Intention
When I was growing up I always looked forward to family gatherings because my aunts and uncles were hysterical and the first 15-20 minutes would often be spent telling jokes or sharing funny stories. Even at that young age I began to have an appreciation for humor and how good being silly and making others laugh felt. As a result I began to look for humor in everyday situations and tried to make people laugh whenever I could. As you might expect, this often didn’t go over well with my teachers but nevertheless my silliness and sense of humor has stuck with me to this day. From time to time someone will comment on my silliness and ask how it came about. I now know that I had set an intention in my youth to connect with others through laughter.
The reason I share that story with you is to demonstrate the power of intention and exemplify what can be accomplished if we set an intention instead of simply hoping or wishing something would happen. I have long stopped ruminating on how to be funny, but the intention I set is still part of my daily actions and operates on a subconscious level. Even though I won’t be wining a Nobel prize for my levity, it’s still a good example of what we can do when we really set our minds to something that we are passionate about and that touches us deeply.
The Latin root of decide means “to cut of from or remove”, so when you set an intention or make a decision you are “cutting off from” any possibility other than that which you desire. That’s pretty powerful stuff! So how do you get this ball rolling? It starts with getting quiet; listening to your inner self and stilling the mind. It’s revisiting that child like whimsy of achieving whatever your heart desires and not allowing doubt to enter the picture. When we forget who we truly are at our core, that stops the intentional process and creates a life of reaction rather than a life of creation. Even in a chaotic world it is still possible to create the life you want by incorporating intention and self care.
Decide how you want to feel in your life and realize with complete certainty that you DESERVE to experience it. Set an intention and tell yourself that you will not settle for anything less and take the first step. Stop wishing and start creating! In the words of George Eliot: “It’s never too late to become what you might have been.”