Setting your intentions for 2022

2021 has been a wild ride to say the least - but amongst all the bad, there has been opportunity to set routines and healthy habits, to remind ourselves of what’s important, and to focus on the people and things that make us happy. So how can we bring these learnings into the new year?

It’s all about setting your intentions and being in the right mindset. We grew up with a routine of setting New Year’s Resolutions (which were often too ambitious) and then ended up feeling deflated if those goals were not achieved. If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that you never know what’s going to happen. This makes it hard to decide what you’re going to do for the next twelve months!

Setting your intentions is a little different (and it takes some of the pressure off you). It starts with you working out what is important to you.

If you’re new to this, here are some of our ideas for intentions and how you can implement them in 2022:

Remembering to be grateful is hard, especially when you’re going through difficult times, but it’s more important in those times to count your blessings and remind yourself of your strength and resolve.

How can you do this? Try some gratitude exercises. When you wake up, write down one thing you’re grateful for and make sure you’re choosing something different each day. It’s also a nice idea to get your friends and family involved. Do you have a supportive group of friends you can try this with? Make a WhatsApp group and share your reasons for being thankful with them every day.

Our Alhamdulillah Cuff is a great piece to help with this - you’re reminded to be grateful every time you see it!

Whether you want to stay motivated in your career, in the gym, or any other part of your life, setting your intention is key to ensure that you work towards your long term goals.

Creating a vision board is a great practice to incorporate into your New Year celebrations. Seeing your goals visually can be just the thing to spur you on and keep you focused on what you’re working towards. This also acts as a way of manifesting your goals (and within the ZUDO Team - goals that are written on a personal vision board end up materializing by the end of the year - true story!) 

Another practice you could incorporate is reading a motivational quote every morning - this is a great way to set the tone for each day ahead!

If you have a specific goal, you can find some great non-fiction books to help too.

Have a look at our You Are Meant to Rise Cuff for the perfect reminder on days you’re lacking motivation.

Strengthening your faith is an ongoing goal, something we continue to work on every day, every month, and every year. 

A great way to make this goal less overwhelming is to keep God at the forefront of your mind. You could set a spiritual quote as your phone wallpaper. You could set your phone up to get reminders to pray. Another subtle way to keep this goal in your mind is to display some faith-inspired artwork in your house (we’ve got a beautiful selection of canvases for exactly this purpose).

Something we love doing too, is to start or join a discussion circle (or group text) so you can create meaningful conversation and learn from others.

Faith-based jewelry is such an underrated yet incredible way to help with this goal. Wearing something meaningful that reminds you of your faith can bring you an indirect sense of calm, and keeps God and your faith at the forefront. We have a wide selection of unique faith based pieces for you, just like our Shahada Ring. We can’t think of anything better than wearing a ring that says “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.”!

Mindfulness is a way to slow down, experience each moment, pay more attention to your thoughts and feelings and being present in the current moment. It’s a highly recommended way to improve your mental health.

Setting intentions in itself is a way of being more mindful but there are other things you can do too. Take some time out each week to be a little more aware and mindful during your daily activities - it could be a whilst cooking, working out, or before sleeping. Meditation is another great way to slow down in an increasingly busy and fast paced life.

We all have a responsibility to care for our environment and we can all be doing more. Swapping out plastic water bottles for reusable ones is a great start, but what else can we do?

Fast fashion is a real and growing problem and whilst we can’t all switch to sustainable fashion, there are little things we can do to reduce our impact. Try shopping at second hand or vintage stores or up-cycling your existing clothes or homeware. Be conscious of the brands you buy from and see their environmental impact - is that the impact you want to make? You could also try reducing your meat consumption, even if it’s just a few days a week, it’s a start and it all makes a difference. Or try walking instead of driving short journeys. Making small and manageable swaps are more impactful and sustainable than you think!

At ZUDO, sustainability is a goal that we are working on constantly. We take great pride in the longevity of our products. Our pieces are made to last. Our jewelry has tailored plating that is tarnish free, rust free, and long lasting. Our ZUDO Home Canvases use premium latex water-based ink, which is certified for low chemical emissions and reduced environmental impact. You can be assured that when you buy a ZUDO product, you are not only buying something that will last, but that was made in the most environmentally friendly way possible. 

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Have you set your intentions for this year? Or has this post convinced you to give it a try? Let us know in the comments & share your intentions with us!