Set intentions over New Year’s resolutions for better wellbeing and goal outcomes

“We know that when we feel we’ve nailed something, that actually has a snowball effect in that it motivates us to continue with it further,” she says.

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Jen Ramsey knows all about setting intentions. The 49-year-old mindset and empowerment coach loathes New Year’s resolutions and has been setting intentions for 15 years instead. To set an intention, Ramsey recommends ignoring external motivations, such as aiming to “get fit to lose weight to look good”, and choosing an inner motivation instead. That could be working out to get strong, perhaps, or to boost your energy and improve sleep.

In the lead-up to choosing your intention, Ramsey recommends carving out time to get to know yourself. Ask yourself what you value most, and what would bring you the deepest fulfilment in the coming year.

Then, review the year that’s been, focusing on what went well. Ramsey says people often fixate on what went pear-shaped. But by exploring what worked, you can look at how you can further expand on it in the coming year.

Examining the challenges you faced over the past year is also worthwhile, says Bouse. She says it can be useful to think about what values could have guided you when the going got tough. Thinking about how you’d like to feel during the coming year is also key, says Bouse. Maybe you’d like to feel more grateful, or healthier. Use these desired feelings to help you work your way towards choosing an intention.

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Ramsey says it’s also important to ask yourself what you’d like the end of 2021 to look like. “The key is to have the mindset that you are the creator of your own reality and leader of your life.”

Once you’ve landed on an intention, Bouse advises thinking of it often. If you’re likely to let your intention slip by the wayside, Bouse suggests setting a daily reminder of it on your phone. If that’s too much, try to reflect on it at the end of each month to keep it front of mind.

Ramsey is not worried about forgetting her 2021 intentions, which are “expansion” and “flow”. She chose these as she’s seen the growth she’s achieved in life when she focuses on those areas.

She thinks everyone should set an intention at least once a year. “In our world, we upgrade our cars, phones and fashion,” says Ramsey. “Why don’t we upgrade the way we approach our lives?”

This article appears in Sunday Life magazine within the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age on sale January 24. To read more from Sunday Life, visit The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.