I have made my feelings about New Year’s resolutions abundantly clear in this post. (Hint: I’m against them.) But I still usually take advantage of the quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s to take stock of my goals. It’s a good opportunity for me to take goals OFF my list and make room for anything that might be missing. That said, 2020 was a very different year from any other that I’ve lived through (for a variety of reasons), so I took a softer approach this year and set intentions rather than goals.
First, I want to do a quick overview of terms.
Resolutions
The literal definition of resolution is, “the firm decision to do or not do something”. Unfortunately, humans aren’t as firm as the dictionary, so we often waver in our decisions. That’s the root of why I don’t make resolutions – they are so rigid that they’re too easy to fail.
Now, you might find the distinction I find among these terms to be a bit pedantic. But if I’ve learned anything in my marketing career, it’s that words have meaning. And using the appropriate words lends power.
Goals
I’ve covered goals EXTENSIVELY on this blog (because I love them) and I use them just as extensively in my own life (again, because I love them). But let’s talk about them real quick. A goal is SMART (more here for details on that). A goal has a stated outcome. It has the structure that a resolution lacks, and that structure makes them more attainable.
But goals can be thwarted by uncertainty. A good goal has a deadline, but 2020 has been harsh on deadlines. So I’m taking a gentler approach with myself for 2021.
Intentions
I will admit, I’ve been a bit snobby about intentions in the past. I’ve looked askance at people who simply come up with one word to guide their whole year. How could they possibly drive results with just one word?
But I’m starting to think that intentions might have their uses. The point is that you have an idea of what you want to achieve, how you want to feel. Having intentions is not mutually exclusive from having goals. In fact, it can help you prioritize your goals. If they’re in line with your intention, focus there. If not, it goes to the back of the line.
And that’s why I’m setting intentions instead of goals for 2021.
2020 Year in Review: Panic, Adventure, and a Life on Hold
I’ve been working with a life coach for the past 6 months or so. I know that I’m horrific at prioritizing things for myself. And Zack can’t support me in all areas in my life at once. So I found some outside help. One thing that she suggested was to think about where I was in January 2020, where I am now in January 2021, and where I want to be in January 2022. So let’s see how I got to 2021 from 2020. I view it in 4 parts.
Part 1: Panic
The panic I felt in the first chunk of 2020 wasn’t about COVID-19. It was about finding a job. I naively thought that I would move to Berlin, find a job, and learn German in, oh I don’t know, six months? But quirks of the job market here made it difficult for me to find a role here. And learning a language is not a fast feat. So I panicked.
Part 2: Lockdown #1
Then came COVID-19. Germany locked down hard for April and most of May. We played it safe and stayed home for most of June, despite restrictions loosening. Most of this time was coming to grips with how much our plans for the year were getting crushed.
Part 3: Summer of Adventure
I feel really lucky to be living in Europe this year. After 6 weeks of lockdown, Germany and the rest of the EU started opening up and cases stayed low. We took advantage of it, going camping, traveling to Heidelberg, Vienna, and Paris, and generally enjoying being out of our own apartment.
Part 4: Lockdown #2
Unfortunately, COVID numbers didn’t stay low, and we closed out the year in lockdown.
2021 Intentions (not Goals)
Sitting in lockdown is making me antsy. I’m a decidedly goal-driven person, and I feel adrift and listless without goals guiding me. On the other hand, I am hesitant to make plans due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID. What’s a girl to do?
Set some damn intentions instead of goals.
This year, I have three guiding principles. They are inspired by how I hope to feel next year at this time. My weekly personal scrum will be guided by these intentions. I can use the intentions to spark spontaneity (which I’m not good at). There are no deadlines on these, and they’re not necessarily measurable, so they’re absolutely not goals. But they’re guidelines for how I’m making choices this year.
Intention #1: Check Off Berlin
Fun fact: we don’t have an end date in Berlin. But our relocation package has strings attached until we’ve lived here for two years. The end of those two years is in May. (Holy shit) But over half of my time in Berlin has been with masks and travel restrictions, so I don’t feel like I’ve lived here yet. That’s the guiding light for this intention. I want to see the sights, make solid friendships, and learn the language.
Intention #2: Plan Our Next Steps
This goes hand-in-hand with the first intention. Since our required time in Berlin is coming to a close, Zack and I want to figure out what’s next. He’s feeling the need for change with his job, and I’ve already mentioned that I’m antsy. We both want to take some time this year to decide what’s next for us.
Intention #3: Be Artistic
I don’t know if I’ve blogged about my relationship with my own creativity, but it’s complicated. Suffice it to say that my family is really creative, so my reference point was skewed.
Anyway. This year, whenever I’m not working on being in Berlin or figuring out (and moving toward) the future, I want to be creative. In lockdown, I picked up piano, oil paints, and woodworking, and I want to keep working on those skills and picking up new ones.
I feel happy with my decision to set intentions instead of goals this year. It will allow me to feel successful despite the uncertainty we all struggle with. How about you? Do you set…anything this time of year? Is 2021 any different than other years?
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