I’d long been of the mind that if you want to make a change in your life, there is no time like the present and no need to wait until the New Year. So, me and resolutions had never been a thing.

But then three years ago, I succumbed to the resolution-making pressure. Under the guise of “goals,” I made a long list of things I wanted to accomplish that year. Most of those resolutions (let’s just called them what they were) went unaccomplished. So I rolled them into my 2013 goals. And then into 2014. “Do a handstand in the middle of the room” has made the list the last two years. So has “learn Photoshop, ” and in some form “be better at keeping in touch.” In this case, failure was a subscription to the Resolution Rollover Plan. You get the idea.

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insanity.

I very much believe in the importance of living your life with eyes wide open and manifesting the life you want to live, which includes making changes to things that just don’t work for you. For many people, this results in making resolutions. It feels good to resolve to change. The hard part, the work, is actually changing. It never happens overnight.

As a human, years mark the passing of time. Each year has a designated beginning and end, the end presents an opportunity to reflect on how you lived the year that stretched before it.

Looking back on 2015, there were some highs (traveling to Japan, getting our puppy Emory) and some serious lows. In the movement and drama from one thing to the next, I’d forgotten the foundation for a life of joy and being content–taking care of myself. If I don’t take care of me, I can’t love like I want to and be the person I want to be. I need to make some changes. But I’m done with resolutions.

So, this year, I set an intention, a focus, rather than a resolution. I will use it as a guidepost for making decisions. That intention: take care of myself. There is nothing specific to accomplish, rather a way I’d like to live my life. But an intention without an action plan won’t get me anywhere. How will I “take care”?

1. Get my priorities in the right order and live by them.
2. Pursue a path of purpose. My purpose. Not anyone else’s.
3. Set boundaries and say, “No.”
4. Listen to my body. Not once a day, and not once a month, but a constant dialogue.
5. If something is no longer serving me day after day, let it go.
6. Seek and share my truth. This sounds fancy, but it’s just me being true to my authentic self. Be real.
7. Practice being still. Because it is only in stillness that I can evaluate where I am and where I want to go.
8. Wear lipstick. For me.

There are going to be glorious good days. And there are going to be bad days, which won’t mean I’m failing–they’ll mean I’m human. I’m not aiming for perfection, only more good days than bad.

Did you set an intention for 2015?