This is my favorite New Year tradition. If you have been in my community, you know that I have been practicing this ritual for years! And if you are new to me, welcome!
Grab your journal, your favorite drink and get cozy…
Grounding myself with a word or short phrase, also known as my power intention, is one of the most powerful tools I practice, year after year. Instead of feeling overwhelmed with all of the individual "things" I could do or should do in 2023, my power intention helps me cut through the outside noise. I am able to make more focused decisions based on my authentic needs and wants. I have a clear sense of my priorities. Whenever I feel stuck, I re-ground into my power intention to help guide the way.
Do you have your own ritual? If not, selecting an empowering word or phrase is a great way to clarify and prioritize your desires and wants -- supporting you living and loving your life.
My 2022 power intention had two pillars: “BOLD & Love.” These words helped me take some bold and loving action this last year. I said YES to a month-long silent meditation retreat (Learn more about that experience here on the podcast). I lived and worked abroad in Mexico for a month. My business marked its boldest year ever with many repeat corporate clients as well as a growing community in my private practice and Centered in the City membership. Bold supported me working through fear and self-doubt as I wrote my first book proposal. I felt more confident and courageous taking stretchy action because I knew my power intention for the year was giving me permission to act and ‘be’ this way. I was able to chose love when deeply hurt or triggered by relationships in my life. This helped me dispel a lot of reactive energy and stay more open and present. Leaning into love helped me choose abundance and generosity when scarcity thoughts or emotions arose.
I am so grateful for this year’s power intention for all the ways I have learned and grown. I notice that a part of me wants to hold on to them for next year (I notice I have felt this every year!), yet I remind myself that they are still within me. They don’t disappear. They transform. They are embedded in my muscle memory, and now I get to make way for a new area of focus.
My 2023 power intention is…. Patience and Deep Listening. These words came to me through this reflection practice I have below. The practice of patience has tapped on my shoulder for many years, yearning to be focused on. I have ignored the whispers thinking that practicing patience is only for kids. My anxious nervous system has made being patient really challenging — learning to practice equanimity and let time and outcomes unfold how they will is part of the process. Patience is about releasing control and finding freedom in the “waiting.” I get to trust that “waiting” doesn’t mean “wasting.” My heart, my relationships and personal/professional goals are calling for patience — more space to bloom and blossom. I can’t rush nature, so why would I try to rush my life? For me, patience is about resting back into trust, opening up and creating space for possibilities.
Deep Listening comes from my desire to listen to my intuition, be connected to my spiritual practices and refine a different expression of love. Even though I am not going to spend a month in silence this year, I am committed to deeply listening to the many dimensions of life. I find it skillful to listen below the surface and noise. To me, deep listening is an expression of love and honor. To give myself and others a type of presence that can easily be lost in a loud/chaotic world. I have discovered that when I deeply listen to myself, there is inner alignment that helps create more ease and flow in life. Reactive choices dissipate when I deeply listen. In order to deeply listen, I get to slow down. These words together help me feel balanced and connected to who I want to be, how I want to live and feel in 2023.
As I set my power intention for a new year, I get to pay attention to what Patience and Deep Listening feel like in my body, what activities help me tap into these words and how I get to choose my power intention on a daily basis. These words get to be the lens through which I experience life over the next 12 months. How exciting!!!
Now it’s your turn. What is your one word or phrase you want to embrace in this new decade as your power intention?
To support your reflection process, walk through these steps and see what you discover:
1. Journal the prompts below:
What are you celebrating from 2022? Where do you see some gaps?
How do you want to feel in 2023? (Describe in full detail)
What would your life look like if you gave yourself full permission to do, to be or to say anything?
2. Reflect on what you just wrote, and circle all of the words that stand out to you. Now, narrow it down to one, two or three words (no more than that or it just turns into a laundry list). Pay attention to what word(s) support how you want to feel and be in 2023.
3. Ask yourself: Does this word (or words) create an empowering phrase for me? If yes, you got your power intention for 2023!
If not, narrow your word choice down by closing your eyes and breathing each word in and out. Notice which word stands out to you the most and note whether it brings you tingles, opens your heart, creates some fire in your belly or makes you smile. What word(s) help inspire the year you want to live? These are typically signs that you discovered something meaningful.
4. Now, create a visual for your power intention. Whether it is a fancy drawing or a post-it note, place a visual of your power intention where you will see it on a daily basis.
Take note as the perfect word or words come alive for you! Please share! (in-person, email, social media, snaps, grams, by phone, or in the comments below!)
If you did this activity last year, take a moment to reflect and connect. See what dots aligned and what you might want to do differently this upcoming year.
5. Use it or lose it. Let's start integrating your power intention into your life right away. Join me for my Intention Setting Party workshop to help you take your Power Intention to the next level.