The Head and The Heart Vol. 14

Setting intentions for 2025

Intention Setting

I’ve landed on my word for the year. This practice has become a welcomed ritual to ruminate on throughout the month of January, my birthday month, and land on a word on my birthday, January 31st.

I felt like there’s this weird pressure (that I’ve put on myself) to pick the most inspirational, impactful, live-changing, go-getter word ever because of a surviving a harrowing experience. But if I’m honest, I think the reminder I need to tell myself on repeat in 2025 is to rest.

Picture of a wild Friday night sitting in bed, setting intentions and drinking tea.

Looking Back to Move Forward

Before I move forward, I want to look back. Here’s a review of my words of focus over the last few years.

2021: Continue
My word for 2021 is CONTINUE
*persist in an activity or process
*resume after interruption

In 2020 I learned that I often revert to the big picture - what’s next? am I ready? - and it paralyzes me from moving forward. I’ve come to recognize this is true for many areas of my life...

• The music - Whenever I write a song as I'm mid-lyric I think - what venue should I use to debut this song? How does this fit into the next musical? It doesn't sound like anything else I've currently written so it wouldn't feel like a cohesive album. It knocks out inspiration and instead of continuing to write, I pause because I'm stuck on the big picture.
  

• The pandemic - This quarantine life is becoming too familiar and I often find my mind wanders to think...will I always work from home? Will I ever be able to hug my friends?
  

• The decor - I love decorating but often times I'll bring home a throw pillow (for example), set it on the couch, let it sit in the room for days (or weeks) until I can finally decide if I'll keep it because I’m worried if I get another throw pillow (someday) it won't quite match.

Just to name a few.

I recognized this keep going-ness was especially a challenge for me this summer. I live 2 blocks from where George Floyd was killed and that moment in time and the weeks that followed it felt so hard to know how to continue, how to move forward, how to not feel paralyzed by how this changes the big picture - does it? Or is everything the same? It brought me constant anxiety but recognizing what I could continue to do and what I could continue to share about how to move forward brought me some inner peace.

So my word, continue, means keep going. Stop getting stopped by the big picture and what's next and instead try to focus on what's now, what brings me joy, and what I can continue to do. Own my choices at the moment, try to worry less about the future, and focus on what's right in front of me.

I think it will be a special challenge especially this year but equally as necessary. So much about what our future looks like is being written and unfolding every day and all we can really do is, continue.

2022: Space
I was doing a gospel yoga class with Peloton instructor Chelsea Jackson Roberts last week (if you’re into yoga and into worship music, I would highly recommend her classes! She’s shared that yoga is her form of devotion and I 100% agree)!

During the class, she shared a piece of this quote by Rumi (apologies if there are any Rumi fans scoffing at this version… truthfully I grabbed it from a quick Google search).

I said: What about my eyes?
He said: Keep them on the road.

I said: What about my passion?
He said: Keep it burning.

I said: What about my heart?
He said: Tell me what you hold inside it?

I said: Pain and sorrow.
He said: Stay with it. The wound is the place where the Light enters you.

What I’m gathering from that poem is to create more SPACE.

SPACE to hope.
SPACE to breathe.
SPACE to love.
SPACE to grieve.
SPACE to think.
SPACE to heal.
SPACE to rest.
SPACE to feel.

2024: Praise
My word for 2024 was PRAISE! Here’s what I wrote at the top of the year, as my mantra and focus:

In 2024 I want to praise God, the process, my family, the journey, and myself! Here's what Oprah shared which is the quote that resonated with me and will guide my year: My word for this year is praise. Praise for God, praise for life, praise for every moment. I begin with praise and end with gratitude. That’s my formula for a life that reciprocates in abundance and beauty.

(Appropriate. Knowing how the year wrapped up, ending (always) with gratitude).

My intention for 2025

My word: DREAM

Dream: a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.

This last year has taught me a lot about the necessary and important need to prioritize rest since November. That experience helped me reframe my focus and be incredibly intentional about my mind. I realized how easy it is to get caught up in the day to day stressors and forget to plant and foster your dreams. It has reminded me of the importance of stretching your imagination and thinking about what you could do without limitations.

I've become very sensitive to my self-talk and realized that recently, I've been my own worst limiter. In 2025, I hope to allow myself the fluid flow of creativity without barriers and dreaming without borders. I'm leaving space for dreaming about what this next year could hold if I believe I can!

If this a practice you’ve considered? What intentions have you set for your year?

As always, thank you for your continued support and love.

XO,
R