Great message, Kathleen Smith. A few years ago, I started setting intentions instead of resolutions, and it’s been a game-changer for me. Resolutions can be very binary — either you did something, or you didn’t. It can be very demoralizing to look back on a list you made at the beginning of the year and realize you didn’t accomplish any of what you set out to do.

For me, setting intentions have allowed me to appreciate the reality that life is a long journey. A game changer for me a few years ago was when I started thinking about happiness as a state-of-mind versus an end state. Happiness isn’t something you think about just once a year at the start of the year, so it makes little sense to do that by setting a bunch of resolutions on January 1st. I like your idea of principles. It feels like setting principles allow you to be present and live in the moment more regularly, whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly.