For many years I set New Year's resolutions.
Some of my resolutions centered around money, exercise and becoming a
vegetarian. Each new year I would start out great, but within a few
months I had made so many excuses that I knew I was lying to myself
about achieving my resolution. I felt I had failed. And then I
realized: this way of life is not empowering me!
Rather than setting resolutions, why not set
intentions? The word intention comes from the Latin, meaning "to
stretch toward." We can imagine an intention moving energy toward
that which has been set in mind.
To set an intention means to intend to do or
experience something in life. When I don't follow my intention or act
in a way that resists it, I can reset my intention and get back on
course with what I want. Recognizing how your life will change based
on your intention is part of knowing when you are in alignment or not
in alignment with your intention. At the end of the day, ask yourself
if what you did or didn't do is in keeping with your intention. For
example, if I didn't exercise on a particular day, I might ask myself,
"Was the reason I didn't exercise based on an excuse or a
reality?" This moment of assessment gives me the opportunity to
make real my intention to my heart and my mind. And because it is an
intention - and not a goal, I can choose again and reset my intention
for the next day. I can let go of disappointment because I am focused
on resetting rather than judging myself as a failure. Resolutions have
a "succeed or fail" outcome while intentions have a
"re-set and start again" factor.
In their book, The Corporate Mystic, Drs. Gay
Hendricks and Kate Ludeman note that "intention lives in the zone
between potential and action, organizing the diffuse energy of
potential and bringing it toward reality." We can use our mind to
bring that which we desire from the realm of possibility into the
realm of actuality by using the state of intention consciously. For
example, I recognize that within me is the potential to exercise five
times a week. I can have all sorts of thoughts about exercise yet
never see the results as my life experience. Using our minds to set
intentions organizes the thoughts (which is energy) and brings focused
power to our intended desire - and this moves it from possibility into
actuality.
Our viewpoint determines the success of our
intention. If you focus solely on how you are not following through on
your intention, you are giving energy to what you don't want to
happen. However, if your viewpoint is how you are successfully moving
towards your intention and you celebrate that which you accomplished
towards your intention, you give positive attention towards your
intention.
Once again, say my intention is: I will
exercise faithfully this year. Giving attention to the intention means
reminding myself, "I exercised yesterday (yippee!) and I feel
great today because of it. I want more of that so I am shifting my
schedule to make sure I fit in a regular exercise program." It's
easy to sense how much more helpful this is than getting into the
negative feeling of "I didn't exercise today. There I go again
not following through. I better do it tomorrow or else I'm just
fooling myself about this exercise thing." How we speak to
ourselves and others about our intention reveals what type of
attention we give our intention.
Indeed, recognizing how we talk to ourselves
about our intentions is critical. Life gives us that which we support
in mind (thought), heart (feeling) and body (outward doing). That's
why it's essential to pay attention to what your mind, heart and body
are expressing towards your intention. What are you saying about your
intention on a moment to moment basis? How do you really feel about
your intention? Are there negative emotions behind your intention or
does the thought of your intention produce a sense of joy and a sense
of well-being? What signals do you give towards your intention? Does
your body cringe at the thought of your intention? Or do you become
energized?
Once you have established your intentions for
the New Year, write them down and put them where you can see them
daily. An old saying reminds us, "If you will make the decision,
your subconscious will make the provision." Allow your
subconscious to do the heavy lifting. Sit daily visualizing your
intention. Let go of any thoughts opposed to your intention and
replace them with an affirming statement. For example, notice when you
beat yourself up over not exercising on a particular day - then,
replace that thought with the intention, "I now exercise on a
regular basis."
Remember that there is something within you
that knows your best and highest good. It is up to you to recognize
the best is in you, set your intention, put your attention on it, and
affirm the good that is waiting for you. The power to be and have the
best is yours. Claim it!
Marquita Pierre is the founder
of Marquita's Motivations LLC, a firm providing individual/group
coaching and leadership development services. She is also Senior
Minister at the Alaska Center for Spiritual Living.
