The Intention Shift: Tools for Real Change in Recovery

Resolutions can feel exciting… until they fail. In this episode of AAC Thrive, Mike Diamond explains why setting intentions—rather than resolutions—can transform your recovery journey.

Discover how to:

• Set purpose-driven intentions that guide your actions every day.
• Navigate obstacles without shame or guilt.
• Avoid the “destination disease” of chasing results instead of growth.
• Align daily actions with your values and why.

Recovery isn’t about starting over; it helps you move forward with direction, flexibility, and self-compassion. Learn how to create meaningful, lasting change in your life and your recovery.

Download, listen, and find a new way to approach your goals this year because intentions empower progress, not pressure.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Hi, this is Mike Diamond, and this is another amazing episode of AAC Thrive. This is our fifth episode, and today we're going to break down an incredible topic getting intentions, not resolutions. Now we all know it's January, and a lot of people have a lot of New Year's resolutions. But the problem with New Year's resolutions is we get to the end of January and we lose our spark, we lose our inspiration, and we lose our motivation, right? And when January comes, a lot of pressure to fix everything and start over. And that really isn't the way we've got to look at things. Because in recovery, there's an important thing we must remember, right? We don't grow right when things are perfect. There's a process and we progress. So the key is not to have a resolution because that puts too much pressure on us. The key is to focus on setting an intention. Okay. And when we set an intention, it's really important that we have what I call forward motivation. And forward motivation isn't about passion. Forward motivation is about purpose. The purpose is our reason. Purpose is our why. Now, here's another important thing, right? We've got to remove that resolution mindset, we've got to remove that perfection mindset because things will not go perfect to plan. So when we set a purpose, we also have to be flexible. Flexibility is the key. Like they say, you don't have to be the smartest person, but if you're flexible and have the ability to adapt, you will grow. So remove the resolution mindset, set the intention. And while you're doing this, if you come up short, it's important to have self-compassion. Because a real motivational killer is when we're hard on ourselves. See, if we beat ourselves up because we skipped a day and we had this goal and we and we skip down on ourselves, we kill all our motivation. All right. So a lot of people, when they hear the word resolution, they can feel pressure. Now, some people they get motivated, right? Other people get frustrated. Other people, when they hear the word resolution, they feel hopeful. Oh, it's a new year. Let me reset, let me get rid of last year. So I want you to think about that for a second. When you think of the word resolution, what comes to mind? And sit with that. Be curious. Don't judge what comes to mind. If you do feel pressure, ask yourself, why does that word bring up pressure? Okay. And sit with these feelings and sit with these emotions and process them. Because in recovery, the most important thing we have to learn is this. Once we make the commitment to get sober and go on this journey, we have to be mindful of how we think and feel because it will affect how we act. Right? We don't drink our feelings anymore. We don't snort our feelings. We don't buy our feelings. We don't scroll our feelings. We don't get in relationships because of our feelings. So I want you to sit and process these feelings, all right? Now, here's a very important thing. When most people set resolutions, they become rigid. Okay? And they get so focused on arriving at the destination. And I like to say, when you're focused on the destination and you don't enjoy the journey, you get destination disease. Because you're so focused on feeling a certain way when you reach the goal that you sit there and when you get that goal, you're like, wow, it doesn't feel like I thought it would feel. And here's why. When we get that spark of inspiration, we get a little hit of dopamine. And like I say, it's 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. So the resolution is great, but without a positive intention, we could get destination disease. So when you have an intention, always make sure you have a value that is connected to the intention. And what I mean by that is if I have a value to respect myself, then I have to have a rule, right? If I value my sobriety, then the rule is never to drink, no matter how I feel, good, bad, or indifferent, or whatever is placed in front of me. Okay. The most important thing apart from that is when we have intentions, we have to focus on how we truly want to live and show up in the world. Okay. Not just what we want to achieve, right? Because once you get into that thing of it's all about the achievement, you stop living and you stop enjoying life. Okay. So if we have intentions, it allows us room to progress. Okay. If we don't have intentions and we have just resolutions and we don't actually reach those milestones and we get stuck in perfection, what happens? We beat ourselves up, right? So when we set an intention, it's also very important that we don't fall into a shame guilt cycle. It's okay to have, you know, a little shame. There is healthy shame and there is toxic shame. And I'll teach you the difference. If you come up short and your intention is good, but let's just say your intention is good and maybe you get dysregulated and you lose your cool. Okay. Now it becomes toxic shame if you don't reach out, make an amends, and hold on to that. Because you feel that reaction, the mistake you made, you are a mistake for making a mistake. And if you sit in that spiral, that becomes toxic shame. On the other hand, healthy shame is to be vulnerable enough and have the courage to say to the person, hey, you know what? I shouldn't have reacted that way. I'd like to make an amends and I'd like to move forward. Okay, so know that difference, right? So I want you to sit for a second and think back in your past when you had maybe a New Year's resolution, and then think back to did that resolution really push you forward in the long term? Or was it just something you thought was cool? Everyone's got New Year's resolutions, and you know what, I'll have one as well, right? And also think about this. How does it feel? And play with this idea that what's if I set an intention, okay, and what's if I attach that intention with a purpose-driven goal, and then sit down and maybe get out a pen and paper and write down maybe some goals and connect your why with it, okay, and say, hmm, I want to achieve this goal, but why do I want to achieve it? And I always say, if the intention to do something comes out of anger, fear, or resentment, you may actually reach the goal, but you'll be very dissatisfied when you reach it. You always have to find an empowering driver. So when you go on the journey and you reach the goal, you'll actually feel satisfied when you achieve it, right? So if you're in recovery like I am, okay, remember this, okay. Honesty is one of the most important things. And that means we have to be honest with ourselves, all right? To find peace and to connect with others, okay, we have to find some peace in ourselves. Because if we get into rooms and get around people and we're angry and we're dishonest, it doesn't matter what rooms we go into, we will not connect with people and we will not feel good, right? So let's jump into this, and I want you to think about it. Is there a time that you've set an intention and it's helped you? Okay, and you've gone, wow, I'm glad I set that intention. Now, are there times that you've set an intention and you faced obstacles? And when you face those obstacles, what did you do to get through them? Because I always say, if you're flexible and you have a good why, obstacles are just opportunities for us to step back, reassess, re-evaluate, change our plan, and push forward. All right, never take any kind of obstacle as a setback, it just gives us a chance to reset. So it's January. I want you to do this. I want you to think of a word or a phrase that represents how you would really intend to live the next 12 months in your recovery journey. Okay, and really sip at that. And then do this as well. Think of one small daily or weekly action you can take that can align with a positive intention and your purpose. Okay, so remember resolutions will not help you move forward. Positive intentions will help you grow right and prosper, right? So to recap it all, remember intentions never demand perfection, they offer us direction, and every day we have a chance to come back, reset, and return to what matters most. And it's important to remember this recovery is never about starting over, it's always about moving forward with purpose. All right, so here's a little suggestion set a little intention this month, look at it every morning, and then carry it forward. If you need help, always reach out. And this is uh another episode of AAC Thrive. And I hope you have a fantastic day. And remember, always be kind to yourself. I'm Mike Diamond, and I'll check in with you guys in the next episode.