Best intentions for 2016

This week I have been noticing that inner monologue listing off all the goals I am going to reach this year.  This is the year I will get a strong core by working out four times a week, this is the year that I will use less plastic and make all my own cleaning products (one raised eyebrow), I will meditate for longer, this year I will make sure all my daughters get music lessons and practice feverishly,  I will cycle more and swim more and brings the kids traveling more.…
 
Typically each resolution to improve myself, subdivides into several sub categories! (‘I will do yoga and pilates and that boxercise class is meant to be lethal!’).  Historically my New Year’s resolution lists have been very long and rather short lived.  However naive our lists might be, I do feel tremendous tenderness for us all,  just trying to do our best.   It has been true in my experience that striving & trying too hard can be counter productive, however I do believe in  harnessing this abundant motivation a New Year brings.  It seems from my research, that in order to sustain our aspirations for the 2016, the trick is to turn these 'resolutions' into intentions .
 
 Setting intentions is much more about inclining the heart and mind in the direction of what we long for, what we feel is right and important.  It is useful to spend some time meditating on what really matters to us?. To really get in touch with & be very clear about what we want to commit to.   For example, Why is it important to you that you sustain a meditation practice—or do yoga, or do boxercise? What part of you does it nourish? Write down your reasons. The more specific you are, the more likely you will be to do it. It’s not just “I want to meditate more.” It’s “I commit to meditating for ten minutes before I wake up the kids for school because it keeps me calm, grounded, and more present for my family.”
 
So honouring our intentions we make simple & clear commitment that makes sense to us and If we fall, we don’t need judge ourselves, there is no self-recrimination or blame or anger—we very gently but firmly need a reawakening of our intention and a willingness to recommit, to be wholehearted once again.
 
Rethinking my  intentions for the New Year I decided when I listened to my heart mind that what mattered to me was to be ‘more green and less greedy’ .  More mindful of being greedy for that other cappuncino or that next episode on netflix.. to ask my self... "is it green?  Is it a bit greedy?  before I make that choice might steer on the right track, that and the boxercise.