Happy New Year, Indeed!

I’ll admit that it’s tempting to want to set a New Year’s resolution. The thought that somehow when the clock strikes 12am on January 1, you could be a new person—a better version of yourself because it’s a new year—is enticing. But I know better. Resolutions are hard. They’re often broken and they take work and change. The dreaminess of Paige version 2011 is overshadowed by what’s truly behind a resolution—admitting that the current version of myself isn’t good enough or that some part of myself doesn’t make the cut as I cross over into a new year. And resolutions are lonely. It’s you against the universe trying to upgrade some aspect of yourself that isn’t quite right. While I’m all for constant self-improvement and refining my definition of who I am, I never want it to feel like a struggle. It should be a natural, seamless evolution of my being.

So this year, standing outside in the snow swallowing frisky bubbles of champagne while moving my body to Michael Jackson beats on New Year’s Eve, I resolved that setting intentions were much more my speed. At first blush, an intention may not seem that distinct from a resolution, but to me it’s a horse of a different color. An intention is like a pact with the universe. “Look, universe, I’ll do my part to bring this desire to fruition if you’ll lend a hand along the way.” And unlike a resolution, which often ends in disappointment, an intention will almost never let you down. No matter how hard you try to make your intention a reality, if it hasn’t happened yet it either a) isn’t time or b) actually has come true and you haven’t realized it. As an aside, the latter happened to me just a few months ago. For nearly a year, my intention was a single word: “Shiny.” I set it over and over again and focused on it even though I had no idea what it truly meant at the time. The word had just come to me, randomly, and I went with it. And one day toward the end of last year, I noticed a shiny quality in myself—I was bright, enthusiastic, and energetic. I felt like a beam of positive energy. I realized that I had been setting this intention, not knowing its true meaning, when I’d actually been shiny for months. It was who I had become, and yet I was still hoping to cultivate that quality because I hadn’t yet acknowledged that it was a fundamental part of my personality.

So what intentions was I going to set? I knew immediately. (My belief is that if I need to think long and hard about my intentions, they’re not really my intention—they’re something I think I should want. Or if I choose to ignore my immediate thoughts because they seem silly or strange then I’m not giving them a chance—I could have easily ignored “shiny” because it’s ridiculous. Instead, I went with it to find out where it would take me and it lead to a deeper understanding of myself. If you truly want something your gut will know and once you check in, it will relay the message to your conscious mind. Spiritual anatomy, folks! Ha.) So, without thinking long and hard, here are the two intentions I set for 2011:

Opportunities. I actually set this in 2010, but at the time framed it—more or less—as “career opportunities.” Boy, was it a success. Just last year I started writing for magazines I never imagined would sport my bylines—Oprah, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart Living, MensHealth.com, and American Baby—while stepping up my contributions to Women’s Health, SELF, Fitness, and others. Rock on. While I hope to continue expanding my career opportunities, my intention is to invite and create opportunities in as many aspects of my life as possible (dream big, right?): Friends, family, love, travel, and yoga to name a few. How will I do this? Really, I think it’s about creating and seeking out opportunities. Pitching stories to more magazines can result in greater writing opportunities. Taking advantage of opportunities to spend time with my family means deepening my relationship with them. In addition to two upcoming Anusara yoga immersions in Park City, I’m hoping to do at least one other yoga workshop somewhere this year—I just need to look into the opportunities that exist and appeal to me most and then jump on board. Really, it’s up to me. But it’s also an open invitation for the universe to let me know when I’m on the right path and to help guide my actions into favorable outcomes along the way.

Acceptance. This is a biggie. Ginormous, really. So here’s the deal. Originally, what came to mind was, “not comparing myself to others.” But I like to leave negative words (like “not”) out of intentions—I don’t want to send the universe any mixed messages. So what “not comparing myself to others” really means is “accepting myself for who I am, as I am.” Acceptance. Recently, I’ve noticed that I have a tendency to compare myself to others. All. The. Freaking. Time. And no matter what, I always fall short. I literally set myself up for failure. Clearly, this behavior fits neatly under the heading of Habits That Don’t Serve Me. It’s definitely at the top of the list. (Right above checking my email every four seconds, but that’s another story.) I’m done with it. What good does it do? I can appreciate other people’s successes for the examples they set in my life, but really, I’m the only one I need to worry about. What they do—or have, achieve, think, or look like for that matter—has no impact on who I am unless I allow it to detract from who I am. But I’m closing that door. (I can’t expect it to happen over night, but acknowledging when it happens is certainly a first step. The next step is remembering my own goodness exactly as I am.) And that starts now.

Finally, here’s the beautiful thing about an intention (vs. a resolution): You can set them any time. You can set them every day if you like or renew them or revise them as the year goes on. Not so much with a resolution—it’s a once a year phenomenon; you don’t often hear people setting a resolution in July, for instance. And one more thing: With an intention, success is the only outcome because you always receive exactly what you need.