goal for the new year if the possibilities of its achievement are slim to none?
One, setting goals and intentions for the new year can help you get back in touch with the things that make you happiest. In many ways, resolutions can inform you of the areas of your life that require your focus and allow you to get back to being the best you that you can be.
Two, it’s not difficult to imagine that for much of the world, the new year starts off in a season where activity and getting out of the house to do things are nearly impossible. The winter season for the northern hemisphere is dark and dreary and cold. And, much like the bear, makes people want to snuggle in and hibernate until fairer weather comes back into play.
Beyond those two things, January just isn’t a time for things in general. Likely, you’ve been working your butt off for the last several months for the holidays, you’ve spent a lot of money over the holidays and put a dent in your fun money stash, and you’re going to go back into working your butt off so you can be ready to have fun over the summer.
And this brings me to my point. Summer is the natural break time of the year. Sure, many of you still work and have to be responsible and care for things like your family, but you’re more inclined to go out for a drink with friends, take a vacation to somewhere fun with your kids, or get out and about in general.
Why is this?
Well, because our natural rhythm is aligned with the growing season, our society has developed around the cycle of farming. We start school around the time of harvest, we end school around the time of planting, and during that cultivation season we are generally more active as we would be if we worked on a farm.
So, the natural restarting point for nearly everyone is actually in September or over the harvest season. School gets back into session, work usually picks up more for the fourth quarter, people aren’t traveling as much, so businesses slow down (especially in tourist areas), and people usually refocus during this time.
Honestly, you aren’t bad or wrong for setting goals, it’s just a matter of when you set the goal and how that time of year affects your cycle of life.
Keep this in mind when setting your goals for the new year. Sometimes a bit of kindness and leniency toward yourself might be just the thing that keeps you aiming for success.
Lexi Mohney is an award-winning, self published author and a book coach living in Ann Arbor, MI. Throughout her writing and coaching career, she's lived by the motto of courage, and worked with her own coaches, groups, and support system to see her Big Audacious Dreams come true so that she can help others achieve success, too. Her first published piece, Carnal Knowledge, won an award at the 7th Annual Bisexual Book Awards in NYC on June 1, 2019. She is in the process of querying agents for her latest novel, Soulkind, which is the first in the Soul Hunter Series. Contact her through her website or find her on social media with any questions.