Before you do, you have to be. That’s the main difference between goals and intentions. Goals are concrete. They’re external standards either achieved or forgotten, and thanks to hustle culture, we’ve been conditioned to tie our worth to our goals. Intentions, on the other hand, are broad ideas inviting us to assess the relationship we have with ourselves and get into a mindset that aligns with the best person we can be. From there, we create goals. Why do you want to go vegan? Why do you want to go viral on Tik Tok? The LA Girl’s Editor-in-Chief, Erika De La Cruz, gives us expert advice on how to set more meaningful goals through intention.
“Goals are the WHAT is to be done, intentions are the WHO is going to be doing them.” -Erika De La Cruz, The LA Girl Editor-in-Chief
As a mental health advocate and Law of Attraction enthusiast, Erika preaches on the importance of getting into the proper headspace when setting intentions, thus leading to those concrete goals. Her current 2023 intentions are centered on a quote by Joe Dispenza: “You can’t think better than you feel”. In simpler terms, it’s impossible to think at a higher level than you feel. The LA Girl Editor-in-Chief explains, “If you want to think at a more optimistic, confident, positive level, but find yourself low, depressed and down, your state of being can’t vibrate as highly as you’re actually intending to. So I’d say work on your state of being and intend to cultivate and create an experience that gives you access to leveling up.” Profound and practical words to begin 2023, but wait, there’s more!
Here are 4 prompts that explore both your environment and inner state of being to help guide you in setting your 2023 intentions:
1) This year I feel:
(Do you feel inspired? Passionate? Burnt out? Tired?)
2) My state of being is:
(What specific emotion, or experience, do you feel at your best? Do you feel balanced? Bold? Accepting?)
3) Those around me will experience:
(What feeling do you want to inspire in others? What kind of people do you want to be surrounded by?)
4) In 2023, I intend to:
(Example: to approach life with a yes attitude/to follow through on the goals I set/to take action in areas of my life that serve me/to release harsh judgements and allow thought patterns of self love to thrive/to set boundaries and embrace myself as my number one priority.)
Erika recommends to go with no more than 2-3 main intentions and commit to them for the entire year. You can even choose one word as a theme for the year, then create intentions connected to that theme. Happy intention-setting!
Check out How The LA Girl is Setting Intentions For 2023, for more tips on how to be an intention pro in no time.
