As I stared up at Saturn V, the rocket NASA built to launch astronauts to the moon, I marveled at its massive size.
The rocket hangs suspended overhead in Huntsville, Alabama, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. At 360 feet tall, its body spans the entire length of the building.
It truly is an incredible sight.
But for me, what’s more impressive than the rocket’s size is how it quite literally changed mankind’s belief in what’s possible.
In a speech on May 21, 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared that America would, “Put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.”
Surely no one with their feet firmly planted on Earth honestly believed such a feat could be possible.
Yet, in 1967, the Saturn V proved the doubters wrong. The rocket launched a crew of astronauts into the heavens to the moon.
I was visiting the Space & Rocket Center to attend a Women’s Conference with a friend.
Out of the blue, one of the scheduled speakers was unable to attend the conference. My friend knew the conference organizer, Paula, who asked me if I’d like to take the presenter’s place at the conference. She knew I often speak to women’s groups and organizations.
I said yes, of course! What an amazing, unexpected opportunity!
It turned out that the missing speaker was also scheduled to be part of an expert panel the following day. Again, Paula asked if I would mind filling in for her.
When I decided to attend the conference, I had no idea I’d be asked to talk to a roomful of interested women about topics near and dear to my heart.
Talk about a stroke of luck. Or was it?
Here’s where my story gets even more interesting: The main reason I decided to attend THIS conference in Huntsville was to meet Paula, the woman who was running the Women’s Conference.
You see, I had wanted to meet her for a long time. In fact, I added her name to my list of people to reach out to for potential collaboration and speaking opportunities in the future. I had no idea at the time how I would find a way to meet her, I simply set an intention that I wanted to.
Because I was ready to step up when the opportunity presented itself, the chance for me to meet her happened effortlessly. All I had to do was show up at the conference.
Paula and I hit it off and have begun a beautiful friendship. In fact, she asked me to speak in India in March 2015, as part of a conference she’d put together there.
I would have never dreamed my intention would start a chain reaction that ultimately ended in me meeting Paula and becoming a speaker on women’s issues on an international stage.
What did I learn from my weekend of serendipity at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center?
To always trust in the magic and let go of the HOW.
Here’s how to use the power of intention in your own life:
First, set an intention.
Decide what you want and declare it. Do you want a new promotion to the next level in your company? Claim it! The energy of your intention will put circumstances in motion without you realizing it.
For example, I decided long before the conference that I wanted to get to know Paula. I wasn’t sure how I’d do it, I simply intended for it to happen.
Next, take action.
Begin planning and taking small, deliberate steps every day that move you closer to your intention. Consistent action in the direction of your goal will move you closer to it.
For me, action toward my intention included attending the conference, saying yes to the invitation to speak, and yes to the panel. The rest fell into place from there.
Finally, let go and be open.
I admit, this step is the most difficult. As you take action, you have to release control of the outcome. You have to accept that there’s more than one path to get to your goal. The key is to release the reins and allow contacts, connections, meetings, and collaborations to show up in your life.
I’ve learned that to make what seems impossible a reality, I must be aligned with my vision, and take action toward that vision every day. When I do that, opportunities show up that I couldn’t possibly have imagined.
Here’s something else I’ve learned: When you declare your intention to the world, you give it the boost it needs to become real. Your words and the energy behind them launch your intention, like a rocket.
So, ask yourself, what do you want? What’s something that seems impossible that you would like to turn into it’s possible?
Give your intention lift-off by sharing it below in the comments. Make today the day you begin the journey toward manifesting it into your life!
