Looking Ahead to 2022 - Day 23

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Setting intentions

[DreamerGirl]

I am going sound like the grinch again, but I am in 'intention' recovery.

I think intention is a really good word. It helped me basically live life here. I was intentional about so many things, all good things and it made me a disciplined person. I used to say we created a curated life and it was very much an intentional life.

Then COVID struck. I was again intentional about growing, learning, doing, making memories. It worked for a time. Then it all went because to be intentional you need to be healthy. Body and mind. 

A lot of the things I valued and was intentional about fell by the wayside these two years. Many things I am building from the ground up. The thing that has stuck is getting through this together as a family, hale and whole and that means mental health too for all of us not just physical.

In many ways it has brought us closer together as a family. As parents, a couple, a daughter, a sister, with my inlaws and friends. I am very grateful for that and that is the only thing I truly will be intentional above all always. Relationships with people I value. When all goes away, this is what stays in my experience. 

[Ditto]

My only intention for 2022 is to stay true to myself while listening to my gut.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

This one is tough.

 

Here's to those of us still reflecting on this prompt.🍷☕

[lewelma]

I really try to live day by day, and enjoy what each day gives me. So my intention would be to continue to focus on the present. 

[SKL]

Setting intentions ....

I'm not sure what this means, since it feels like the previous prompts were about "setting intentions."  Are we maybe asking about how we set intentions?  How we make and prioritize choices?

That's an interesting question.  What goes into the decision of what I will try to do more/better/less?

I think that for me, it's mostly about what triggers high level stress and what can ward off those triggers.

And throughout my life, I've noticed that my best defense is to "just do it" - as soon as I realize xyz needs to be done, get on it and get it behind me.

Another major motivator is what seems healthiest for me and my kids.

Staying organized and up-to-date on things seems my best preparation for both (a) seeing a clear path and (b) acting on wise intentions.  So I guess the big picture is:

• Stay organized.
• Be proactive.
• Get the stressful stuff done ASAP.
• Honor health.

[Emba]

I think I need to be more intentional about making time to get together with my friends. 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

@SKL - some of the prompts are difficult to interpret. I think the answer to this one could resemble the answers to the previous prompts but it could also be different; it depends on how deep you went with the other prompts. But, then again, they can complement each other, as well.

Being intentional means I have to accept that my actions will have consequences and I need to assess each of my choices in light of my larger goals. No knee jerk reactions or doing something out of self-pity or boredom.

Something I want to stop doing is being dissatisfied with my life and find some contentment living in a city I dislike. My intentions could be

1) find something to be grateful about every day (even when I don't think there is anything; find something, no matter how small)

2) when a negative thought creeps in, meditate for 3 minutes, and change the mental script

3) Look for the real reason behind the discontent and find a solution that will help me in the moment and for the long term

4) Find new ways to engage in civic life and be a part of the community


I also want to make adjustments in my diet and activity that will help me feel (and actually be) more physically and mentally fit. Toward that goal, I will limit tv viewing and choose my activities wisely to increase movement, This means getting up and ready earlier than I have been, getting rid of cable, and reorganizing my closet and making sure my cold weather clothing is easily accessible and doesn't require a trip to the camping closet. I need to be intentional with the puppy (training, dog crate) so I can leave the house without anxiety over what he will destroy. This means scheduling more advanced training classes and daily training sessions. To reach my goals, I need to write action steps in my planner in advance and use it proactively and less like a diary or record of what I did.

I don't know, though, maybe my intentions are more How To or Steps To Take.

 

[mom31257]

I intend to

• Eat less sugar
• Move more 
• Meet more people in my new town
• try new hobbies 

 

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Bump

[marbel]

Earlier this year I used a Bible study journal that had a daily prompt to set an intention for that day. I never answered that prompt. That led me to do some reading on intentionality. I see people talking about "living intentionally." But I still can't figure it out.  Maybe it means "living thoughtfully" which to me means having an overall big picture of what life should look like, and going on from there.  However, for most of my life, my overall picture did not match the reality of my life.  So I think I will probably just continue to bumble through my life the best I can! 

[Slache]

Oh dear.

Fitness. Saving money. Day trips. Better eating. Less time in bed.

