Since 2017, both Cornelia and I have been practicing a simple yet powerful ritual: at the start of every month, we sit down and set our goals and intentions. It’s become a grounding practice for us, one that has helped us stay connected to our values, our personal growth, and the natural rhythm of life.
Over the years, I’ve learned so much about what it means to set meaningful intentions. I’ve figured out how to be ambitious but realistic. I’ve also become more aware of when I’m setting intentions for myself versus when I’m setting ones I feel I “should” because of outside pressures. Most importantly, I’ve seen real results during the months I’ve dedicated myself to this practice. Life moves more smoothly, my energy feels more aligned, and my focus becomes clearer.
Here’s how I approach setting monthly intentions and why it’s been so transformational. Make sure to also check out the graphics for some great examples and inspiration to get you started!
What are Monthly Intentions?
Monthly intentions are gentle, purposeful statements that guide how you want to show up in your life over the coming weeks. Unlike rigid goals, which often focus on achieving a specific outcome, intentions focus on how you want to feel, act, and navigate your month.
Intentions are less about checking off a list and more about creating alignment with your values, energy, and personal growth. They give you a compass for your decisions and habits, rather than a set of rules to follow.
For example:
- Instead of just setting your goal of “Workout 5x a week,” you might add the intention of, “Show up for myself with movement that feels nourishing and intentional.”
- Rather than saying, “Spend less time on my phone,” you could frame it as, “Be present in my daily moments.”
The beauty of monthly intentions is that they are flexible, supportive, and reflective of the season of your life. They allow you to course-correct along the way and focus on the underlying feeling or value you want to cultivate, whether it’s calm, clarity, connection, or creativity.
Step 1: Journal & Reflect
The first thing I do is reflect on the month that’s just passed. I’ll sit with my thoughts, sometimes journaling, to look at what went well, what felt off, and what I’m proud of. Rather than simply making a list, I dig deeper into the why behind those experiences and what I’d like to improve moving forward.
If I write something like, “I was feeling a lot of anxiety this month,” I don’t stop there. I really ask myself the tough questions:
- Where did that anxiety come from?
- What about the anxiety was making me feel uncomfortable?
- What was it trying to tell me?
- What would happen if I release this anxiety and only feel joy?
This kind of inner dialogue helps me uncover patterns and stories I might not otherwise see. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.
Step 2: Set Your Monthly Intentions
Once I’ve reflected and created some mental and emotional space, it’s time to set my monthly intentions. I find intentions work best when they’re aligned with the current season of your life. Like what you’re craving, navigating, or wanting to cultivate more of. It’s also important to look at how you’re wording your intentions. Go beyond the surface. Ask yourself: What is this intention really about? What outcome am I hoping for? What feeling do I want to lean into more this month? When you look at your intentions from multiple angles, you start to find the deeper thread that connects them.
Let’s say I’m thinking of setting intentions like:
- Move my body more
- Spend less time on my phone
- Create a more peaceful morning routine
Instead of stopping there, I ask myself: What are all of these really about? The common thread might be that I want to feel more grounded and am craving more mental clarity. So instead of a checklist of scattered habits, my overall intention for the month might become: “Support my mental clarity and nervous system through consistent daily rituals that ground me.” That small shift, from a to-do list to grounded, purposeful intentions makes all the difference for me. It gives your month an anchor, something you can return to whenever things feel hectic or off-track.
The Results of Setting Monthly Intentions
Here’s the wild thing: when you commit to a clear monthly intention and come back to it consistently, things can really start to shift. You begin to notice the little choices you’re making every day. You become more in tune with how your actions affect your energy and mood.
What happens when you set the intention to have far more awareness of how you’re spending that time and how that time affects your mood? You start to become more aware of the things affecting your mood. The results of setting monthly intentions may seem small. But imagine a year of successfully implementing monthly intentions. Those 12 changes you’ve made over the course of 12 months will without a doubt create massive shifts in your reality
How You Can Try It
If you’re ready to set your own monthly intentions, start simple:
- Reflect and journal about last month. What felt good? What felt heavy?
- Choose 2–3 focus areas you’d like to nurture (wellness, career, relationships, mindset).
- Phrase them positively and in present tense, as if you’re already embodying them. “I honour my need for rest,”instead of “I’ll stop staying up late.”
- Keep them visible by jotting them in your journal, on a sticky note, or in your phone background.
- Check in weekly to remind yourself and make small adjustments.
- Reflect at month’s end by asking: How did I live this intention? What felt good? What do I want to carry forward?
Example intentions:
“I speak kindly to myself.”
“I bring calm into my mornings.”
“I make space for nourishing movement.”
Setting monthly intentions is a gentle but powerful way to guide your growth without the pressure of rigid goals. By reflecting on the past month and setting clear intentions for the next, you create space for self-awareness, progress, and joy. Remember, your intentions don’t have to be perfect or fixed.they’re there to help you align with what matters most to you. Even small, consistent shifts can add up to big changes over time.
If you’re ready to go deeper with goal-setting beyond a single month, take a peek at how we plan our year in quarters. We love setting our goals quarterly to stay inspired and on track all year round, and we think you’ll love it too!
What intention are you setting this month? Share it in the comments, We’d love to cheer you on.
xo
Meg & Cornelia
