
โ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ โ๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐ฃโ๐ค โ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ค ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ช?
How many years have I set New Yearโs Resolutions only to start berating myself a few weeks later for my lack of follow-through?
Sadly, too many years to count.
So a couple of years ago, I decided there had to be a better way. I started channeling โmy inner-Dr. Philโ and asking myself, โ๐๐ค๐ฌโ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฎ๐?โ
Well, year after year, New Yearโs Resolutions have not worked for meโzero, nada, end of story.
Apparently, Iโm not alone.
According to one study, only 9% of those who set New Yearโs Resolutions successfully keep them for a full year.
With those odds, itโs crazy that millions of us keep making themโlet alone consider the fact that the majority quit within the first month.
๐ฆ๐ผ. ๐ช๐ต๐. ๐๐ผ. ๐ช๐ฒ. ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐บ?
Hope, ๐ ๐๐ช๐๐จ๐จ??
Thank goodness there is always hope, as it is a promise of better times ahead. Unfortunately, hope alone wonโt get us where we want to go.
So what does work?
Well, of course, itโs different for everyone, but here are 10 intentions that have been working for me, so I plan to carry them into next year.

1) GraceโGiving myself grace with the understanding that we are all on a journey, and at 50-something, some things are going to take time to unravel.
2) PresenceโMaking a daily intention to remain connected and to be present with my spouse, away-from-home kids, and the most important people in my life.
3) AuthenticityโTo stop playing small. We are all unique and have something special to offer this world. It is a gift from our creator to find out what it is and how it might serve others.
3) PermissionโContinuing to give myself permission to focus on my physical, mental and spiritual well-being. If youโre like me and you havenโt been doing thisโitโs time to put yourself on the list.
4) Consistencyโthis was my word for 2022. I put it as a weekly reminder on my calendar, encouraging me to keep going with what was serving me and let go of what was not. It has served me well; I plan to keep it for 2023.
5) Failure is not a 4-letter wordโI have always learned more from what hasnโt worked for me than what has. So, now I welcome these sometimes painful lessons because theyโre like a compass pointing me toward a better, more well-suited path.
6) Lifelong learningโEmbracing the idea that itโs okay not to know how to do somethingโฆYET.
7) Listening to myselfโHonoring my needs and giving myself permission to rest, go on an adventure, and simply be more in tune with what I need in the moment.
9) AwarenessโBeing keenly aware of the positive and negative messages I tell myself. Can we be done with negative self-talk once and for all? It has never served anyone. If this speaks to you, I pray you will leave behind all the negative messages youโve been telling yourself.
10) Remember to have funโLet’s do more things that bring joy to our lives and find reasons to laugh until our faces hurt. ๐ฝ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐: Joy is infectious and spreads easilyโno mask required!
๐ฅณ ๐๐๐จ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ช๐ง๐๐๐จ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ ๐ข๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ก๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐จ๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช.
-๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ข๐ช๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ, ๐๐๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐จ
*๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ? ๐๐ก๐๐๐จ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ง๐โ๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ.

Lisa hopes to share life’s stories through the ever-changing platform she founded, called The Evolving Nest.ย She writes and shares insights about her own triumphs and struggles during her 30-year marriage to her husband and best friend. Together they have 3 growing children, two of which live 1,500 miles away most of the year, and an adult son with autism who has the run of the upstairs to himself. Lisa also contributes to Her View From Home, various podcasts, and of course, her own website, The Evolving Nest.
Please consider following The Evolving Nest on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin or receive the latest post via email, or writing for The Evolving Nest. Lisa is motivated by the quote, “What will the world miss if you don’t tell your story?”-Donald Miller