Setting an Intention for 2018

We at Thrive hope all of our readers are having a very happy holiday season! While I am actually on vacation from the office for the week to spend time with the new little addition to our family, Luca, I was reflecting on my intention for next year. As some of you may know, I am in the habit of choosing a word for each year as a symbol or guidepost of something I would like to focus my energy towards or bring into my life. I use this exercise with many of my clients also and wanted to make sure to bring this up before the new year to our blog readers!

Life for me, as a business owner and new mother, has certainly been overwhelming lately. Interestingly though for next year rather than a word like balance or rest, I am choosing a word that helps me lean into the opportunities, experiences, and amazing abundance that has come my way. As I was reflecting on my word from this past year, gratitude, I realized that the trick for me in choosing gratitude over stress or overwhelm is to focus on the reasons behind my stress. I am often stressed or overwhelmed because of the needs of my growing business as well as because of the needs of my growing family. And honestly, I am lucky and blessed to have both! So, I want to choose a word that helps to remind me of my blessings and that my busy life is amazing, wonderful, and so filled with love and laughter that I wish for more hours in my days. This year, my word is abundance. I will choose to emphasize the abundance in my life and frame the busyness with love and appreciation rather than stress.

If you would like to join me in choosing a word and setting an intention that this word represents this coming year, please do.

Here are some simple questions and activities that can help you in choosing your word:

1. First, take the time to reflect on the year behind you and the year ahead.
2. Consider what you feel you are needing more of or lacking in your life.
3. If there are stressors in your life, what do you need to get through them more resiliently?
4. Is there a different way to look at situations that are going on for you that have been causing difficulty? (Ex. Perhaps an added challenge is an opportunity to learn or grow in a new way).
5. What word resonates with you and embodies what you are looking for in your life?

I hope you do choose to join me in this activity this year! Each year, the words I choose become my guide and they have been invaluable to me. Hopefully you have a similar experience. Please feel free to share your words in the comments either on our social media post or on our blog here!

And most of all, Happy New Year from the Thrive Therapy Team!