“There is nothing more important than the ability to pay attention.”
– Jordan Peterson (Canadian professor of psychology)
In our day to day lives we are constantly putting our intentions into practice. We might use other words like plan, prepare, hope, or desire when referring to our intentions, but while weaving these words into our conversations and language, it is easy to underestimate the subtle forces at play.
We often neglect the immense power that our intentions can have for us when consciously harnessed and properly directed. The flip side, however, is that when we are unconscious of where we are placing our focus, our intentions become unconsciously applied to our actions, behaviors, words, and results.
The moment you get out of bed each morning, you have a choice: are you going to proceed intentionally from a position of power, or unconsciously from a position of vulnerability and weakness?
We are all responsible for a large portion of what manifests in our reality, but we are usually under the illusion that things “just happen” and that we are not in control.
When you are consciously setting intentions, you are putting the wheels in motion for creation, opportunity, power, flow, and change. All of which will produce astonishingly different results than simply letting things happen as they will.
For example:
- First thing in the morning, you can intend to be open and grateful for a new day.
- When you get to work, you can intend to make eye contact with people and smile.
- Throughout your day, you can intend to drink lots of water, focus on the quality of your breathing, and stay present and engaged with each moment.
- When you go to the coffee shop, you can intend to give someone a compliment, or spark up a conversation with a stranger.
- On your way home, you can intentionally think abou all of the positive things in your life.
- At home, you can intend to bring enthusiasm and excitement into the environment of your loved ones and be present with your family.
It is a stunning discovery to learn that intention is not only a product of how you function, but a gateway to your deepest desires and most spectacular life. When consciously activated, your best intentions are the seed from which you are able to start the process of creating things that may not have been there before.
Intention comes from a deeper level of your consciousness. A part of your being that surpasses logical thinking and belief of how things are typically supposed to happen in a square world.
Setting intention is about trust and openness. It comes from your higher consciousness — independent of your normal waking mind. The mindset of intention is where you begin to detach from your doubts, fears, judgments, and excuses.
A Powerful 6 Step Process for Setting Your Intentions
A mindset of intention is the starting point of a vision. It is that creative power of imagination that you can feel in your body and visualize as something real. These desires might be related to love, experience, success, or anywhere else your mind can go.
Slip into a state of pure awareness
At any given time, your mind is constantly caught up in memories, emotions, thoughts, contemplation, and analysis. You must come out of this noisy world into a state of pure conscious awareness. The most effective ways to enter this state is meditation.
By sitting comfortably still in silence and bringing your focus into the moment, you transcend the activity of your thinking mind and into a state of receptive awareness. This state of mind is the ideal place for setting your intention.
Feel it in your body
When setting intentions, simply bringing them to mind is not enough. You must visualize your intentions in vivid detail. Take a few minutes to sit with this vision, and eventually you will generate the sensation of your intention coming to the surface of your nerves, and throghout your body. This is exactly what you want!
Your intentions need to be fealt in your body and internalized until your nervous system is activated into a state of coherence. This will send a strong message to your subconscious mind that this is what you expect. Feel the emotions that come with your intention, notice the energy being generated in your chest and core of your body.
Release your intention
Once you have established a state of pure awareness, and you have generated the energy of your intentons until you can feel it in your body, you can consciously release your intention. You can do this just after meditation, while you are sitting in a place of peace, calm, and quiet focus.
Releasing your intention is not only a focused thought, but a vision, a deep feeling that must be sensed from within. Take your time and imagine the energy of your intention being released into the wild, like heat seeking missile.
Stay centered
Intention is much more powerful when it comes from a place of serenity. Try to stay centered and do not be swayed by other people’s criticisms, doubts or external factors. Even without knowing the timing or the details of what will happen in the future, be confident in believing that there is a much deeper part of your abilities at work here. By accepting the process from a place of trust, your are setting in motion a very strong dynamic.
Don’t be attached to the outcome
Abandon your affection to a specific result and try to be comfortable with this sense of uncertainty. Attachment is primarily based on insecurity and fear, whereas detachment is well built on the wholehearted belief in the power of your true ability as a human being to create.
Continuously practice intention for everything to work out as it should. Do your best and then let go and permit the opportunities to flow your way. You will be surprised at what you start to notice!
Finally, allow the intelligence of your deeper mind to do the work
Now, your concentrated intentions have set the organizing power of your mental capacities in motion. Have trust in that power. You have done your part and released your intentions into your deeper consciousness. They will bloom when the season is right.
Setting intentions every day is a life altering practice — your intentions become stronger and more vibrant. Even in times of struggle, when harnessing the power of intention, you will always have something to fall back on as a place of power and inner strength — a place that grows stronger with practice.