The Essence of Intentions

by Lynda McKinney Lambert, January 6, 2014

      This is the kind of winter day when it feels just right to spend some time thinking about some of the things we might want to experience at the beginning of a new year. Somehow, when the temperature drops near the zero point, we pause for awhile in the cozy warmth of our home and take time to dwell on personal things that might be forgotten when the world begins gradually to shift once again towards a time of new beginnings.

     May I suggest that we spend a few days, right now, to map out the journey?

     INTENTION  begins the moment when we decide to take the action of thinking about what we want to do, where we want to go, and what we might become in the future.  We will not be afraid of beginning the expedition and failure will never hold us back. Yes, we will have some falls!  For a time, they can bring us to a quick stop and we will feel the pain of those falls.  We will begin again, as many times as we need to do it.  We’ll keep on going because we have written out a plan and we will remember our intentions for this journey.

      I was recently mulling over the conversations I had with other people and the feelings I was dancing with in my solitary times of reflection.  Words of the past few days of the first week of the New Year linger on in my thoughts.  I paused awhile as I asked, “What are my own intentions? I began to realize that to find my “intentions” I needed to begin to do the mindful work, seek out the core beliefs I held.  I thought, “What is the ESSENCE of what I want to do?”

      I am not talking about goals and dreams here. Yes, we have them, and we’ll continue to work towards them a step at a time.  I do strongly recommend that you set some goals for the year, too. Set goals that are attainable.  Be sure to outline some short term goals that you can work towards on your way to the end goals.  Be realistic. When you reach each of the short term goals, then celebrate and give yourself a reward for reaching it.

 CELEBRATE EVERY STEP YOU TAKE.

 Be GOOD to yourself!

      I am speaking about something MORE than our GOALS right now.

     It is our inner motivations, our spirit, and the very core of who we are. That’s what I want to discuss with you today.

  How can we determine what our INTENTIONS will be?

 We begin by asking ONLY ONE question:

 “What will I gain?” 

     You can begin at this moment. Pause for a few minutes, pick up your paper and pen, and make a list of what you need to DO

 With each thing you write, ask: “Will this fit my lifestyle?”

 What is it that you want to pursue in the year ahead?

      The only thing we know for sure is that we have this moment, today. We have no assurance that we will see another day, as we consider our intentions for the unknown future we imagine we may have.

  Sit down today and begin to write YOUR INTENTIONS down. 

       I did this today, too! It was fun and I am satisfied with the list I have made for myself. Each thing on my list “fits” my lifestyle, my personal talents, and my interests. You can see what I wrote. Perhaps it will give you a place to begin our own exploration into “intent” for your own life I hope it helps you get to where you desire to be in the year we have entered into now

How did I begin this task?

First, I made a list of my own intentions for this year.

     I wrote them as they came to me. I began writing a few things down that were important to me. You will have your own list when you search your own mind for what is important to you.

      You might like to think about your “intentions” too, so why not write them down!

 Here’s my list:

1.)  My most important intention is to spend some time in silence and prayer each day. If only for short periods of time – maybe I’ll begin by sitting quietly in a secluded place where I can be alone for awhile. Silence is where we can be open to the leading of God in our life.  I can begin by just sitting alone for 15 minutes, twice a day.

2.) I intend to nurture my own creative spirit each day through art and writing time. When we get quiet and begin to do creative work, we find we pass into a place that is “timelessness.”  There is nothing else in our life that is as important as spending some time alone to experience what creativity can do for our spirit and in our life.

Through my art and writing, I have a unique, distinct pathway to communicate with the world I live in.

3.) I intend to stay focused on my nutrition and exercise program. Our body is a reflection of our mind and it reveals the things that are important to us. I follow a vegan lifestyle, exercise at the gym, and in all ways possible I focus on allowing my body to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.

I  keep up my daily fitness program by using www.loseit.com every day to log my foods, daily exercise. I’ll continue to encourage others to find the energy and zest of life that can be obtained through a healthy body, mind, and spirit – all working together.  I will not allow bad food choices to take away my energy or load my body down with things that bring dysfunctions and disease. I will give my body a rest one day a week to recover and refresh it.  I will follow the ancient wisdom path that teaches us to “do less to have more.”

4.) I intend to surround myself ONLY with like-minded people.  I will ask myself this question, “Will this person offer positive and uplifting support to me and respect me personally, and support my goals?”  We have to be aware that some people whom we have considered to be our friends will intentionally, consciously, sabotage us and try to destroy our plans.  If the person does not respect your plan for  life, then it is crucial that you disconnect your relationship with that person immediately.  I am very serious about this. You cannot continue to grow if there are people around you who are undermining your commitment to growth. You simply PULL THE PLUG, and do it NOW.

Negative and disrespectful people will bring destructive and depressing energy to us and we need to be very aware of that fact.  We have to be very selfish. We have to look out for ourselves so that we live up to our potential and our intentions. To do this, we can remember to check our inner feelings about a person.  Our intuition will ALWAYS give us an ALERT, deep inside.  We can learn to READ our inner feelings and listen to our intuition. This will prevent many difficult encounters with people who are destructive to our goals.  If you stop to think about this, you will recall the times when your “gut” clearly warned you about dangers ahead. On those occasions when you brushed this inner wisdom aside, I am certain that you experienced some very difficult situations because you did not listen to that inner voice that we all have been given.  Guidance comes to us through the “still small voice” of God. Pay attention to it and avoid so many situations that are unpleasant in the future. Remember the ancient Greek adage, “Know Thyself.”  It is an aphorism and principal that runs through all civilizations through the centuries and it’s still applicable for us today.

I remind myself of this every day when I look at the message I have posted just above my computer screen. It says, “TRUST INNER FEELINGS.” Learn to look INSIDE of yourself, and experience the wisdom that will come to you when you do this regularly.

5.) I intend to read texts that will teach positive ways to live a victorious life.  For this year, I will follow the 7 Laws of Spiritual Success as outlined by Deepak Chopra in his book:  I will work on one of the laws each day. There is so much wisdom we can get from authors who have left texts behind for us to read. My word for this year is “Essence.”  I will stop and consider the essence of everything I plan to do.

Where will this lead me?

Is it the way I wish to go?”

6.) I intend to give something away to each person I am in contact with each day. It could be a flower, a little gift, a prayer, a word of encouragement or a compliment.

7.) I intend to give professional assistance or services as opportunities become available. I will carefully consider invitations to be a panelist or presenter for organizations, or invitation for exhibiting my art in galleries and museum settings. Each opportunity will be considered by asking, “Does this fit the essence of what my life is about and where I want to be?”