2016 came and went and now we are almost through with the second day of 2017.  Hard to believe.  I’m a pretty reflective person by nature, and several years ago decided that I was no longer making resolutions.  They were always the same and always broken within the first week of the new year.  So, I decided that I would set goals for myself instead.  I write them down, because out of sight means out of mind — for me anyway.

Last year, we sat down as a family and set goals for ourselves.  Today, we reflected on those goals; whether we met them or still had work to do.  For the most part, all four of us met some of our goals, but we all individually still have goals we would like to accomplish.

I, for one, would like a focus for myself this year.  And, for the last several years, many of my friends have been sharing their “One Little Word” – the word that will be their focus for the upcoming year.  It has been fun to see the words that people choose.  I decided to try it out this year and have been tossing words around in my head for the last couple of days.  This morning, I finally decided on my OLW.    I am going to focus on intention this year.

See, I have the disease of “busyness.”  I am always busy, always running somewhere, always doing something.  I don’t remember always being this way, but I do know that I have had this disease for most of my adulthood.  I must learn to slow down.  We aren’t promised tomorrow.  My children are growing up before my eyes and will be moving on to college within the next 4-7 years. That is not a lot of time.  I want to enjoy the time I have with them.  I want to live with intention, particularly in two areas.

1. Family.  I intend to spend purposeful time with my family.  Slow down and just enjoy each other’s company.  Travel together, play games together, watch movies together.  Just be.
2. Health. I intend to work on my nutrition this year.  I want to be around for a long time.  I want to be a strong and healthy role model for my children.

You see when we start with intention, when we know why we want to do something, we have motivation to reach a goal.  I plan to crush these goals this year.

I know that my plan to live with intention will bleed over into other areas of my life, my work with teachers and students, my writing (I intend to do a lot more this year!), my relationships with my friends and extended family.  But, for now, as long as I am living my day to day with purpose and intention, as long as I know my why,  I know I’m on the right track.

What is your focus for this year?  What goals would you like to accomplish?