Each new year feels like a blank canvas. For many, it’s typically a time for resolutions. I, for one, have never been the resolution type. My friends who are the resolution type frequently end up disillusioned, frustrated and disappointed when they don’t meet their hard-and-fast goals. Did you know that research shows only about 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions?

So why are resolutions so ineffective for the most part? The actual meaning of the word resolution is a “firm decision to do or not do something” or “the action of solving a problem.” When I think about it this way, it seems to me that a resolution comes from a negative view rather than one of optimism and hope. What we focus on expands. So why do we choose to focus on what we DON’T like or what we need to change, rather than on what we DO want to invite into our lives? The idea of resolutions also seems really focused on an outcome, rather than a process. But isn’t life all about the journey? Wouldn’t a softer, more positive approach allow us to enjoy the view along the road AND also lead us to our intended destination?

This is why I propose that this year we give up resolutions and look to the power of intention instead.  Intentions are a powerful way to align yourself, your mind and your energy with the type of person you want to be and the type of life you want to live. Rather than thinking of your life as a “problem to solve,” it allows you to breathe in a sense of anticipation and opening to new possibilities.Setting intentions for the new year, as opposed to resolutions, allows you to reflect on the motivation behind the changes you want to create; it lets you prioritize what is most important to you and effect change from within through real transformation.

When you set an intention, you identify the why behind your resolutions, the purpose toward which you are working. Having that clear, you are better able to listen to your everyday needs and adapt your daily life to head toward your desired results. It allows you to detach from the outcome, and instead lets you be in a flexible state of mind in which you can be still, observe and adapt. The power of intention is that it sets the stage for events, people and synchronicities to come into your life and conspire with you to make things happen – to pave the road toward your objective.

Rather than decide you need to lose 15 pounds, think about the why behind that. Do you want to feel healthier? Do you want to be more active? Then set an intention for THAT and watch the inspiration start flowing.

To set your intentions, simply begin with stillness and listening. Be honest about who you are and what you value, and then allow that to be a lighthouse in your life and daily actions. This is a powerful way to raise your emotional energy, achieve success, and feel happier. Your intentions will provide a roadmap and reminder for how to live out each day. They will give you purpose, as well as the inspiration and motivation to achieve it.

Who says January 1st is the only time to rethink and restart? Every day of your life is a new opportunity to make a new, better choice, to start again, to be reborn. So make today, whatever day on the calendar it is, your new beginning. Set the intention to be who you want to be and watch it unfold.