As the New Year is fast approaching and we are preparing for the birth of another year, I wanted to wish you all and your families a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2018.

It is at this point in the year where most of us start thinking about making a New Year’s resolution to improve some aspect of our life, whether that be personal, business or both. I want to lose weight; I want to spend more time with my family, I want that big promotion, etc.

Set Daily Intentions, Not Yearly Resolutions

A recent article in the Business Insider shared that 80% of resolutions fail within 30 days of creation. This is an alarming percentage, and the rationale as to why people give up includes setting unrealistic resolutions, not being invested in making change, from a lack of motivation, and more. The number of excuses is endless, so let’s put an end to making New Year’s resolutions and get serious about taking intentional action that will propel you forward in all aspects of your life. My thought of inspiration for you in 2018 is to start setting daily intentions. It sounds overly simplistic, but it’s powerful—and it works.

I set daily intentions on how I want my day to unfold, and sometimes I set intentions throughout the day as I move from one moment to the next. Intentions give you purpose, as well as the inspiration and motivation to achieve your purpose. Quite simply, my purpose is to help individuals inside the corporate world become highly impactful leaders who drive performance and engagement. I know my purpose and I am very intentional in everything I do. Being intentional to me means that I am present in every moment of my day so that I can give my best to everyone I engage with. That may sound all fluffy to some of you, but those who have worked with me or know me well know that my overall purpose on this planet is to help others. The practise of setting daily intentions can change your life, and I, like many others who practise it, are living proof that it works.

You Can Start Setting Daily Intentions Right Now!

You do not need to be a leader in business to apply this best practise. It has nothing to do with “what” you do—this is about “how” you do things. The how starts with your thinking and your mindset. You may be thinking to yourself, “What does she mean by ‘setting daily intentions?’”

Let me give you a few examples to bring this to life:

When I know I am going to be facilitating a program or workshop, I will say to myself—and sometimes verbalize it out loud —“Today I am going to do my best and deliver an amazing experience for my participants,” or “In today’s workshop, the participants will be engaged, and it is going to an incredible session.” Or when I am not working, I may set the intention that it is going to be an amazing day, and I will bring nothing but positivity to everyone I meet.

You manifest your reality and results through your thinking. Do you think professional athletes worry about losing the game? They go into it with a positive mindset and winning attitude. Setting intentions focuses our thinking on the positive vs. the negative and allows you to show up in very powerful way. Right at the moment I was writing this, I said to myself, “my intention with this holiday wish and message is to help others find ways to bring their personal best into everything they do.” You set the stage with the level of energy and focus you bring to your life. Start practising daily or moment-by-moment intentions and watch your level of effectiveness soar.

What Do You Think?

I hope you found this simple message of inspiration for the New Year helpful. Remember, it’s not about doing big things that make us successful, it’s about practising the small things consistently that make a difference. Wishing you all health, happiness and all the best in 2018!
Please let us know what your thoughts are on setting daily intentions, we would love to hear from you. In the interim, Happy Holidays from Leaders Edge!

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