I don't make resolutions...

I don't make resolutions, yet at the beginning of a new year it’s hard to resist a call to change something. This time of year I am reminded of a resolution I made almost 15 years ago. I was struggling with a commitment to lessen my environmental footprint. At that time I wrote:

”I made a decision to make concrete change to lessen my environmental footprint. This would be easy – what better outward symbol of my true commitment to the environment than riding my bike to work? The trip would take only thirty minutes; it was spring and the temperature mild. For two weeks I daily, and virtuously, steered my bike down into the North Saskatchewan River valley and up the other side to my place of employment. And then it rained. All the previous resolve, commitment, and longing to make a difference in my world evaporated as fast as that day’s rain on hot pavement. I could have jumped right back on my bike the next day or the day after, but curiously, I did not. Instead, I was left with a feeling of disappointment in myself and a realization that comfort and a need for convenience are powerful detractors to my making change.”

We all have our rainy days. I understand better the difficulty of change and the impact of unmet resolutions. We struggle with meeting resolutions not just because of comfort or convenience. Change can be tricky – elusive. For me unmet resolutions feel like I'm letting myself or others down – it can be damaging to my self-esteem, diminishing my self-worth. However, there is another approach that for me works better.

At the beginning of January I attended an online Expressive Arts workshop “Setting an Intention” put on by the Expressive Arts Florida Institute. Setting an intention goes deeper than making a resolution. It is also a call to be more gentle with ourselves. For more on the difference between resolution and intention I encourage you to read Kathleen Horne’s article entitled Resolution vs Intention:

“Resolution is about forcing. Intention is about discovering, clarifying, honing, and allowing, and guiding. Resolution comes from the outside. Intention comes from the inside.” Kathleen Horne, Embracing Intention .