3 reasons intentions are perfect for perfectionists

I want to share with you a few reasons why intention setting is the perfect (hehe) practice for perfectionists. . . and a little story about the one time I had a successful New Year's resolution! And of course, share the exact reasons why it worked (hindsight is so helpful).

The “resolution” specifically doesn’t matter, but mine was to buy no clothing in 2019 - I did it! And it took effort, but I stuck with it… why? 

A few reasons why it worked:

1. It was what I actually wanted to do.  
   Not what I “should” do, like so many common resolutions feel like. It wasn’t trendy (at that time) so I also wasn’t doing it simply to fit in. 
    

2. It was challenging… enough.
   As a perfectionist, I can get stuck in the limitless potential and set really unrealistically high expectations for myself.  On the flip side, easy goals get boring, I lose confidence and they easily become evidence that minimal effort is best.
   
   This goal worked because: it was new + a challenge, it didn’t involve a total re-invention of myself, and it was easy to track progress/know if I was following it or not.
    

3. I minimized negative feelings 
   (aka I didn’t use shame or guilt as a motivator).

   I noticed my progress, I reminded myself of why I was doing it + connected it to my personal values.  When my scarcity mindset showed up, I reassured myself that I was fine, I didn’t need protection because the change didn’t have to be forever, just for the year. 

But now onto 2025: I no longer set resolutions or a transformational goal like this… mostly because they don’t resonate anymore.  Now I am a big advocate of setting intentions. They are very similar to this goal I achieved, but I like to look at them more as guidelines + reminders of what’s most important to you. 

You can read this post outlining the exact process I use (if you want to set your own).

Intentions can be scaled up or down easily!! I’ve had monthly, seasonal and annual intentions (but I would recommend just starting with one time scale).

Here’s why they are perfect for perfectionists:

1. They focus on what you want, not external “shoulds” or trends to fit in.
    

2. They can be easy or challenging. 
   “Easy” intentions are usually ones I’ve done before (though repeating can be a challenge in some cases). No need to re-invent anything. Challenging ones are new, similar to a goal + facilitate growth.
    

3. They are low risk opportunities to work on your mindset, coach yourself + work through feelings that come up. This is a skill that directly stops perfectionism from ruling your life + is very translatable. 

So if you, like me, aren’t on board with the idea of resolutions and/or reinventing yourself, but you do want some structure + guidelines, I encourage you to set some intentions.  I’m here to help if need be, just book a free call here.