As 2020 comes to an end, it’s a good time to reflect on the past year and look forward to a new beginning.
This year is a special year, full of learnings, lessons, newness and so much more.
Reflection upon this year and setting your new years intentions can be a very different experience in comparison to years before.
Giving ourselves the space and time to reflect is truly important and not only at the end of the year.
A few years ago I started playing around with this concept in my own life. I started intentionally leaving open spaces in my agenda for the upcoming days and just to see what would show up to fill those spaces. Low and behold, the space would end up being filled in no time. This happened again and again.
When I made space for things to “come up”, something always would.
We create our own reality. The reality I was creating was to have “things” come up to fill that space. So I decided to do something else. Instead of leaving empty space in my calendar, I decided to block off that time for me. I scheduled in downtime, playtime, time for hobbies, time for reflection and time for relaxation. I decided to set aside that time with intentionality and my experience started to change.
Give Yourself Some Space
When we open up space on our calendars it can get filled up with all sorts of things if we are not conscious about what we want to utilize that time for. Life is all about balance and if we are not careful and intentional with our time, we find that more of our time is spent working. Even when we love what we do, when the scale is tipped too far in one direction, it takes the enjoyment out of our passions.
When that joy is removed from the equation, our mental, emotional and spiritual health suffers.
As business owners and entrepreneurs, it can be tempting to fill every moment of our work day with something “productive”. Our calendars tend to be crammed with everything from meetings to writing emails and everything in between – except intentional time set aside for creativity or reflection.
When we intentionally free up space in your calendar to allow yourself time for a walk or just to be freely creative, you will find that you end up delegating more tasks to your team and give them more responsibility. Let your team take things off your plate. Entrusting others is also healthy for your mental state.
Don’t just “work” to say that you’re working. Sitting in front of your computer or sitting at your desk doesn’t mean that you’re being productive.
Business leaders, entrepreneurs, or really anybody needs to get away from the office or task at hand. That’s where the inspiration and creativity comes in – from those moments that you’re not in the trenches. You can be more productive doing “nothing” rather than being “on” all the time.
You Don’t Always Have to be Productive
The beauty and joy of life is having fun with it. If we plan every single minute of the day, it’s suffocating. It doesn’t allow for spontaneity or support the mentality of being present in the moment.
Even when we intentionally set aside time for meditation, physical fitness, reflection or just plain old downtime, we all have a tendency to not value that type of activity as “productive” and we find that time pushed to the side for something more “productive”.
When you have too much on your plate, it’s hard to be flexible and spontaneous. Frantic and frazzled are not positive productivity mindstates. It has the potential to impact your direct environment in a negative way, which proves to be counterproductive.
Be Gentle with Yourself
One important thing to remember when it comes to intentionally setting aside time for your own enjoyment and relaxation is that you’re going to find yourself slipping back into your old routine. Ultimately, we are all creatures of habit. It’s the human condition.
Even when it comes to something as basic as eating habits, if you have set the intention to eat healthy but have lived an unhealthy lifestyle before, you find yourself reaching for those unhealthy snacks without even thinking about it.
It’s a habit.
When you notice yourself slipping back into your old habits, it is much easier to course-correct if you don’t beat yourself up about it. We don’t have to judge ourselves for being human. It really is something our brains are conditioned to do. Although we do make our own choices to change our habits, it’s ingrained in our brains to stay in our “safe spot”, even if it’s unhealthy or unproductive.
The important thing is to catch yourself, dust yourself off and get back on your new habit that you are intentionally forming.
As you are working to change your old habits, the kinder you are to yourself, the easier it will be to shift into your new ones. Eventually, you’ll realize that it’s been a week that you’ve stuck to your new schedule.
Change Old Habits With New Year Intentions
When it comes to goals for the new year is instead of thinking of it as New Year’s resolutions is to set New Year intentions. What do you intend to do this year? The next question to ask yourself is “why”.
Why are you setting that intention?
Maybe your intention for 2021 is to have a million dollars in revenue or to lose 10 pounds. Why do you want it? What does that mean for you? What do you need to do to change your old habits to make that happen?
It’s great to have a goal and to plan out all the steps you’re going to take to get there but if you don’t have clarity about your “why”, it’s much too easy to fall back into your old habits. If you take the time to self-reflect and dive deep into the reasons that you want to lose 10 pounds or have a million dollars in revenue, your “why” becomes bigger than any excuse that comes up.
When you’ve connected to your why, it is much easier to get back on track when you find yourself back to your old habits. Your whole attitude and mentality around it shifts. Instead of beating yourself up, you’ll find your inner voice is much more supportive. You tell yourself that it’s only natural to drift back into old habits. You dust yourself off and start again.
Finding Your “Why” Changes Your Relationship With Your Goals
Being in alignment with the reason behind your goals brings you back into your purpose. You are more passionate about achieving your goals.
If you put off your goals and it disturbs you, then it’s time to do something. It creates a sense of urgency within you to keep pursuing that goal, and the “why” behind it will help keep your focus.
Watch my video “Letting Go – End of Year Reflection” here to help you let go of what isn’t working for you and help guide you in setting intentions for the New Year.
Ready for transformation in 2021? Your Authentic Alignment Course is designed to meet you exactly where you are and to give you the tools and insights that will help you step-by-step assimilate the building blocks to create a strong foundation for you to start living with awareness, intention, finding your purpose and tapping into Your Holistic Potential right now.
Best,
Dr. Asha Prasad
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