Intentions for the New YEar

January is a time of goal-setting and making resolutions with the aim of becoming better: better at losing weight, better at writing letters or being grateful, better at playing the piano, better at showing up- you get the point. But this year, how about setting an intention instead?

What does it mean to be a people of intention? Katie Covey, a religious educator and writer of several books, wrote “Here’s what I discovered. Intention is different from setting goals or resolutions in that it “pulls us into” who we truly are. Goals and resolutions “push us out” into future possibilities. To set intentions, we listen to our inner voice which tells us who we truly are.”
 
Setting an intention suggests that rather than striving for self-improvement, and possibly setting ourselves up for failure, we create space for a pulling into who we already truly are in our hearts. It is about listening to the whisper inside of us that says, “this, yes, this.” It is about finding the anchor at our core that can guide us on our journey.
 
Here is an exercise for setting intentions for yourself, and perhaps your family, this year. It is adapted from the Soul Matters material written by Rev. Scott Taylor. Talk about these at dinner or perhaps create a new ritual to begin the New Year.
 
Intention Starters
 
My most important promise to my family this year is: 
Because of me, my children will understand that:
I am on this earth to:
If I could change one thing about how I connect with others it would be:
At my funeral, the two adjectives I hope people use to describe me are:
If I won or inherited a million dollars, the first thing I would do is:
I am most happy when I am:
I want to spend the rest of my life doing:
In five years, people will be surprised that I am:
Because of my church community, we will discover:
If I could do anything to be helpful in the world, it would be:
 
Share your intentions with our community at our website, www.allsoulsreligioused.org
under the Family Ministry tab. Here’s to an incredible new year!