What are goals?
A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. They are the outcomes you intend to achieve. SMART is an acronym that you can use to guide your goal setting. To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:
- Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
- Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
- Achievable (agreed, attainable).
- Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
- Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).
Example: To help add more physical activity to my daily routine, I will walk on my treadmill for 20 minutes for at least three days per week starting tomorrow.
What are intentions?
Intentions are not specific. They’re what you intend to accomplish through actions. When you set an intention, it is less of an action or a task and more of a phrase or idea that you can return to throughout the day or year. It will ground and guide you during times of unmotivation. In other words, setting your intentions means stating clearly what you want to experience and achieve through your actions. This can be about your work, personal life, dreams, thoughts, mindfulness practice, or anything else you want.
Some examples include: “I will be more present with my kids today, I want to have a healthy body, I will have a more positive outlook, I will drink enough water, I will have a healthy relationship with food.”
What’s the difference between goals and intentions?
Goals are focused on external achievement (ex; losing 20 pounds), while intentions are focused more internally and emotionally (ex; I want to lose weight so I am able to play with my children without getting out of breath, I want to be a better mom!). A goal is what you want to DO, and an intention is who you want to BE. You can feel “empty” after achieving a big goal… that’s why intentions are so important! Reflect on your initial intention to see how it relates to the goal you set or just accomplished. Use goals and intentions TOGETHER for best results!
Intentions and Mindful Eating
- Set your intention for the meal. Eating with intention means eating in a way that supports your body, mind and soul being clear, energized and feeling your best. It’s to eat from a place of deep self love and real nourishment. Why are you choosing to eat? For example, “My intention is to nourish my body so that I’m energized throughout my busy work day, or my intention is to fuel my body before a workout so that I will have enough energy to complete it.”
- Stay in the present. Turn off the TV/cellphone/computer while eating, and just focus on what’s happening in front of you— your food! You’ll notice flavors, enjoy your meal more and feel fuller faster when there aren’t any distractions around.
- Focus on how you want to feel. When, what and how much to eat. Take pauses and check-in with yourself while you’re eating to see how full you are and honor when you reached that point, or don’t, your choice! If we don’t honor our fullness cues, we will most likely feel uncomfortably full, and I don’t know about you, but I hate feeling that way so I make sure to stop before I reach that point.
- Weigh all available options. Eating is more than just choosing healthier options to nourish our body, it’s also about choosing satisfying or “fun foods” as well! Choose foods that will make you feel good, physically AND emotionally.
How to set goals and intentions for the new year:
- One Goal At a Time.
If you’re like most of us, you’re full of starry-eyed hope and determination to accomplish a raft of new year resolutions, but keep in mind that you’re more likely to accomplish your goal if you focus your energy on just one. Establishing new behavioral patterns takes time and sustained effort so don’t spread yourself too thin this year.
- Small Steps = Big Changes.
Goal-setting and resolutions are typically more of a marathon than a sprint. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and give up when your resolution is something big, such as losing 50 pounds, finding your dream job, or traveling around the world. Break down your goal into smaller steps to make it easier to stick to! For example: If your goal is to run a marathon, start out by going for a jog two or three times a week. Slowly, work up to longer runs and exercising more days per week. Keep a journal on hand so that you’re able to track your progress. Give yourself credit for every small step you take and reward yourself along the way.
- Select a resolution that affects how you will feel, instead of your outward appearance.
Rather than focusing on a single, superficial measure of success like wanting to lose five pounds or wanting to look a certain way, consider selecting a resolution that affects how you will feel, instead of your outward appearance. Rather than trying to cut out all sugar from your diet, perhaps you instead commit to drinking more water, or incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet, or exercise more.
Sometimes, the difference between success and failure comes down to choosing the right goals and the right intentions. Most importantly, remember to be kind and flexible with yourself and to celebrate any and all progress along the way!
We hope that this blog post helped you learn about the difference between goals and intentions. With the new year coming soon, it’s important to get clear on both your goals and intentions for 2023!
