Welcome to the first of a six-part blog series where we’ll explore what it means to IGNITE your life and truly own the power to be you!
The first letter of I.G.N.I.T.E. stands for intention.
We hear the phrase “the power of intention” tossed around a lot, but do you know what it means to set an intention? Do you know the role intention plays in your life?
Webster defines intention as “the thing that you plan to do or achieve: an aim or purpose.”
But what does it mean to really “set an intention? ”
I’ll be honest, when I was in corporate America, setting intentions was the last thing on my mind. I was so busy putting out fires and trying to keep my head above water that there was no time to get present and set anything.
It wasn’t until I started my own company and learned about the power of actually setting an intention that I started to understand the impact it could have on my life, and now I get to help my clients experience that too.
Author and thought leader Deepak Chopra believes, “Attention energizes. Intention transforms.”
And author and speaker Gary Zukov said, “Every action, thought, and feeling is motivated by an intention, and that intention is a cause that exists as one with an effect. Your intention is creating your reality.”
Let me repeat that. Your intention is to create your reality. That is one powerful phrase.
When you set an intention, it means that you are fully aware and present in your daily life.
- It means focusing your energy and attention to creatively attract positive outcomes to your life.
- It means taking back the power that you have given away.
- And it means consciously choosing what you want for yourself and taking action steps to make it happen.
I truly believe you can create your reality by setting an intention. Your mind and thoughts are so powerful that you can consciously shape the direction of your life to be anything you desire.
Susan, one of my private clients, saw incredible results once she reclaimed her power and began setting in motion what she wanted for her life. She set an intention to look for what was working in her life instead of constantly focusing on what wasn’t.
She started to enjoy her job again; her team told her she was much more approachable, and for the first time in a very long time, she felt whole. She had forgotten who she was, and she was able to find herself again.
You literally have the power to create the life you want; you simply have to learn how to harness the power.
Sounds easy, right?
Well, it is. But, most of us never slow down long enough to figure out what we really want, much less how to get it.
We live in such a fast-paced, instant-gratification world that we don’t make time to determine what makes us happy. What really lights us up
Most women don’t know they have the power to influence the outcomes of their own lives, so they unconsciously “turn over” their power to outside forces and people.
What would happen if you got clear about what you wanted, made a decision to put laser focus on that goal, and then actually took action to make it real?
What if you set an intention and put your time, energy, focus, and action toward realizing it?
In my experience, when I set an intention, magic happens to help me fulfill my deepest desires. I don’t say this lightly. Magic is the only way I know to describe it.
The mere act of declaring my deepest desires puts into motion a powerful force that aligns allies, provides needed resources, and fixes circumstances in my favor.
I don’t know how it works, but it’s happened far too often to deny it.
You have the same power inside of you. But you must feel empowered for it to take shape.
Through my coaching and speaking, I meet many professional women who allow others to determine the circumstances of their lives.
They feel they are victims of the whims of others.
However, when these women set an intention, their lives begin to transform.
The key to all of this is awareness. You need to slow down enough to make a conscious choice about what you want to create and believe you have the power to do it.
Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to setting intentions is that there are many versions.
You can set an intention for how you want to live your life, what you’d like to achieve in the next three years, and who you want to become as a human being. You can also set an intention for a conversation you need to have or for how you want to show up in a meeting.
They can be grand and long-range, and they can be small and simple and still be just as powerful.
Here are some tips for using the power of intention on a daily basis:
- Set two intentions every morning. One is for who you want to be for the day, and the other is for what you want to do for the day. Remember, you are a human “being, not a human “doing.The “be part is so important.
Your “be”ing intention helps you get clear on how you want to show up every day. Some examples that I’ve used are: courageous, productive, compassionate, powerful, and resilient.
You’ll be amazed at the difference in yourself when this starts to become a habit.
The other intention you’ll set for the day is your “doing intention. This is what you want to get done for the day, with a twist. Most professional women I know and the majority of my clients have a “to-do” list a mile long, which never seems to get any smaller.
Just looking at it can send you into overwhelm.
The twist is choosing three things from this list and setting an intention around them. Yes, just three! The reason for this is twofold. As my coach says, feeling a sense of completion and accomplishment is key to maintaining your confidence. and it makes you feel good! Two, you will find yourself getting more done because you are consciously intending to, instead of being at the whim of your list.
Start with those two intentions every morning and get ready to see the beautiful changes that come from them!
