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Setting Yourself up for Success in 2019

Contributed by: Puja Amin

January is such a beautiful time of the year. Not quite as great as Christmas, I know, but it’s so awesome to see so many people get this sudden fire under their ass to lose weight, make more money, hustle harder, and whatever else it is that people make a resolve for. While I am completely FOR making goals and setting the bar high for yourself, I’ve noticed that ever since I started my yoga journey, I’ve learned a lot about something we yogi folk like to refer to as “sankalpa”, or an intention, and by setting intentions, as opposed to resolutions, we are setting ourselves up for success and rethinking the way we look at our goals and the expected outcome. Instead of telling yourself “I’m going to lose 10 kgs and make a lot of money,” setting an intention allows you to celebrate your small successes along the way and not feel bogged down by unreasonable expectations. And I think that’s essentially why by February, most people have abandoned their juice cleanses and twelve-hour days because we’re human and we burn out.

So, instead of telling yourself you need to lose those twenty pounds, set an intention at the start of the day to tell yourself that you’re loved and already healthy and happy. Instead of focusing on the outcome, enjoy the journey and give yourself some nudges along the way to make better choices about your diet. Want to make more money? Set an intention that you will use your time more effectively during the day. Whatever it is, make sure you acknowledge your intention each day, as it doesn’t make sense to set an intention for one day and never utter those words to yourself again. Write it down and why it’s is important to your purpose. From here, you’ll have to integrate small conscious steps that connect you to your intention. After all, it’s better to take lots of sustainable small steps towards your intention!