Sometimes the new year just doesn't start out the way it is supposed to.
I spent the last two weeks of December thinking about my intents for 2011. I meditated, wrote my intents down in my journal, reviewed them with my husband and kids, and began psyching myself up for Jan. 1 like everything would wonderfully change. Exercise, healthy diet, blogging, meditating at least once a day, not getting frustrated with my kids, renewed energy in my work. I was so motivated! I even ordered a Fitbit on Dec. 31 so that my dad and I can compete on who takes more steps every day!
Alas, Jan. 1 hit, then Jan. 2 and 3. And really no dramatic change.
In fact, yesterday was probably one of the more stressful days in the last year! (Anyone applying for an Entry Visa to India may relate with the paperwork nightmare I am facing.) I was tense and frustrated all day.
I had been waiting for the girls to go to school and finally having the day to myself. I had three proposals to write. I was going to exercise. Alas, I struggled for eight hours on the aforementioned paperwork, got no work or exercise done, drove to the bakery to buy cookies and eat away my stress, and then the girls fought all afternoon. Big tears and hurt feelings all evening.
I almost gave up on 2011 altogether and played video games until 11 p.m.
But somehow this morning, I remembered that I control my future. (Believe me, it wasn't that easy as I revisited the visa application and thought about how to find my birth certificate in India.) But...
Intents, after all, are made at the level of the soul -- real change is something we need to nurture every day.
Jan. 1 isn't the only day to change your life.
Every day is a new day to express gratitude for what we love about our lives, and make intents about what we want to create for our future.
So here's to pressing the reset button -- on any day or at any moment -- and manifesting the life we crave one day at a time.
Happy new year, everyone -- moving forward, it's going to be a great year!
Mallika Chopra is the founder of Intent.com, a site focused on personal, social and global wellness.