Five New Year’s Intentions for 2021

This past year has been unlike anything any of us have seen before. Whether it be quarantines, elections, protests, everyone has been tested and all of us have made it through every hardship we have faced thus far. With the new year closing in, there is a sense of hopefulness - more so than ever - as we all believe that 2021 will be our salvation from the previous year. Seeing as though the year of 2020 may have diverged you from your path, setting intentions for the new year can be helpful to making the most out of the next twelve months. After spending the past year stuck inside and incessantly being greeted by bleak information over the news or when we unlock our phones, being conscientious of the mindset you have while going into the new year will make all the difference when you are in this exact same moment a year from now wondering how you let the year slip away – mind set is everything. At TLC this year, we want to curate the best versions of ourselves and surround ourselves with an environment that will help us achieve our goals. In this TLC Talk, we are going to share with you five of the intentions we are taking with us into the new year, and how you could implement them into your own life as well.

Our first intention, definitely influenced by Covid-19, is to not take advantage of the simple things in life and be present within every moment. With everyone spending the majority of the last year inside and having to continuously keep plans up in the air, taking time to enjoy the little moments and the times when your plans can finally follow through in the new year, will guarantee that by the end of the year, you have made intentional use of your time. With everything that we do, there is always something beautiful to take notice of and appreciate; and yet, we often are too busy to notice the trivial things that make your day. This brings up another one of our intentions for 2021, enjoying the intricacies of life. Whether it be the moments where you wake up to the warmth of the sun shining through your window or slow down a moment and dote fully muse at the loud voices of your kids in the back seat as you hurriedly drive to their next activity, these are all small moments to cherish. We often get stuck in routines and begin to dismiss the parts of life that make our daily routine worth living. With every second that passes we cannot get that moment back, so make sure to live your life intentionally appreciate something within every moment. You can start to get into this type of mindset by setting time aside for self-care. Every night when the house has finally settled down, light one of your favorite TLC candles and take part in an activity that allows for you to slow your mind down and think about all the things you appreciate in life, even if in that moment it might just be the beautiful scent of your newly lit TLC candle. Meditate, do some yoga, drink a glass of wine, or soak in a bubble bath, whatever allows for you to mentally get in a space of clarity is what is needed for you to start thinking about appreciation. Once you have begun intentionally finding appreciation and happiness in small moments like these, challenge yourself to spread this mindset out into all areas of your life.

This idea brings us to our next new year's intention, respecting ourselves enough to challenge ourselves. Staying stagnant and simply being content with where we are right now when we know deep down that we are not completely satisfied, is not a redeemable attribute. We are capable of withstanding insurmountable challenges. We are undoubtedly are worst enemies when presented with challenges, as we automatically begin to doubt ourselves and what we must put forth. However, respecting yourself and taking care of yourself in the new year, comes with setting goals for yourself and challenging yourself whether it be physically, mentally, socially, or in the business world. Consistently setting challenges for yourself to overcome will allow for you to foster and grow a side of yourself that you never knew was there.

Our next intention goes along with that of our previous intention: focus on progress over perfection. The idea of perfection is a constantly shifting ideal that will continuously be an unattainable standard as you continuously meet your goals. Therefore, focusing on your progress instead of the final goal (which is also very important) is imperative to feeling proud with yourself and continuing to be happy and fulfilled with whatever it is you are trying to accomplish. To get to the end goal there will be a million tiny steps that you take each day to achieve said goal, but if focus is only on the end and not the journey, we may often feel discouraged and as if our mistakes along the way are deal breakers. However, tiny victories, such us getting up on time, drinking water, taking time for yourself, changing your mindset, or anything along those lines, are all steps on the journey to the end. So, be intentional on how you view your journey to the end, because there is always something to be proud of along the way even if it is not perfect.

Our last intention for 2021 is fostering love and appreciation for the relationships within our lives. Again, this intention is being influenced by the events that have taken place in the last year and how the state in which human connection has been altered. We all often immediately resort to protection when confronted with something that does align with our ideals or when met with something that is very emotionally intense. However, listening to others and being able to understand that differences are inevitable, is key to living a happy life and having beautiful relationships. Therefore, in the new year, we will be intentionally appreciating those around us and fostering love within our relationships instead of hate. There is never a guarantee of time, so appreciate those who love you and care for you, and simply being kind to other human beings, is a change in our mindset that we want to bring with us into the new year.

We all have lofty expectations for the new year coming up. Expectations can be scary as you never know if what you are envisioning will actually be met by reality. Thus, it is vital that you are consciously and intentionally setting yourself up for success and catering towards a mindset that will curate the type of environment and life you want to live in the next year. Setting intentions for yourself, whether they be the ones we have mentioned above, or ones more specific to yourself, will allow for you to monitor your mindset during the year. We cannot change what is going on around us, but we can consciously put in effort to change our mindset and perspective on the world.

-Kenzington Baxter, Guest Writer