G’day, here we are again, getting used to writing the correct year. 😛 I usually welcome in the new year quietly, at home, comfortable, and then watch Sydney’s fireworks on the television, and maybe see if I can see any of it in the sky from where I live.

If you’ve known me for a while, you know that I don’t love making yearly goals or resolutions, but I thought I’d write down a few intentions for the year.

Peace 😌

Peace feels like a nebulous word, but I think for me, it’s kind of the point. I want this intention to encompass a wide variety of things. Perhaps a better way of describing this is “peace and quiet”. I want to embrace moments of quiet, silence, being distraction-free, and enjoying the moment. This can look different for everyone, but I want to have more of this in my life. I believe this goes beyond putting my phone on silent. It goes beyond choosing activities like reading a book in a park, or even sitting in a cafe with a cup of coffee and people-watching or staring into space and letting my mind wander. Putting it that way makes it feel very simplistic, and even makes it seem easy. But I acknowledge that it’s not easy, and that half-assed intention or ticking-a-box “I did it” intention is not powerful intention.

I want this to be a part of my lifestyle, not just being able to announce to people that my screen time was less than two hours daily in the space of a week. Not just telling people that I put my phone away for two hours. I want it to be something that makes me feel internal peace in my soul.

Pleasure 🌻

Pleasure can be found in so many things, and at different levels, but for me, this is about “people and experiences, not things”. I discovered minimalism in 2012 and it honestly changed my life. However, it’s not all about decluttering your stuff, and I really want to lean into the core principle of minimalism and what is also referred to as intentional living. It’s not that I’ve been completely disconnected from it, but it hasn’t been a focus in my life for what feels like a couple of years. Recently, I wrote about my change in mindset towards shopping and how it is no longer the enjoyable activity it once was. Now that it feels like a wight lifted over my shoulders, “pleasure” feels like something I can focus on.

Looking back, after appreciating life during the pandemic and lockdowns, I feel like I was scrambling without actually realising that I might have felt a little lost. I want to really bring my attention to the people in my life that matter, and creating memories and experiences. Again, this isn’t about ticking off boxes and trying to do a hundred new things in a year, even though it can be motivating to think of it that way. I still want to approach things with intent and not just do things for the sake of doing so. I want to actively seek activities that will enrich my life or give me a new perspective.

At times I think that will feel uncomfortable. There will be stepping outside of, and making decisions outside of, my comfort zone. I don’t believe I ever wrote a blog post even writing about this, but I spoke about it with many friends: I want to be a more approachable, friendly person. I want people to feel like they can talk to me and that I’m not cold. In my eyes, that often means being conversational, and maybe engaging in small talk—even if on the surface that sounds like a bad idea. Some of my friends think I am approachable, but the thing that really motivated me to actively try and talk to people was noticing how my friend Pauline interacted with and made friends with people so easily. I’ve always, always been the person to remain quiet, and stand in the corner, but then surprise people who started a conversation with me, because I was very receptive to having a chat. I just wish I wasn’t so petrified of starting a conversation with people. I have had nice conversations with people whom I don’t know and will never see again. These moments can sometimes be quite memorable, make for a good story, or at the very least, add a tiny bit of joy to an otherwise ordinary day.

Of course, pleasure can be found in the things I enjoy on a daily basis: nature, hiking, lifting heavy weights, eating good food, or even the simple things like watering my plants, doing my nails, or getting dressed in a nice outfit. I want to continue all of this and also continue my passion for blogging, which is an endless love affair at this point. 😆 (As well as other personal online projects and goals.)

Time 🌞

I have, again, chosen something both nebulous and broad for number three. Time is of the essence, they say! This not only brings in my ongoing attempt at being early to stuff (which I recapped last year); but reinforces the notion of personal boundaries, something I’ve been trying to improve on as the years go on. It’s been easiest to start with maintaining a healthy relationship with work, considering how much I work from home, and how easy it is to just let all the hours blend into one. But I want to apply the same to my personal life—at least better than I have been.

I also want to be better organised, and this one can be a struggle for me sometimes. 😞 I want to avoid wasting time on things that don’t matter that much, like scrolling so much on social media, or doing activities that don’t bring me joy. This of course ties in with “peace” and the desire to have peace in my mind, too and not filling time with things that don’t at all contribute to a peaceful mind.

Time is important and I want to respect my own time, but I also want to respect others’. I don’t want to be pushing other people’s boundaries either, and I know everyone has a limited amount of time. Time that other people spend with me is not infinite.

This intention also goes for giving people time when they need it, especially for people who are important to me. It’s a tricky balance if we’re talking about work as there is a professional boundary, but I do generally want to be better with giving time to my friends and family. 💕

Do you have intentions for the year? Are you more of a specific resolutions/goals kind of person? Are you just letting this year surprise you? Let me know in the comments. 💙