I’m not a resolution person. Sure, I set goals (I do that all year), and the New Year is a great time to review and look at those goals.

But for me, the new year is the time I set an intention for the upcoming year.

It can be an area I want to grow in or just something that is sticking out to me. How that word takes shape throughout the year isn’t always what I envision when I set out. But that’s why I like setting an intention rather than a resolution. It’s about growth and intentionality, not do-or-die unattainable goals.

Besides, I never know what my life will look like at the end of the year. If I chose to run a race as one of my resolutions, that may no longer be important or interesting to me 6 months from now, much less a year. That’s the thing I love about choosing an intention — there are no rules as to what it needs to look like in my life. I can grow through whatever situations happen to pop up. A word to guide my year allows me to focus on who I want to become rather than outdated goals. If I am becoming the right person, the right things will follow.

For 2014, I chose strength, release, and complex. 
For 2015, I chose love, blossom, and fearless.
For 2016, I chose balance, fullness, and detachment.
For 2017, I chose dare, light, and adapt.
For 2018, I chose pursue.

For 2019, I chose Cultivate.

Cultivate.
Grace.
Kindness.
Devotion.
Joy.
Adventure.
Faith.
Peace.
Relationships.
Community.
Compassion.
Strength.

I’m back to the working world, J is going to school, and our lives are starting to take on a semblance of normality (or boringness, depending on what mood I’m in). When I have routine, it can be easy for me to fall into bad habits that just lead to the same week repeating itself over and over with no growth or change. And while I am not going to be traveling to a new country every month this year, I want to be intentional with the life I am living and cultivating. I am a firm believer that the small habits and actions we take every day build who we are a few months or even years from now.

This year, I am choosing to be intentional in what I am cultivating in my life. I’m choosing daily habits to cultivate who I want to become.

What areas do you want to grow in in 2019? I’d love to hear about your intentions for the new year!