From Resolutions to Intentions: Choosing How You Want to Feel This Year

Terry Whitehead | Wellness Committee Member

At the start of another new year, you may be considering New Year’s resolutions. Most people have good intentions, but their resolutions don’t make it past the end of January. Some realize the goals they set were not realistic (can you really lose twenty pounds in a month?), or don’t have a clear plan for what they want to achieve. Others run out of willpower, quitting at the first sign of failure. Personally, I find my resolutions never come to fruition because I usually get sidetracked and forget about them altogether. Months later, I’ll look back and wonder why I never completed what I started.

I read an article by Heather Whelpley who suggests that instead of resolutions, ask yourself some questions. What are you proud of from last year? What do you want to be different? How do you want to feel next year?

What to Keep and What to Let Go

When I was young, I was really good at letting go of the past and moving on. However, as I aged, it seemed like there were too many mistakes, too many failures, and too many things I couldn’t forget. It took a long time to reprogram my brain into learning how to move on. Gradually, I began to realize the many blessings that had come into my life and learned to express gratitude.

Gladys McGarey, MD, did not live to be 102 years old by dwelling in the past. She wrote The Well-Lived Life: A 102-Year-Old Doctor's Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age and says, “We cannot feel stuck, or we will die.” Instead, we need to move forward and live through events. Leave behind thoughts of who we were and what we don’t think we are now. Remember, your past only exists in your mind.

How Do You Want to Feel This Year?

In Danielle LaPorte’s The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul, she says you should feel lit up thinking about your future. Instead of making resolutions, think about how you want to feel this year. If you desire to feel healthier, you will likely find yourself participating in activities that help you achieve that goal. You will find yourself eating healthier and exercising by doing activities you enjoy. If you desire to feel more spiritually connected, you will find yourself devoting more time to your beliefs. To feel happier, you will focus on helping others and cultivating gratitude.

Danielle says not to chase the goal, but chase the feeling that you hope to achieve by completing that goal. In the movie Unsinkable: The Secret to Bouncing Back, Sonia Ricotti suggests putting your wishes and desires in a pot. What do you want to manifest? Visualize your best self. Negative thoughts attract negativity, while positive thoughts attract love, peace, joy, and gratitude.

My grandson turned five years old last year and decided he wanted to play hockey. It was so cute watching him all dressed up, trying to do his best to skate around the rink with his coach and teammates. One day, the coach told him he could be the goalie. He was so excited! He skated over to the net, crawled inside it, and sat down. Soon, two of his teammates saw him and thought, “That looks like fun,” so they too skated over, crawled inside the net, and sat down beside my grandson. When the game was over, he ran up to his mother and exclaimed, “I got to play goalie today, mommy!”

After thinking about his experience, I have decided that is how I want to feel in 2026. Every day, I want to come home to my husband and say, “Guess what I got to do today, and was it ever fun!”

Terry Whitehead
Wellness Committee Member