The Power of Intention

The New Year is an excellent time for review of where we have been and where we are headed.
Often we set goals which can set us up to feel like we failed within the first 4 to 6 weeks of the new year. Goals are like rules we set for ourselves and we are sometimes over ambitious in our thinking.

This year we would like to suggest that instead of goals, we think of setting intentions. Intentions are a stated desire to live life differently. We align ourselves with our deepest desires. So instead of setting a goal or rule of “I will work out every day at 6 am”, we set the intention that “this is the year I will make room in my life for health & fitness”. Or “this is the year I release toxic people from my life”. Or “this is the year that I listen to my bodies natural hunger”.

In visualization we see ourselves incorporating new habits, attitudes & rituals in our minds. It only takes a slight shift for us to begin the process of change. So even if I get up in the morning and begin to stretch, over time, that may feel so good to my body that I decide to take a walk. Perhaps the dog joins me. Now on the weekends when I have more time, I may feel like going somewhere outdoors rather than sitting on the computer.

With intentions, change happens from “the inside out”.
With goals, change is produced from “the outside in”.

Also, we are more inclined to move toward what we want rather than away from what we don’t want. But all too often we are more clear about what we don’t want. We need the time to create the vision of where we are heading in life, what we are intending to move toward.

When we listen within, we are lead by our inner self, our subconscious mind which is always gravitating toward the things that lead us toward health and wholeness. Even the plants will grow toward the sun to get the nourishment they need. We are just biologically wired this way. But in, our society, we are driven by the externals; television, magazines, attitudes, rules, time, schedules, etc. We loose touch with our own inner world.

As 2016 approaches try the following exercise.

1) Sit in a quiet place with paper & pen
2) Close your eyes and take three deep cleansing breaths
3) Allow your mind to quiet and turn inward for the next 20 minutes
4) Ask your inner self the following questions:

“what do I need to release”
“What do I need more of in my life”
“Who do I spend time with that fills my spirit”
“What do I intend to change in the new year”
“What contribution do I want to make”

Allow yourself extra time for “anything else”.
Let your mind & your intuition drift and see where it takes you.
Write down any words, symbols, images that came to mind.

Honor yourself in 2016 by listening within. Develop a vision of where you want to go. Be intentional with your life rather than reactive. Your mind has the power to assist you in developing your life to support your highest good.