Positively Working with Ayda - resolutions or intentions?

Ayda is carrying out her training contract with Outset, currently working in the employment team. With a real passion for penning her tips and experience in her professional and personal journey, she’s going to share these with us as a regular feature. We hope you find Ayda’s insights as helpful and thought provoking as we do.

Resolutions, or Intentions?

The start of the year is often where people overwhelm themselves by focusing on substantial changes down the road, rather than on small changes in the here and now. Resolutions tend to inspire negative thoughts about your current situation and as many of us are aware, most resolutions rarely last past Valentine's Day (how are yours doing?).

We underestimate how long it takes to kick a bad habit or adopt a good one. Studies indicate that on average it takes approximately 66 days before a new habit becomes automatic.

Resolutions are often focused on smaller goals like having a good posture or substantially cutting down on sugar whereas an intention has a broader focus and often relates to relationships, careers, self-improvement or travel.  

An intention focuses on the positives and is much more forgiving, without the built-in succeed-or-fail dynamic that seems to come with resolutions. The idea of intention praises effort and process, and not just results.

An intention does not imply something is wrong with the way you currently live, but instead, it motivates you to live even better.

Here are some examples of my intentions:

• I intend to live in the moment without worrying about the past or future.
• I intend to live with more compassion for myself and others.
• I intend to maintain my fitness.

What are yours?