Forget About Setting Goals in the New Year

mindsetbraverycareerbusinesspersonalsuccessnew yeargoals

Jan 1

Written By alana ruoso

Hello, Mavens!

Tired of making big goals for the new year? New Year’s resolutions make you want to hide under the covers? Me too.

Try this instead:

Set an intention for 2024 in the form of one single word.
Make this word your intention for the year.

Sound too simple to be effective?

Actually, the simplicity of it is what makes it so effective. In the spirit of ditching struggle (which I always encourage), using one word to anchor your intention for 2024 is an easy way to keep your brain - and heart - focused throughout the year. And a focused person is a successful, fulfilled person. Cheers to that!

My word for 2024 is COURAGE. That means everything I do and in 2024 (my podcast being a main focus) needs to support that intention. If it doesn’t, I won’t do it - or at the very least, I will rethink my options. I really want to push myself in this new year 💪

I gave up on New Year’s resolutions long ago. Writing them out felt heavy, complicated and umm, not fun. So about three years ago I decided to massively simplify things and sum up my intention for the year. The result? I felt I make MUCH more progress in my goals - and in my life.

Last year my intention was to be EXPANSION (I even joined a group coaching program called “Journey to Expansion” - true story.

So I had post-it notes around my home to remind myself of that goal. Yes, when you come over to visit you will see multi-coloured post-its in the bathroom and kitchen and I’m so ok with that!

Some examples of an intention could be:

ABUNDANCE
GROWTH
LEADERSHIP
EDUCATION
PURPOSE
FORGIVENESS
RELEASE
PEACE
JOY
EMPOWERMENT

There are no rules here, and of course, you can make it multiple words or a sentence/statement. The main goal is simply to simplify.

Consider this intention every time you set out to do something or commit to an experience. Does it align with my intention? Will it bring me closer to my intention? Does it fuel my intention? If yes, go for it. If not, walk away.

For me, this has dramatically reduced my overall anxiety, especially as I’m someone who tends to overcommit and overbook (see my blog post on that here). The more clearly I focus on what I want and what matters to me, the less I freak out about all of the things I ‘should’ be doing.