The Art of Setting Intentions
What exactly does it mean to set an intention?
Intention setting has become a lifestyle for me and it’s exactly what keeps me on track to achieving my goals and maintaining a positive mindset. Essentially, intention setting is the journey to achieving our goals based on our values in the present moment. It is a commitment to self development.
When we set intentions it brings us into the moment. When we spend our time in the past dwelling on what could have been, or the things we cannot change, it hinders our ability to move forward and keeps us in a perpetual state of depression or low vibration. In order to move forward there might be some healing of the past that needs to take place to come to a point of acceptance and often, self love.
When we live too much in the future worrying about the unknown and what we can’t control, it keeps us in a state of anxiety or worry and hinders our ability to manifest. This is not to say to never think about your future. The future is exciting and we need to look ahead in order to establish our goals now in the present. Balance is key, and also an understanding that life throws us curve balls sometimes and our original plan may change.
When we bring ourselves into the moment we can focus on what we tangibly have in front of us in the here and now. One of the teachings in yoga is to be present and clear the mind. This is why the mindfulness movement has grown exponentially over the years.
How Intentions Work
When we can bring ourselves into the present moment and set an intention, it drives us to take physical action. It’s through the act of taking action that you can start to see your life transform. The intention is what keeps us committed to our journey by honing in our focus to our values and who we are in this moment. Setting intentions is about our journey in life and how we can make the most of it.
This is when you start to live your life from a place of love and this is how we raise our vibration. When we vibrate from a place of love rather than fear or worry the universe reciprocates.
Like attracts like.
Checking in with our values and focusing on the things that excite us or bring us joy is what leads us down a path of happiness. It also forces us to spend some time alone to develop a deeper understanding of who we are and what is important to us without outside influence. In a sense, this exercise can strengthen our moral character by staying true to ourselves and that is the best form of self love.
Intentions give us purpose and control of our lives by holding us accountable for our actions, or sometimes, lack there of. In times when it may feel like our life is spiralling out of control, setting intentions helps us stay grounded. By stepping back and re-evaluating what is most important to us in this moment, we can see a clearer path on how to get to where we want to be and then take the appropriate steps to move in that direction. When intention setting is done often and routinely our lives can transform in a very positive way.
How to Set Intentions
Get into the feeling.
There are different ways to go about setting intentions but what remains consistent is the feeling associated with the desire that the intention is being set for. When we think of our desire, focus on how it makes you feel as if you are living that desire. If the desire is a partner or relationship, imagine all the wonderful feelings associated with said relationship.
Get used to change.
It’s easy to establish a desire. The hard work is defining who you need to be in order to achieve that desire and what needs to change. Often people fear change, or dread the work that goes into creating change. For some, a starting point would be to alter the view of change as something exciting rather than fearing it. Magic happens when we get out of our comfort zone.
Let go of limiting beliefs.
To achieve our goals we have to believe they are possible. With the right mindset, anything is possible. Recognizing when we are being negative and stopping those negative thoughts dismantles limiting beliefs and allows us to move forward. This may also require recognizing bad habits or patterns and accepting that there is work to be done to break these patterns.
Accept there is work to be done.
Intentions are successful at achieving desires when we hold ourselves accountable and this will require some work. I like to use the example of the law of inertia; a body will stay at rest or move in a straight line unless acted upon by a force. In order to change our course of life to achieve desires, we need to take action. As Jim Carey said “you can’t just visualize and then go eat a sandwich”. The Law of Attraction requires action so evaluating what needs to be done and what needs to change is essential for positive growth and change.
Repetition and Routine.
Keeping in alignment of our goals and desires requires repetition. It’s easy to fall off track or be swayed by someone else’s beliefs so taking time for yourself to stay focused is necessary. This reinforces a positive mindset and helps us to see tangible changes. There are many different intention exercise you can do daily and you can explore those further in the article 6 Ways to Set Intentions.
Stop Resisting.
It may feel counter productive but letting go and trusting the universe is a key element with intentions. If we become too rigid in our way of thinking or expectations we can miss what the universe is presenting to us. We may completely overlook that our desire has manifested because we are stuck on a certain form we expected it to be in. Life never usually goes according to plan so we need to learn to go with the flow and adjust ourselves accordingly, especially as we grow and create this positive change in our lives. The Law of Attraction teaches us to set intentions and then set them free into the universe to give up our resistance. Intentions do require a certain level of faith, both in the universe and in yourself. Have faith that all the energies in the universe are working symbiotically to manifest your desires.
