By the second week of January, most New Year’s resolutions are already negotiating their exit strategy.

The gym is a little less crowded.
The notebook with the fresh goals is sitting closed.
And the optimism we felt on January 1st is now competing with real life.

If you’ve ever set a goal with the best of intentions—and then quietly watched it fade—you’re not alone.

Today, on the Perception Podcast, I want to share a simple practice that has helped me not just set intentions, but actually live them.

Full Transcript

Welcome to the Perception Podcast, presented by The Garrity Group Public Relations where we help small businesses to be heard and large organizations to be understood.

I’m Tom Garrity.

It’s a new year—and new years are usually filled with good intentions, goals, and resolutions, all born from a healthy dose of optimism.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve identified an intention, set a goal, or decided on something you want to accomplish over the next 365 days—otherwise known, now, as 2026.

Sometimes setting a goal is easy.
Sometimes it takes real soul-searching.

And short of writing it in wax on your bathroom mirror, sticking it on the refrigerator, or posting it on your vehicle dashboard—all of which I’ve tried at one point or another—how do you actually keep these life improvements top of mind?

In the spirit of one beggar showing another beggar where to get food, I want to share a tip—a hack—a small nugget of wisdom about how I’ve gotten into the habit of setting, and more importantly, living, my intentions.

Full disclosure: I did not invent this.
I heard it once on a radio program and thought, “That’s a great idea. I think I’ll try that.”

The first step is identifying your intentions or goals for the coming year.

For me, that usually includes a few categories:

• A relationship intention—something I want to experience or accomplish with one or both of my daughters
• An activity or travel goal
• A personal goal
• A professional goal
• And sometimes a project around the house—build a wall, add a gate, replace the windows

And then I choose a theme for the year.

Heads up: choosing a theme can be a bit of a preview of things to come.

In 2020, my word was perseverance—which came in handy during COVID.
2021 was resilience.
2022 was forward.
2023 was balance.
2024 was transition.
2025 was flourish.

And my word for 2026 is intentional.

We all have different words.
We all have different things we want to accomplish.

The question is: how do we remember them?

Those of you who know me… know my social media world mostly lives on Instagram.
Yes, I’m connected on Facebook, Threads, Twitter, and TikTok—because who doesn’t enjoy a good doom scroll on TikTok from time to time?
Okay… I digress.

During the first week or two of the year, I capture an image on my phone—something that could live on my Instagram feed. Something that represents a memory, a hope, or an adventure.

I send the iPhone image to Walgreens, have it printed as a 4×4, pick it up, and write my intentions on the back of the photo with a thin Sharpie.

Then I place it in what has become my “intentions photo frame.”

To the visitor or guest, only the 2026 photo is visible, only I know what’s written on the back.

That frame holds photos and intentions going all the way back to 2018, and it sits right next to my coffee maker—so I see it every single morning.

Do I remember and recite everything I wrote down?
No. I wish I did.

But here’s what’s really cool.

Once or twice a year, I’ll get curious and open the back of the frame—only to discover that I’ve been living many of the intentions I set months earlier.

Sure, sometimes I’m reminded of a project that didn’t quite get started, or something I hoped would happen sooner. But I’ve found that writing them down—and pairing them with an image I see every morning—is a powerful one-two boost of motivation that keeps me moving forward.

At the end of the year, when I swap out the photo and the intentions, it’s incredibly meaningful to realize that my hopes and plans for the previous 365 days were more than just words or resolutions.

More often than not, those intentions were actually accomplished… those that were not may make it to the next year’s photo.

And I think that’s pretty cool.

You can use this approach for your business.  Try setting intentions with your team, put it on the back of a photo and leave the photo at the front desk, mailroom or kitchen.  If you want to add to a relationship with that special someone, take an “us-eee” print it, frame it and put your hopes and goals on the back.

I am not a therapist. Heck, I’ve not even told my therapist about this move… but maybe I will during our next session.

Anyway, That’s what I have for you this month.

If you enjoy the podcast, share it with a friend or leave a review. And if you’d like, share your picture for the year—or tag me on Instagram @TomGarrity or our professional account @GarrityPR

Thank you for listening to the Perception Podcast presented by The Garrity Group Public Relations where we help small businesses to be heard and large organizations to be understood. For more content, visit us at garritypr.com.  Thank you for listening.