You are creating your reality with your intentions. This means who you are and what's happening around you is related to your intentions, whether you realize it or not.
You can create positive life changes by setting intentions that reflect the life you want.
Every year many people, myself included not surprisingly as a life coach, set New Year's resolutions and intentions. I usually do it on New Years Eve or some time in the first week of January.
It feels good to leave the old behind and plan for things that I want to create or develop. I love the beginnings of things. Fresh possibilities, feeling the newness of getting out of the old mundane and into the excitement of new goals or accomplishments coming. Resolutions can give us that. Resolutions tend to be be quite specific. They give us something to check off. As in, I will loose 20lbs or get a new job. I will drink more water every day or exercise X times per week.
Intentions are a bit different. There are intentions and there is also intention. Described by the best selling author Dr. Wayne Dyer, intention "is a force in the universe that allows the act of creation to take place…not as something we do – but as energy that we are a part of."
Intentions are similar to resolutions in that they can also give us an exciting start. They also offer so much more. Intentions encompass more than checking off items, though it can also include that too if you choose. Intentions themselves can be more broad. I intend to be more creative. This can apply to work, hobbies, relationships, family, community outreach or any area of your life. It leaves windows of opportunity to fulfill such an intention.
Intentions allow for more ease and flow as well as more playfulness in life. Intentions to improve your health can be applied to many things: eating habits, drinking habits, movement, walking, hiking, dancing, meditating and more. Trying new things and finding what you really enjoy can come from your intention "to be more healthy." Which will go much further than just checking off "walking 3x a week."
With intentions you open the possibility of finding something you really love and are more likely to continue for longer time and even be excited about it.
How to Set Intentions
Instead of (or in addition to) brainstorming goals for the year. Make 2 lists: your top 5 (or more) values and your top 5 things you enjoy. It doesn't have to be in a chronological order unless you want it to be. Your lists might look something like this:
Values:
Health
Family/Relationships
Helping others
Nature
Making a difference
Things I Enjoy
Listening to Music
Painting/Creating
Visiting with friends/ family/pets
Learning DIY on youtube
Lazy moments on the hammock
Before writing intentions, consider how they may turn into strict "check off" items; listen to music every night or create a piece of art every month, visit with family twice a week. If you end up missing one or more of these, you can end up feeling a sense of failure or disappointment in yourself. This is no good and makes it difficult to create new habits that are healthy and fun. Instead try this:
Think of Ways Your Lists Overlap
I listen to music while exercising and trying new healthy recipes
I create art projects for gifts and just for fun. I do creative activities with friends and family
I learn new ways to improve my health and my hobbies
I take time to truly rest and feel good about it
Write your intentions and place them where you can see them every day to help them stay as your priorities.
Keep a list on your phone, put the list on your fridge, bathroom mirror. Share them with friends and on social media for extra support and love. This also helps to keep you accountable when wanting to fall back into old habits. Check in with yourself often and update them as you feel best.
Dive Deeper Into Intention
In my book, Connecting To Your Power Source: An inspirational Guide to Happiness, I have wrote a whole chapter on intention. This is because I know that intention is far more than creating changes for the new year. It is indeed a force in the universe that we are a part of as Wayne Dyer said. Consider this excerpt from my book:
I invite you to look at intention as your presentation of existence in the universe, the purpose for which you are existing, the field of energy that is emanating from within you.
In other words, your entire human system; your mind, your every thought, your actions, your physical condition, your feelings, your mental stability, or lack there of, your emotional well-being, your knowledge, your mission and purpose, whether it's deliberate or not. It includes your attitude, your personality, your prayers, your words, your writings, your beliefs, your emotions, your abilities, the way that you treat, others, and the environment. These all come from you or are a part of your human system. In other words, your entire existence is intention.
All of what we are is intention, because all of what we are is energy. Many components, both simple and complex, make up your energy field. Thoughts, words, actions, and cells are energy that have frequencies sending out, waves, signals and impulses of information that are vibrating messages of what your intentions are for your life.
Think of yourself as an energy force existing in the universe that is more than just your body. Your energy field emanates from you. It does not stop with your skin. Your energy field extends out from your physical body and could extend anywhere from a few inches to several yards, depending on your intention, your mood, your thoughts, your physical condition, your feelings, and so on. Some say it is the brilliance of your spirit, or the light of your soul.
In addition to getting clear on your intentions for this year, remind yourself that your intention is your entire human system, everything about you, what you think, say, do, and be. It is your message to the universe of who you are, who you want to be and what you desire. Use this powerful energy within you to create the life you truly desire, not only this year but always. Also, remember, that intention includes action. Without action, it is merely a thought. When you intend to do something, there is action involved. Remember to take action. 🥰