The Power of Intention
I’ve always preferred intentions over resolutions. Why is that? Curious, I looked up intention in the Oxford English Dictionary. It comes from the latin intentio and means stretching, purpose.
How interesting. Stretching. What do we stretch when we have or set an intention? When we set an intention, we stretch our whole being - we have to engage all of ourselves to bring the mind and the heart together in one place. And when we do, our intention(s) can be powerful. They can generate positive energy, enthusiasm, motivation and most importantly, they can lead to action(s).
Stretching also implies expanding our imagination and faith: our ability to see (to imagine) ourselves engaging in our life in the way we want to engage in it; our ability to believe that things can change, to believe in possibilities.
A resolution often comes from the head, our analytical mind and as a result, resolutions can feel wilful, stale and forced; they can lack warmth, positive emotion and strength of heart.
When intentions come from a positive mental state of self-belief – ‘Yes, I can do this’ - self-kindness, self-love, enthusiasm and encouragement almost always lead to positive action(s).
It’s the intention that matters…
That’s why I always say that it’s the intention that matters, the wholehearted attitude we bring to whatever we want to bring about in our life – whether it’s establishing a regular practice (mind training), or making more effort at maintaining friendships, at reaching out to others or eating more healthily and drinking less alcohol, exercising and caring for the body, nourishing the heart by feeding our passions (the things that we love doing) etc.
…And kindness to self
And when we fall short of our intentions – when we don’t follow through on what we set out to do – we need curiosity and compassion – inquire into the part in us that didn’t want to do something that another part in us really wanted to do and ask: What’s happening? What’s this about that something in me doesn’t want to do x? Kindness to self is crucial here.
Beating ourselves up about an intention we didn’t follow through with only sets us off on a negative spiral of self-deprecation and we consequently lose any motivation and faith in what’s possible for us. We close down because it’s hard to endure our own harsh self-judgements.
Would you judge a dear friend who falls short of their intention? Or would you encourage them, remind them that they can always start again, that they can do it?
Intentions always evoke our purpose in life
When we are able to reflect and sit long enough with our intentions (big or small), they will naturally lead us to the question of: What is my purpose in life?
Knowing our purpose helps us to make informed choices about how we spend our time and energy and who with.
As humans we are naturally curious and full of questions about the world, and uncertain times like now challenge our status quo. They are however, opportunities to ask ourselves some important questions:
What is my purpose? How do I want to be in my life? Who am I? What do I most care about? These are beautiful questions to ask ourselves – often.
Try this: Reflect upon your intentions and purpose with curiosity, openness, patience, warmth and strength of heart
Go for a walk in your local park or create some comfortable and enjoyable time for yourself at home and reflect on what your intentions might be for this year and beyond:
What I really want is…
What I most care about is...
How I really want to show up in my life is…
The purpose of my life is…
Be patient here – the answers may not always come straight away. Trust emergence – that something will bubble up when we give it enough space, time, faith and curiosity.
Write down your intentions so that you can come back to them, remember them, review and celebrate them….
If you need a little help, drop me a line to arrange your free initial coaching conversation online or while walking in nature, Victoria Park, east London.
As always, I’d love to hear from you.
If you need a little help to set your intentions for the New Year, drop me a line to arrange your free initial coaching conversation: karen@greenspacecoaching.com