[Guest]

I have thought about this prompt a lot since yesterday. For me, setting intentions dovetails with my Phrase of the Year. So I am planning to be intentional about watering my own grass, so to speak. I’m going to make some baby-step investments into a problematic relationship to see if I can green up the grass. 

[regentrude]

Maximize outdoor time and sunshine. 

Fit as much work as possible in the dark hours to free up daylight time. 

[elegantlion]

Living intentionally has been my goal for the last several years. I'm still working on it. 

Intentions I need to work on for 2022:

• getting outside more when the weather is nice
• spending more time with my mom and SO's mom. His mom has Alzheimers and this may be the last year she's not in a nursing home. My mom is in great health, so I need to appreciate that. 
• Make serious headway on my dissertation. I'm taking comps in the spring and will be focusing on the dissertation after that. I have at least two partial chapters - one from my master's thesis, one from a class I just took. 
• do some serious exploration of ways to be a public medievalist and make some money with it. I have ideas but nothing really worked out. 

[Eos]

I avoid "resolutions" but I am trying to frame intention as easier to hold without failure.  My phrase of the year is Listen Closely so my intention will be to do that.  I also intend to follow through on some projects I've defined for myself: mending my dressup collection, felting and whittling, beginning the process of looking ahead to my post-homeschooling life.

[lovinmyboys]

I want to prioritize healthy eating for the whole family. This often slips as I don’t love spending the money or the time. I need to move it much higher on the priority list as I will have 3 boys moving into that eat a lot stage. 

[Hannah]

My intention for 2022 is to create meaningful moments – to reflect, nourish and grow.  Too much of my time is wasted on digital distractions – emails, whatsapp, news feeds,tv.  I want to intentionally enjoy the moment and really focus and look in the eyes of the people that are with me at any given time, or really focus on reading good books, sitting outside to drink coffee rather than at my desk, just making the most to settle into daily moments without digital distractions. 

When I do go online it also needs to be intentional.  To connect with people, not just as a distraction.

Edited December 26, 2021 by Hannah
Typo

[Granny_Weatherwax]

@Hannah - genuine question - Is TWTM a distraction or connection? I'm not sure how I view it because following some of the threads definitely qualifies as distraction and I can easily spend hours here throughout the day doing nothing but reading. There are times, however, when I need to have some contact (even cyber contact) with others who have different values and ways of thinking.

[Hannah]

47 minutes ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

@Hannah - genuine question - Is TWTM a distraction or connection? I'm not sure how I view it because following some of the threads definitely qualifies as distraction and I can easily spend hours here throughout the day doing nothing but reading. There are times, however, when I need to have some contact (even cyber contact) with others who have different values and ways of thinking.

I've been reading the boards on and off for close on 15 years.  Its the one online place I do keep returning and I do think it is a way of connecting.  I have learned so much from all of the different discussions, viewpoints and (mostly) respectful differences of opinions over the years.  

In the beginning of our homeschool journey I was on the education boards and it totally shaped the way we homeschooled. 

I was a lurker for the longest time because I didn't think that I wrote well enough to post (English is my 2nd language) and didn't really trust that I could contribute meaningfully to discussions, but when I did finally take the plunge it was a great learning opportunity.

Of course, as with most things, too much of a good thing is not healthy either!

[marbel]

1 hour ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

s TWTM a distraction or connection? I'm not sure how I view it because following some of the threads definitely qualifies as distraction and I can easily spend hours here throughout the day doing nothing but reading.

It is both for me. I can find myself reading threads on topics I have no interest in, just to avoid doing something else. I've finally trained myself not to click on certain topics because there is no point to my reading other than procrastination. I also find I have to step away from some threads when it seems there is danger of getting into a back-and-forth argument. On the other hand, it can be nice to have a conversation, as we are doing here, and there is almost always something 'going on" so to speak. I am short on personal connections in my life right now, so it does help fill that need. 

 

18 minutes ago, Hannah said:

I was a lurker for the longest time because I didn't think that I wrote well enough to post (English is my 2nd language) and didn't really trust that I could contribute meaningfully to discussions, but when I did finally take the plunge it was a great learning opportunity.

I think that is one of the negatives, as it is anytime one is communicating via the internet.  It can be very difficult at times to word things so perfectly that someone won't come back with a snarky comment, particularly in threads on sensitive topics. Which is why I stay in lighter topic threads for the most part.