7 Reasons to Set Intentions
Setting intentions is a powerful tool for so many reasons. But first, let’s discuss exactly what an intention is. My favorite and what I feel is the most accurate definition for this word as defined by Webster is: “a determination to act in a certain way.”
Intentions are NOT goals, they are how we want to go about something and for what reason. To use an example, let’s say that I have a goal of doing something fun with my daughter each week (that is fun for both of us). Why do I want to do this? To BE CONNECTED with her consistently. Therefore my intention for that goal is to BE CONNECTED! If I choose to do that activity with a lousy attitude or hurried or half heartedly, am I meeting the goal (doing)? YES! But I am NOT meeting the INTENTION (being)!
Therefore INTENTIONS are more powerful than GOALS! Now that we have clearly made the point of how important Intentions are, let’s break that down as to the power of intention and why we should live and work intentionally. Living and working Intentionally has us:
Stay ‘on track’. In other words, using the above example with my daughter, intentions have us behave in ways to ultimately feel and be connected whether we are working on the goal or not. Intentions keep us in an attitude of choice. After all we CHOOSE our attitudes. We are responsible for our attitudes. When we finally realize this - we become very powerful in all aspects of life.
Accomplish great things. By living and working intentionally, we accomplish things that actually have meaning to us and others. We also accomplish things we never even intended and often greater than we ever imagined.
Stay in integrity with Self: When we stay in integrity with ourselves and committed to the intention we are taking full responsibility for our approach to others and our actions. When we do this we call others to do the same, allowing us to see the good in others.
Have the impact we want. Sometimes staying with our intentions means not accomplishing the goals but when we stay with the intention we tend to have an even greater impact than we could have imagined. This is the magic of intention.
Be a united team. When a team (or family) is united around an intention (behaving a certain way) it tends to unite the team in all aspects of work. Being united as team is a game changer!
Live consciously. Living intentionally has us design a life to be what we want and we work with what is right now, consciously so that we are living from a deeply grateful and present place.
Be good communicators. Living and working intentionally helps us with clarity in our lives and therefore our conversation. Our words match our actions. This is integrity!
Choosing an intention every year to work on and practice is like choosing a path to hike regularly. It is about mastering an intention. But we must practice it'; walk it every day. And usually in about 10-11 months of training and practicing, we start to notice that a new path emerges. And again, we get to choose our next intentional path. There are always a few new ones to choose from. It up to us to be intentional about our Annual Intention. No two intentional journeys are the same. Yours is unique to you. If you do not have an intention yet for 2024, it is not too late. Reach out to me using the Contact Us link and let’s talk!
