Congrats for making it through January folks! How are you feeling? No really, take a minute to connect with how you feel. Still feeling buzzed by the freshness of a new year? Already a bit worn down from being dragged into directions that do not feel like yours? Staying in your lane and remaining anchored?

Here at TVH we don’t really believe in the pressure created by new year’s resolutions or setting 100 goals in January; however we do individually relish the opportunity to reset that a new year presents, albeit in very different ways!

2 pieces of TVH advice for gentle intention setting:

#1 Create a cyclical structure that allows you to review and reconnect to your intentions

Avoid the January flurry and December crash and burn with a more cyclical approach to your year. We encourage clients to set quarterly reflection points in the year to check in and reset. Asking yourself some questions and adjusting accordingly. Do your intentions still feel aligned? And if not what needs tweaking? What has gone well over the last 12 weeks? What not so well? What could you focus on for the next 12 weeks? This ensures that you can slowly nudge yourself towards making the changes you desire over the course of the year.

#2 Intentions not goals

Goals can feel narrow and too prescriptive to us. AND they feel like they cut us off from the magic. Our approach with clients is to focus on themes and intentions. How do you want to feel differently over the course of the year? What themes feel important to you? Get clear on this and regularly connect to what is important…and then stay open! Often by being too prescriptive with what we want to achieve we can cut ourselves off from opportunities / ideas that may not be on our radar yet.

Read on for Kenny, Katy and Laura’s gentle personal development intentions in 2024.

Katy

Usually I love the reflection that Christmas and January bring, to feed into signposts for the year ahead. But at this time of my life, I have some big unknowns to explore and so I have not approached my intention setting in the way I usually would. If you feel that you have a lot of plates spinning at the moment, this very simplistic approach might speak to you.

People

Which people do I adore most in the world and want to make sure I spend time with this year? These might be people sprinkled across various parts of the globe and it might mean screen time and planning in cross-timezone time to talk. But if these are the conversations that light up your soul and inspire you, make sure they happen.

Places

If (god forbid) there was a health reason in my future that meant I couldn’t live life as I currently do now, what would I want to make happen this year? What experience would I want to say yes to? If the expression ‘if you can, you should’ was ringing in your ear, what does it make you think of doing?

Life force and creative expression

Whatever it is that makes you feel the most like you, how can you invite more of it into your life? Can you seek it out and book it into your diary so that it happens? The things that make me feel alive such as live music, guided breathwork, cacao ceremonies, kirtan singing circles, embodied yoga - I make sure to look out for these opportunities - wherever I am. This is how I nourish myself and meet my people.

Health

Is there anything that needs tending to more urgently at the moment for you? For example, my body is shouting at me to take more notice - to stretch it more so that the aches are lessened. So I am getting more organised with my yoga classes, accepting invitations to move my body in almost any way. This body serves me well and I want to make sure I am giving it what it needs.

There is little structure to this, but these flavours are running in the background, just a whisper away and informing what I plan into my schedule and especially what I notice appearing as an opportunity and invitation. Once you’ve used this guidance as inspiration, a more proactive approach would be to pick up your notes every few weeks to make sure that the way you want to be spending your time is what is actually happening. This can be gentle, just make sure that what matters to you most is on the horizon.

As we journey towards Spring Solstice in March (hoorah!) I will take these ‘flavours’ and use them as guidance for more specific and intentional planning for the season ahead….and will invite you to do the same!

For more of Katy's outlook and suggestions sign up to her newsletter here & head over to her Instagram page @katyclareturner

Laura

I have chosen a few themes for the year - I like the idea of a ‘word of the year’ but since we are multidimensional beings, this can feel a bit reductive to me so I have decided to go for a selection of themes.

Interconnectedness

In 2023 I craved simplicity but in seeking simplicity I found myself feeling quite isolated and lonely. This year, the most important thing for me to connect with is a sense of interconnectedness, community and a real focus on building loving and supportive relationships. In a work context I am really focusing on connecting with new and interesting people and enjoying more collaborations and idea sharing. On a friendship level I am seeking out strong and supportive communities where there is a willingness for depth and philosophical enquiry of what it means to be a conscious and caring human on this planet - I want to be challenged and elevated by new perspectives and ideas of how to live a good life. And I am wanting to focus on an openness when it comes to intimate relationships - exploring what kind of relationship I could get excited about and allowing myself to be curious and play with this part of my life.

Service

I am moving into a phase of life where I have capacity. As most of my peers are raising children, I have no dependents to care for and this leaves me with a desire to give back and care for others in some way. Involving myself in community projects, expanding our work to be more accessible to more people, moving from an individualistic approach to contemplating how I can help to build a more connected local community.

Presence

Finding gold and gratitude in the smallest moments in my life. Moving away from constantly thinking about the future and what is next to seeking peace in the present moment. I think this is and will always be my life long mission. It is something I have focused on for many many years now and whilst my life is unrecognisable now in its slower pace and simplicity, I still have a way to go! Nailing my morning devotional practice has been a great first step in January where I meet each day in stillness and reverence for life in all of its glory.

We discussed the idea of annual themes in January's Radiant Leadership Network group workshop. For more details on getting involved in this network of vibrant, ambitious women, click here.

Kenny

My overall theme for this year is Health. Last year provided some lessons in not taking health for granted; I intend to use those lessons to fuel some change!

I realised a few years ago that having too many areas or goals for my own personal development was resulting in little to no progress. Since I’ve streamlined into 1 area of focus per year (or 6 months) I have been able to dedicate time, energy and resources to really make progress. There are a few different areas within health that I want to invest in - namely nutrition, exercise and mental wellbeing.

Where to begin? Last year I created some small but significant habits to help my daily routine - like reading consistently at bedtime (instead of scrolling!) and consistent but varied exercise. This year, I want to consolidate and build on those rather than starting from scratch; it feels good to me to have made some progress already. I’ve already moved my phone charger plug socket away from reach whilst in bed so the temptation is removed! And I’ve started journaling again before bedtime ‘3 things I’m grateful for today’ which helps me to unwind and feel positive at the end of every day.

On a bigger scale, in the first half of the year I’m getting some external nutritional support as I’ve noticed that my body is responding differently to foods; I’m looking forward to making some positive changes.

We’d love to hear your gentle intentions in the comments section below!

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