Do you set Intentions?

Setting an intention is like putting your destination in the GPS. It is a guiding principle for how you want to be, live, and show up in the world. It’s an aim, purpose or attitude you could commit to. It’s a guide for your actions throughout the day.

An intention comes from your heart - it is not a goal or something tangible that you attach an expectation to. An intention will arouse feeling and purpose - it is a way to bring your heart and mind into alignment.

You can not force authentic intentions and you can’t set intentions you don’t believe in.

Learning to set intentions is a wonderful skill that will help you develop conscious control over the feeling you have and the circumstances you experience in your life. If you take the time to set intentions for how you want to feel or what you want to be, you are more likely to have positive outcomes from your experiences.

Why Set Intentions?

Wayne Dyer said, “Our intention creates our reality.” And how many times have you heard “What you think, you become,” or “Thoughts become things”?

If you’re focusing your mind on a specific intention, you are bringing it to your focused mind, your thoughts, your heart … and in turn helping to bring it into reality. Dyer says “When you activate this powerful force, you can begin to create the life you have always dreamed of, leading you down a path of effortless manifestation of your desires”.

Your intention should be closely linked to your personal thoughts, values and perspective on life. Ask yourself, “What matters most to me?”, “What would I like to create in my life?”, “ What would I like to let go of?”, “How do I feel when I’m at my happiest self?”. Your answers could form your intention, align your thoughts and give you guidance for your day.

How to Set Intentions

Setting an intention is simply the act of taking the time to decide what you want to do, before you do it.

Most of our days are filled with ‘noise’. Our mind is constantly racing through our thoughts, emotions and memories. Meditating can ‘quiet’ the mind into silence and stillness. It is here that we have pure consciousness and it is an ideal time to set our intentions.

Take five minutes each morning to sit in silence, quiet your mind and allow your breathing to calm. Inhale. Exhale. Let go of anything that does not serve you. Think about your intention for the day. Focus on your desired state, outlining what it is you want to do that day. You may wish to close your eyes and focus on your intention through a short meditation. You may like to write it in your journal.

Rather than list a specific set of actions you want to take, instead focus on the feeling you want those actions to instill. Intentions are best when they focus on the feeling-state you wish to achieve, rather than a specific physical objective. You want to get to the place where your physical set of circumstances is less important to you than the way that you feel. Your goals are merely symbols of your desires and help you focus on the emotion of what that goal represents.

Keep your intention positive and uplifting and write it in the present tense. “I am….”

Be Creative in your intention as by doing this, you allow your natural expression to flow and you can tap into the energy that this creates.

See the world for another’s perspective and be kind. By doing this, you emit positive, radiant energy and will manifest more positive experiences into your life.

Create the quality of love for yourself. By giving love, you get love! When you love yourself, you emit the vibration of love to those around you and you open yourself to receiving that same energy back.

Instill love into every experience you have. Love unconditionally as this will create more space for love to blossom in your life.

See beauty in everything you encounter. It is all around you and if you look for it, you will find it! Learning to appreciate the beauty that is around you will, will result in you becoming more aware of what is around you and will increase your vibration.

An important aspect of setting intentions is to balance appreciation for the beauty, fun and abundance you already experience with your desire to grow and expand. Part of this is to be attuned to your abundance - and not just of money, but the abundance of everything around you. As with love, becoming attuned to all the abundance around will attract more, in all shapes and forms, into your life.

Finally, we need to be open to receiving. If we try to control all the ways or hows our desires will unfold, we will limit ourselves and miss the unfolding we seek. We need to remain receptive - open, curious and excited about our desires so that we can fully experience them.