Creating an Intention
As is your desire, so is your intention. As is your intention, so is your will. As is your will, so are your deeds. As are your deeds, so is your destiny.
(Paraphrased from the Vedic Upanishads)
While goals are often created from, and are useful to, our egoic mind (run faster, accomplish more, get better in some specific way), intentions arise from a different place: the place of our highest ideals and deepest values. Intentions beg the question, “How, then, shall I live?” The answer won’t be about how many push-ups we can do, or whether we clean the kitchen every evening. It will resonate deep within us as a message from the soul. Here are some examples:
I accept what is.
I recognize and honor the deep soul of everyone I meet.
I extend love and care to every form of life, beginning with myself.
I hone my craft with reverence.
I serve the highest good.
I choose love.
I tend first to my soul.
I relax into compassion in the face of fear.
I step boldly into what’s next.
I find gratitude in this moment.
An intention is a guide that we can use in any moment. When faced with a decision, we can repeat our intention to ourselves and choose the option that best fits those words. When frustrated with a situation, we can remind ourselves of our intention and allow it to inspire a higher level of response. When making our plan for the day, remembering our intention helps us weed out extraneous activity so our focus is consistent with our ideals.
Individuals can have intentions, and so can couples… and even families. What are we dedicated to, together? What is our guiding light? What vital meaning can we remind ourselves and each other of, as we start to get distracted by the trivial or unimportant?
To create an intention, it can be helpful to go into meditative contemplation. Cordon off some quiet space and time to reflect on these questions:
What situations arise in my life in which it would be useful to remind myself of something?
What kind of growth am I currently at the edge of or actively seeking?
What verb represents the kind of action I want to be taking?
In what context is this action most needed?
What guiding sentence would best serve me in my current life situation?
When you’ve come up with some options, see if you can consolidate them to a brief sentence. You don’t want it to be too long, just a quick but meaningful reminder that captures the essence of what you seek. Be sure to put it in the present tense, as repeating it as if it is already happens teaches your mind to adopt it as a truth, rather than a conditional aspiration.
Commit to journaling on your chosen intention every day for a week, so that you can hone and refine it.
Once it’s refined, consider creating a ceremony committing to your intention and releasing it to the higher powers at the same time, asking the universe to help you on this quest. Keep a symbol of this ritual, along with a written version, on an altar space or somewhere you’ll see it often.
You can choose how you continue working with your intention. In my groups, I’ll often have participants journal on one word of the intention, starting with the verb, for a week. What does the word “choose” really mean? In what contexts might it be useful and when might it feel inadequate? etc. This close inspection keeps the intention alive for us and helps us hone it even further.
Other options may occur to you, like connecting with another person about your intentions once a week or once a month, noting in what ways it is changing you, re-forming your behavior and influencing your character. Or you might want to create a four-season altar in nature that you visit once per season to renew your commitment to the intention. Let the creativity flow! (Hey, that would make a good intention!)
Just remember not to get punitive with yourself. Intentions are meant to connect you with your deepest longings and your highest purpose. This is a long-term endeavor, and it works without checklists or minimums. Commit and allow — that’s all.
May we be well.
