res·o·lu·tion 

a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

in·ten·tion   

the thing that you plan to do or achieve : an aim or purpose.

Resolutions are slippery things. We write them down firmly, our path ahead clear and well plotted, but life has a funny way of messing with our best laid plans. At the start of a new year we are filled with grand ideas and hopes for the coming days. With renewed energy we make lists and fill in agendas-nothing is more comforting then marking up a new calendar with future goals and bench marks! But something happens between the start of the year and the end of it.

Time slips away in things to do, places to go, bills to pay. There are sudden deaths or illnesses, unexpected changes or upheavals, moves, transitions, hirings, firings…the list of all the things we can’t really account for or control at the start of the year. Instead of making resolutions in January I prefer to focus on my intentions for the coming months. The areas I know I need support or growth in and what I want to attract or cultivate in my life.

Maybe I’m just being picky with words but I feel the difference between resolution and intention is huge. Resolutions are hard on a person, they set us up for feeling like failures when life gets complicated or our goals shift. Intentions however can be fluid and transform with us as we move forward. They are reminders to hold close throughout the year as we aim ourselves towards the place we wish to go. If we fall short or change course, all the better, what is life without a little chaos?

This will be a year of big changes for our family (I pinky swear an update soon) so for my Mister’s 28th birthday in December I made him a set of 365 intentions. Things I hope the year holds for him and us so he can start each day with intention. Some are simple and others harder to achieve but I think all are part of a year well lived. Of course I added a few empty ones in there too because some days should be a blank slate! To round out the present I got the fabulous kick in the pants note pads from Modern Emotive (now rebranding as Dellie) and the Goals clip board from Decoylab pictured up top so he can reflect on his intentions in style. At least I tell myself I got them for him if you know what I mean.

I know our family is not the only ones in need of intention this year-our Twitter chat yesterday was full of people setting creative intentions and goals for 2012. So I am sharing the printable with you. Just click the image below to download,  print on heavy card stock and cut along the dotted lines (have coffee/tea on hand it is a lot of cutting!) and put in a pretty bowl or box beside your bed or desk. When you wake or before you start work grab an intention and hold it in your mind throughout the day. I like to paste mine into a notebook with the date and make some notes on the thoughts that came to me.

Click below to download your set of intentions (note: there are only 360 intentions I made 5 blanks from the extra cut paper). A great complement to this printable is the 11×17 free printable January wall calendar from Dellie to help plan out your day to day goals and responsibilities.

As for me I intend to be kind to myself and others, keep building the community that makes my heart sing both on and offline, grow old and new friendships, work on planting roots for my dreams and my family and weather the storms as they come. What are your intentions for 2012? Please share in the comments!