Living with Purpose: Setting Intentions for the New Year

Giving meaning to our lives by taking small daily actions that can result in a bigger accomplishment. This is your year!

Hi everyone and Happy New Year! Welcome back to the blog. It feels like forever since the last time I spoke to you, but I’m so eager to be back. I see there are many of you who recently joined the Finding Our Beat family. So, welcome! I’m so glad that you’re here!

Today it’s all about starting fresh and choosing to live with purpose after going through an intense year. As I’m sure many of you did, I went through a lot and just when I thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse, it did. My beloved grandmother passed away. I won’t go into much detail, but I’ll just state that December 24th will now have double significance.

After much reflection, I’ve learned that life is meaningless unless one gives it purpose. One’s life can be gone in a blink of an eye or it can be prolonged. Either way, how you live is what counts; what you leave behind for those who will carry your legacy and honor your memory matters. That’s why, instead of a long list of huge goals that troubles me to fulfill, my new year’s resolution is to live with purpose by being intentional with my actions to create the life I want instead of waiting for it to happen on its own. If you’re on the same boat as me, these simple steps will help you get you there:

1. Write down your goals.

Make a list of your short and long term goals and choose which ones you want to work on first. Let’s say that one of your goals for this year is to devote more time to family; that will be a priority.

2. Know your why. Why do you want to achieve that goal?

Why do you want to spend more time with your family? Is it because family is important to you but you spend too much time at work or school, with your romantic partner or friends? Perhaps, it’s because some unfortunate situation caused you and your family to become distant and you want to amend that. Whatever the reason make sure your heart and your mind are in the right place. Not having them in the right place would be, for example, wanting to spend more time with a parent or grandparent for material or economic gains, such as an inheritance of some sort.

3. Trace your path: What specific steps are you going to take to get you closer to your goals?

If it’s spending time with family, here are some ideas and suggestions: this week you can organize a family Zoom meeting, next week you can organize a dinner or a family game night; the week after that you can plan a road trip. You might even commit to a weekly visit to a family member’s house, or make daily phone calls to a different family member. Possibilities are endless. So, think of those ways and put in the work.

4. Set dates.

Set a specific date for when you would like to achieve each goal. That will give you a sense of urgency to do whatever you need to do to make that goal a reality by the deadline you established. Even though some goals are meant as habits and to carry them out throughout your life, like spending time with your family, you can still set out a date. For instance, you can say that by Mother’s Day, all of your family members will spend the day together, if that's something unusual.

In terms of the steps you’ll take to get there, be specific and set dates as well. For example, visit your grandparents every Thursday or spend each Saturday with your mom. When you’re specific with your goal it helps you stay on track and be disciplined, which is the key to success in my book.

5. Have people keep you accountable for your actions (or the lack of).

Lastly, have people that ask you how you are doing with your goals and intentions; people that push you to be the best you can be and remind you that you’re not doing this for anyone other than yourself. Have people you can count on to tell you what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear; people that won’t always give you a pat in the back, but will tell you when you're not being true to your word. We all need people who can build us up and hold us accountable while we do the same for them.

Above all, set daily intentions. Know what you want to accomplish every day, whether that’s wake up at 5:00 a.m., workout, finish an essay, make three sales, call a long-distance relative, send your resume to five companies, or take a day or a few hours to yourself. Give your life purpose and meaning by making every day count. Leave no room to whine and no energy to dwell on your past failures. Let everyday be a jumpstart to create a life of purpose because, if you don’t do it for yourself, who will?

These five steps are applicable to all of your goals, so keep them in mind and use them for everything you want to achieve in life. Be specific with your goals, your steps, and the time you want to see them a reality. Be committed and persistence and you'll make the difference in your life and the life of others around you.

May 2021 be your best year. Until next Monday, keep finding your beat while dancing to the rhythm of life.