Instead of New Year's Resolutions, Try Intentions Instead

Up or Getting Up (But Never Down) #uporgettingup #neverdown

Up or Getting Up (But Never Down) #uporgettingup #neverdown

It's that time of year when many people’s thoughts turn to making resolutions for the new year.  It is a time to refresh, clean up, or start over.  It is a time to let go of those things that are bringing you down and to more decisively engage in those things that bring you Up.  While I am not big on making resolutions, as such, I am a big believer in setting goals and then charting a path to achieve those goals.  

As I head in to 2017, one of my goals is to be more diligent in living a life of being Up or Getting Up (But Never Down.)  Up or Getting Up (But Never Down) recognizes that life is not always fair, bad things happen to good people, and there are people in your life that cause hurt, but it is my choice how I let those things impact me and how I respond.  Life may knock me down (and it will), but I chose to get Up instead of staying down.  In short, then, I will either be Up or I will be Getting Up, but I won't be down.

The problem with resolutions is that they have a tendency to get broken.  When we break a commitment, even a commitment we made with ourself, it can bring on feelings of guilt, failure, or some other form of negative feelings.  Since being UP is the goal and not knocking ourselves down, instead of “New Year’s Resolutions”, I suggest “Up or Getting Up Intentions.”  My “intentions” are how I intend to live my life and where I plan to keep my focus throughout the year.  I accept that I am not perfect and I am likely to slip on most of these at some point.  When I do, I can get back Up, realign with my intentions, and move forward again.

With that in mind, I intend to:

Manage myself with the intention of being productive, positive, and joyful. 

 - Give thanks for the abundant blessings in my life.

 - Be happy with who I am.

 - Actively pursue becoming the person I want to be.

 - Be mentally strong.

 - Be morally and ethically strong.

Manage my relationships to ensure they remain positive and valuable.

 - Be the leader of my family.

 - Attract positive people into my life by being a positive person.

Keep my energy balanced by staying aware of who and what steals my energy.

 - Achieve my potential each and every day.

 - Purge the poison people from my life and refuse to let anyone bring me down.

 - Be excited about my future and the direction I am headed.

Actively seek my Purpose in life.

 - Have God in my life and praise him each and every day for the blessings I have.

 - Recognize that I am capable of creating and maintaining a wonderful life and it is worth the effort.

 - Accept that I, and I alone, am responsible for creating happiness in my life.

 - Positively influence and impact the lives of others.

Live life with No Regrets. 

 - Pursue the dreams in my life by taking them one step at a time. 

 - Ignore the critical self-talk within me.

 - See the beauty and grace that surrounds me.

 - Be at peace.

So, how about you?  What are some of your “Up or Getting Up Intentions” for 2017?  I would love for you to share at least one of them below.  I may very well add some of yours to my list.  Feel free to use any of mine as your own, too!  

Wrapping it all UP:

  1. Create your 2017 “Intentions” list.  How do you want to live your life throughout this year?  Commit that list to writing somewhere.
  2. Review your “Intentions” list regularly.  Print it out and keep it in front of you.  Remind yourself frequently of how you are trying to live your life.
  3. When you get off track, just get back Up again, realign yourself to your intentions, and move forward.

I hope you are either Up or Getting Up (But Never Down),

James Stevenson

Be sure to visit and “like” our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/uporgettingup).  You can visit our website and see all of James’ articles at www.uporgettingup.com  If you are interested in bringing James in to speak to your organization or group (or just want additional information), please contact us by clicking here.