Intentions for the New Year: What I’m Carrying Forward and Releasing

This new year, the focus is on Being, not Becoming!

Instead of letting the pressure to do more and be more take over, I’m choosing something quieter this year. I’m choosing presence. I’m choosing alignment. And honestly, I’m choosing kindness toward myself in ways I used to skip over. This means being kind to myself through acceptance, awareness, and mindfulness. Lately, that’s looked like a simple daily check-in. Nothing fancy. Just asking myself, How am I really feeling today? or What does my body need right now? Some mornings it’s a deep breath. Some mornings it’s a prayer. Some mornings, it’s admitting I’m tired before I pretend I’m not. This small habit can help us build the presence and kindness we want to carry into this year.

This year, I’m choosing to focus on what nourishes my soul and let go of what drains me. I’m not doing this to be perfect or more productive, but because peace, presence, and being true to myself matter more than always staying busy.

What I’m Carrying Forward

1- Being Myself

I will continue to listen to my inner voice and my body. I’ve learned the hard way that living up to other people’s expectations comes at a cost, and too often, that cost has been me. This year, I’m stepping fully into myself, unapologetically, kindly, while maintaining my boundaries.

2- Quietness & Presence

There were moments when all we wanted to do was push forward, through pain, tiredness, exhaustion, etc. We want to do it all, a check in a box, fulfilling the duties of our many hats. My health slowed me down in ways I didn’t expect, mostly because I kept trying to ignore what my body was telling me. Slowing down wasn’t my choice at first. But in that space, I learned something I had been missing: presence brings clarity, and listening creates room to actually live and be.

3- Self-Compassion

I continue to navigate, saying no without feeling guilty and releasing urgencies that are not mine to carry. We often say yes to everything to please others, even when it costs our energy and our peace. This year, let’s embrace saying no, not as an act of selfishness but a way of honoring ourselves and others.

4- Boundaries

Simply maintaining boundaries with myself and others to balance life and for everyone’s joy. Saying yes to too much taught me that doing everything often means doing nothing well. This year, boundaries are my freedom: the space I need to focus, rest, and fully show up where it matters most.

5- Gratitude

I am embracing even more the type of gratitude where I count my blessings, big and small, while also acknowledging the challenges I’m facing. A quiet and slow morning, a thoughtful note from a friend, a hug from my children, …these simple things bring a sense of joy and peace that chasing more never could. Gratitude grounds me. It pulls me back into joy instead of letting my thoughts spiral.

What I’m Releasing

1- Perfectionism

I will embrace presence and progress. Chasing perfection is exhausting and frustrating. It steals the joy of being ourselves and leaves no room for celebrating progress. It freezes us in time with the fear of getting it wrong, and I don’t want to live frozen anymore.

2- Overcommitment

With the same amount of hours in the day, saying yes to everyone and everything doesn’t make us happier or richer; it spreads us thin. Overcommitment leaves us showing up in all those places burn out while delivering poorly. This year, I’ll only say yes to what aligns with my values, and not just because I can.

3- Fear of Failure

I am unlearning that mistakes or failure do not define who I am. They are, in fact, lessons to learn and grow from while continuing to move forward. I will cast away this fear that destroys curiosity, courage, the spirit of initiative, and self-compassion.

4- The Rush

I’m releasing the rush to get ahead, keep up, or arrive somewhere else. The rush has a way of pulling me out of the present moment and away from my body, convincing me that what matters most is always just out of reach. This year, I’m choosing a gentler pace, one that honors my health, my faith, and the life unfolding right in front of me.

This year, I’m carrying authenticity, presence, gratitude, and compassion. I’m releasing perfection, overcommitment, fear, and chasing. Life isn’t about constantly doing more. It’s about showing up fully, imperfectly for ourselves and the people we love, and creating space for what actually matters.

What will you carry forward this year? And what are you ready to leave behind?

With warmth,
Jasleyv
Writer. Seeker. Believer in little blessings.
🌿 Live fully. Be true. Be you.