5 Simple Ways to Set Your Intentions
This is embarrassing as a practitioner in the spiritual space, but I used to have no idea what “set an intention” meant. Of course, I was intuitively creating intentions with how I navigated the world but naming my intention alluded me. A strategic, deep thinker, idealist, writer, etc.—I couldn’t dream of narrowing down my vision to one word.
Like actually…I would sit & write an essay trying to find my intention. For hours. Things that come simply for others, I’ve learned my brain works differently. I naturally see all the interconnection points & paths forward with the present.
Learning to name intentions has helped me to create more peace, patience, appreciation, & acceptance for my present moment.
At the almost halfway point of 2023, intentions can be anchor points for being in the present & appreciating the specific lesson(s) we’re moving through.
Here's how I've learned to approach intention setting with a more playful approach:
1. Instinct & Intuition
Sometimes it’s as simple as the first thing that comes to mind even if it doesn’t make sense yet (hello, intuition). There’s a larger story unfolding & this word is an important place to come back to & witness its evolution in you.
2. Reminder
The true thing you believe about yourself beneath the fear or guilt of your conditioning & personality. The thing you really feel when you peel back the heightened emotions of the situation.
Example:
Whether or not I get this job, I trust that the outcome is for my highest good.
3. Counterbalancing
A countering energy to your usual disposition.
Example:
I spent much of the last couple years focused on being more “gentle” with myself but occasionally I move through more fiery seasons that call for more assertive intentions. “Ruthless” came to me the other day. It gets filtered through my softness & takes on a whole new meaning. Plus, the word makes me laugh because it’s so opposite of me, it gets me to notice opportunities to apply it in my own way. “What would a ruthless person do? What’s my version of that in my care for myself, my work, my relationships?” Ruthless rest. Ruthless generosity. Ruthless honesty with myself.
4. Permission
Sometimes we need to focus on something that won’t move through until we spend time with it & setting the intention gives us more space to honor this as our current season of life.
Examples:
Rest, grief, mental health.
5. Perspective
Sometimes we need to know where to Zoom in. Sometimes, we’re so focused on the future, we miss the present. Or we feel stuck in the present, when we’re actually making steady progress towards our goals. Having an intention that roots you into the arc of the timeline that is actually important to you can be grounding in times of self-questioning to remember the goal beneath the surface of some discomfort.
Example:
I’m putting together my first collection of poems. Since my intention is to create a book, I’m less focused on including everything I’ve ever written & more focused on the story the pieces I’ve pulled together tell as a whole.
👉 If this was helpful, here are a few ways to stay connected with me:
Subscribe to my weekly-ish emails Julia’s Notes
Join my spiritual community Shadow Play
