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The Power of Daily Intention

This time of year we hear a lot about about New Year’s resolutions, but what about intentions? Have you set resolutions year after year with resolve but by February you’re left feeling like a failure? It can be tough when you know the changes you want to make, but they never actually seem to manifest. Goal setting is a great tool to get you to an end result, but you might be surprised at how quickly you end up there when you focus your daily energy.

Goal Setting

In my therapy practice I encourage clients to set goals regularly. This is an essential part of changing behaviors, emotional states, and creating a more peaceful and healthy life. It’s what helps us understand what we want and what’s important. Our goals shape our life plan, but when a client seems stuck and has failed to achieve their goals, circling back to clarify their intention and developing the big picture can be very powerful. Sometimes goal setting takes us out of the moment and creates an emphasis on what we don’t have. We can’t set meaningful goals if we don’t know what we truly wish to achieve in our lives.

Intentions

So what is an intention? Intentions are really a blueprint for our lives. It’s where our higher consciousness wishes to go. Think values versus goals. For example, your higher consciousness doesn’t care about losing five pounds, but it may intend for your physical body to be one hundred percent vital, healthy, and filled with energy. Your intentions are your truth; you living a life that matches your values. Intentions allow you to focus on who you are in the moment, recognize and live your values, and tap into and take care of your emotional needs.

The good news is your intentions already exist! All you have to do it tap in and listen. Taking a step back to analyze your life is very helpful in discovering what’s important to you in order to intentionally create a life you love. Daily intentions are your first step!

4 Ways to Start Living with Intent Now

  1. Be Still: Take time away. Incubate. Be quiet and still. For beginners, I love recommending short meditations using the Headspace app.
  2. Turn Up the Awareness: Be a watcher of your thoughts and desires. Pay close attention to actions and thoughts. What gives you a feeling of purpose or satisfaction? What could you use less of in your life? What would you like more of in your life?
  3. Set Intentions Regularly: I recommend committing to a week of setting daily intentions to jump start the process. For example “I intend to make someone smile today.” or “ I intend to forgive myself and other today.”
  4. Do Something: Trust your intention. Once you’ve identified an intention take steps to achieve it: start, end, let go, do nothing, etc.

There are so many benefits to becoming mindful and living with intention. Living a life that leaves you, and those around you, feeling recharged, satisfied, and fulfilled feels pretty great. So, whether you‘d like to  improve your relationships, feel more connected, sleep better, or simply have more peace, setting daily intentions is a great place to start.

Read the rest of this post at Focus on The Coast

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