How to Reflect on the Year and Set Meaningful Intentions

Photo by José M. Reyes on Unsplash

Year-end reflections always get me thinking about the next year. Over the years, I’ve noticed a gradual shift in my thought process. As a young, energetic adult, I used to set big goals and resolutions for the upcoming year. But as life unfolds and brings its challenges, you start to question the meaning and purpose of it all. That questioning led me on a journey to discover what feels truly meaningful to me.

In my quest to learn from others, I turned to reading. Articles about the meaning of life on brainpickings.org resonated deeply with me and inspired a shift in my perspective. Over time, I’ve stopped questioning life’s meaning, finding peace in the idea that we may never fully understand it.

Maybe life is just an evolutionary process. Perhaps, like trees that give oxygen, we have a purpose within nature’s grand design. It could be tied to the laws of karma or as simple as ants going about their routine until they pass. While some might find this view morbid, I find it liberating.

If simply being myself fulfills my life’s purpose, then I can approach life with greater compassion and kindness toward myself. I can also view the different scenarios life presents with the same lens: I can just be. And so, the question becomes—How am I being?

This question has guided my journey in recent years. How can I be more me? How can I reconnect with who I was before the world taught me who I should be? You would notice it’s become a common mantra now to focus on the journey, not the destination. Similarly, people are shifting their focus from rigid goals to embracing processes. I’d like to add one other element here.

One question I often ask my clients is: How do you want to be?

This involves considering how you want to feel—emotionally, mentally, and physically. How would you imagine yourself being in those moments energetically? It’s something we might overlook, even in routine interactions with a colleague or a loved one. How you are in a conversation—your presence, your energy—matters as much as the message you want to convey. Equally important is how you want the other person to feel during and after your interaction.

So, my invitation to you is this: as you set intentions for the coming year, don’t focus solely on goals, resolutions, or processes. Reflect on how you want to be.

For 2024, my intention was to listen more to my intuition. As I reflect on my intention for 2025, I feel drawn toward something related to finding new roots (I am still listening to my intuition on this one 😅). I sense a significant internal shift happening. For the past few years, I’ve valued freedom and letting go of attachments. But now, I feel a pull toward grounding myself rather than being completely untethered.

How would you want to be in 2025?

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