Reimagining My Resolutions for 2021

In past years, my resolutions have been aimed towards vague self-improvement over the coming year. They took the forms of various goals such as “workout 3 times a week”, “get a promotion at work”, and “read 1 book a month”. I felt that if I achieved them, I would be fulfilled; however, I would instead be left disappointed by the lack of satisfaction upon completion. These goals would also cause me to have a “what’s next” mentality in which I was anxiously preoccupied with what I had to do following my current action to accomplish my goals. It was upon realizing this that I decided to switch things up for my resolutions this year; instead of choosing distant goals, I am focusing on intentions that can guide me in my journey. I was able to do this by practicing a self-reflective “seeing” exercise and shifting my mindset about pursuing goals.

It dawned on me that no matter how many external goals I completed; I wouldn’t be personally fulfilled if I weren’t fulfilled internally with myself. I needed to change my mindset from going toward external goals to coming from internal intentions; I needed to stop focusing on goals that I hoped would make me glad in the future and concentrate on being happy in the present moment. This has been a monumental shift that never could have come from something as minor as achieving external goals. It instead comes from living in a state of being, filling myself up with love and joy, radiating that love into each moment and living the life I genuinely want to. To put it simply, I am coming from these resolutions rather than going to them.

The seeing exercise I practiced to find this revelation is simple, yet complex. The activity itself is straightforward as it is about writing what you see whether this be possibilities, emotions, fears, etc. No matter what comes up, write. My seeing exercise took me one weekend, two pens, three stories about while I failed as a child, and eight hours of frustration. However, at the end of the exercise, over 5200 words later, I had two paragraphs straight from the heart that I needed to see. More important than what the practice is, is what it is not. It is not about what you see for yourself, what you envision, or creating goals. These stand to create conflict within yourself and can further you from seeing what you truly are. It is about unveiling blocks such as fears or triggers that may have happened in early childhood that are still preventing us from stepping into a state of being. The most important aspect of seeing is to not treat it as there is a right or wrong way of completing it. As we are all separate individuals with different pasts, so too will the seeing exercise play out differently for each and everyone.

This resolution is not about making intentions to create an identity; however, it is about realizing we are living, ever changing beings and these intentions are as well. We need to embrace change and understand there is no shame in changing. It is an inevitable and integral part of life. By accepting this, we can let go of our past and identities that we cling so tightly too and choose who we want to be in life without restrictions. What really matters is that we are connected and speaking from the heart. Connecting to this state of being allows us to surrender and act coming from this place instead of going towards a goal. I wish you all the best on your journey and may you find magic and beauty in your intentions.

-Austin Lee