Over the past few weeks, professional and personal development blogs have been inundating me with messages about the superiority of intentions over resolutions. Resolutions, it seems, are considered passe, while intentions are hailed as the new standard. I even jumped on this bandwagon with my own teachings. But are we throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater?

Intentions, as I’ve come to understand and teach, align closely with the why of our golden circle—why something is important and how it serves our larger purpose. As Simon Sinek emphasizes in his classic TED Talk, “Martin Luther King didn’t give the ‘I Have a Plan’ speech.” No, he shared a dream—a vision that inspired others. But while it wasn’t titled that way, didn’t King also have a plan? He had places to go, marches to lead, leaders to meet, and speeches to give.

So, don’t we need both—a vision for our lives and a plan with specific outcomes? And where do resolutions and intentions fit into this framework?

Let’s think of it as the golden circle. At the heart of our lives lies the dream or vision—our why. Surrounding this are our values, supported by intentions, which represent the how. Intentions activate our values. For example, if creativity is a value, then honoring it might involve setting intentions to express creativity through art or problem-solving. If family is a value, then protecting quality family time could be an intention.

And what about the whats—the actions needed to fulfill intentions and realize our dreams? Those are goals: the specific what-by-when statements, such as “be home for family dinner three times a week” or “take two vacations together this year.” These complete the circle.

Where, then, do resolutions fit in? A resolution spotlights a desire for change. The word itself suggests a decisive commitment to do or not do something. In a digital context, resolution brings clarity or sharpness. It can also mean fixing a problem. All of that sounds appealing – more resolutions, please!

Yet, resolutions get a bad rap because they’re often short-lived (so much so that we now have something known as Quitters Day). Many are made out of a sense of obligation (e.g., New Year’s) rather than genuine desire. Others fail because they’re too vague (“be happier”) or overly rigid (“give up all sugar starting January 1”).

But back to the baby and the bathwater: don’t we need commitments in our lives? While New Year’s can be a great time to commit to a change we’ve been contemplating, it’s also an opportunity to reaffirm existing commitments. For me, this means reinvigorating my daily meditation practice by sitting for 15 minutes every morning at 7 a.m. throughout this month. I’m resisting the urge to call anything else a resolution until I’ve fully established this one. Yet, interestingly, other practices have started stacking onto this habit, like a short movement session before meditating and a prayer practice afterward. While I’m not labeling these as resolutions, they’ re organically becoming part of the package.

Perhaps the secret isn’t choosing between intentions and resolutions but allowing them to work together—a synergy of vision, values, and action. So, whether you’re dreaming, intending, or resolving, maybe the key is this: commit to what matters most and let the rest fall into place.

Here’s to your resolving your resolutions and igniting your intentions!