Realizing Your Destiny: Set Your Intention

Want to have an amazing fulfilling day? Set your Intention!

When you’re driving to a new location you usually plan to get there via the safest, easiest route.  You put the destination in your GPS or look on a map and follow the instructions one step at a time.  

Imagine if you just got in your car, started driving and hoped your car would take you where you needed to go.  You would never reach your intended destination. 

 

We are no different. Your daily experiences are accomplished through presence and intention. It is just like setting your location in your internal GPS and then allowing each direction to unfold as it comes.  

Otherwise the energy of each days events will dictate your experience. And your life!

Begin your day with a morning intention.  I engage in a ritual each day to attune my energy, align with my intention and then allow my intuition to guide me through that flow.  

Do you want to feel rushed, anxious and off kilter today?  Or would you prefer to experience peace, joy and the rhythm of your soul throughout the day?  By setting your intention first thing in the morning, you set the tone for the quality of your day. 

You would not think of going to work or engaging in your daily routine without first brushing your teeth. A morning intention setting ritual can be as fundamental to your thriving as basic hygiene. 

My routine begins with stretching exercises, clearing and centering my mind, emotions and body and then feeling into the stillness of my spirit.  After sitting in the silence of my cleared being, I set my intention for the day. 

Now, I am a real life person, with a child to attend to first thing in the morning.  Though I always work my meditation ritual into my day, it sometimes doesn’t flow perfectly.  On those days, I may be brushing my teeth or standing in the shower tuning into the divine and stating my intention for the day.  Sometimes it is as simple as “Thank you God for making me an instrument of your love, light and truth today.”  I will then envision my day unfolding within my mind and see my self operating throughout the day as a clear channel, flowing with the rhythm of the divine in all circumstances.  As I see that movie unfold inside, gratitude radiates throughout my heart and being. 

Setting my intention is not an attempt to control the day’s outcomes.  Rather, I am aligning with my soul-self – the eternal, divine essence that exists within a state of peace, joy and infinite resources.  By deliberately tuning into and aligning with my soul self, I am able to then flow with life’s ups and downs more peacefully.  Life becomes a heart-centered, soulful flow of divine opportunities to experience richly rather than a series of problems to reactively solve. 

Morning Intention Setting Ritual Suggestions:

Stretch

Stretching your body first thing in the morning increases the range of motion in your muscles and joints.  It enhances your muscular coordination, increases blood flow and improves your energy level. Stretching is a metaphor for moving beyond your habit postures, thoughts and emotions into new horizons of experience.  So begin your day by stretching into the more flexible, open and expectant you!

Move

We all know the health benefits of exercise by now. Your body, mind, emotions and spirit thrive on healthy movement.  The best form of exercise is done outside, near trees or large body of water.  But even ten minutes of healthy indoor movement will clear your mental and emotional bodies, uplift your physical body and connect you to your spirit!  

Breathe Deeply

Deep breathing oxygenates your blood and stops the reactive mind from controlling your experiences.  Breathe deeply into your lower abdomen, filling your lungs with air and slowly exhale.  There are many helpful breathing exercises to support full presence in the body, clear thinking and emotional stability.  Deep breathing connects you to your soul self.  

Meditate

I was a stay-at-home mother when I noticed that just 3 minutes of intentional silence while my daughter napped, changed the flow of my entire day! Meditation intimidated me at first but soon I craved the deep silence and calm it provided.  I did not follow a specific meditative instruction.  I sat quietly in my living room, breathing deeply into my belly, closing my eyes and feeling into my being.  I did not try to control my thoughts or make them disappear; nor did I follow them.  I simply noticed their presence while bringing my attention back to my breath and feeling into the deeper spaces that rose in between the thoughts.  With practice I am now able to sit in meditation for long periods of time.  Cultivating this practice of silence allowed me to discover my innate intuitive abilities and open to a whole new career direction that lay hidden beneath the constant chatter of my mind. 

Meditation research reveals that it boosts your immune system and improves overall health; enhances creativity and clarity of thought; reduces reactivity and supports healthy relationships.  And it nurtures your intuition and direct experience with the divine.

Set Your Intention
What do you want to create in your life this year?  What you are focusing on this morning and where you direct your energy here and now will determine that outcome.  You have to tell your internal GPS where you are headed by holding that intention steady and then allowing the intuitive directions to flow into your conscious awareness throughout the day. Set your intention and bring your creations to life!

Appreciate

As you set your intention and envision yourself moving throughout your day in effortless alignment with this purpose, notice how your heart feels.  Notice how you feel within your body.  Allow that sensation to expand by observing and appreciating your ability to create that positive flow right here and now.  This deep state of gratitude will grow and flow throughout your day by allowing it into your consciousness as part of your morning routine.  Appreciation is one of the highest frequencies on earth. Imagine what you can create by feeling a deep connection to gratefulness throughout your day. 

Re-Connect

What happens when you turn off course from your GPS’ directions? The GPS voice continually attempts to pull you back on course until you finally realign.  When you set your intention in the morning and feel it deeply within your being, you will more quickly notice when you move off course.  Your internal voice will work to bring you back into alignment with your intent. 

Have an action plan.  If you discover that your intention has been derailed, do not give up.  Stop, take 3 intentional deep breaths. Remember to breathe into your belly and elongate your exhale. Feel into your soul self.  Refocus on your intention and recommit in that moment.  You are not limited to your reactions; as you breathe deeply into your being and feel the presence of your immutable spirit coming back into view, you can choose your course.  Re-focus, realign and realize your innate power to experience and create your soulful intentions once again.

Bring your Intention Setting Ritual to Life

How many times do you read an article or take a class and tell yourself “I should do that”.   Don’t stop there.  Put this to practice right now.  After you complete reading this, stretch, drink some water, move your body, then sit in the silence of your soul-self.  Set your intention and let your day unfold in your mind.  Appreciate your innate creative power!  And then put this daily ritual onto your calendar.  You may want to tweak the steps I have suggested to fit into your busy life; but your life is yours to create.  So before you go onto the next activity bring this ritual and your intention to life!

Your destiny is a work of art that you create.  By setting your intention each day you allow your destiny to unfold deliberately with increasing effortlessness, one day at a time.