What is intention?

I can remember all the way back to my first day in a classroom learning NLP!  We were asked to set an intention for the overall NLP Practitioner Certification and then for Day 1.  Back then, the idea of deliberately setting my intention for something was all new to me, just as it may be for you now.

So what is intention?  Well, according to the dictionary it is:
* a determination to act in a certain way
* what one intends to do or bring about
* an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

According to our legal system... your intention is what will make all the difference if you have committed a serious crime.  Did you mean to do what you did?  Was there "intent"?

Those in the spiritual or personal development realms will tell you that everything in the universe starts with intention, with a simple thought!  "An intention is a directed impulse of consciousness that contains the seed form of that which you aim to create. Like real seeds, intentions can’t grow if you hold on to them. Only when you release your intentions into the fertile depths of your consciousness can they grow and flourish" (Deepak Chopra)

So, our intention is obviously a very powerful and meaningful thing!  What happens when we deliberately set out intention for a positive purpose?  Well, it sets your focus and your priority and keeps you aligned to what you desire!  When you set a clear and personally compelling intention you will tend to act in ways, respond to situations, create supportive opportunities, and make choices in harmony with your intention.  Essentially, you will have a tendency to have the experience that you consciously determine is important to you.

One might set an intention for what they want to get out of a workshop - for me, all the way back then in my first NLP Training, my intention was, "to begin to be the best that I can be" and "to help others in achieving their goals & both physical and mental well-being"!  (That's straight out of my manual).  I still set my intention for how I want to be or what I want to do in a day.  Yesterday, my intention was, "to be present with my kids".  Today, my intentions are more like tasks, "write a blog post & do 10,000 steps". 

So you can set your intention for what you want to DO in the day or how you want to BE in the day or what you want to HAVE!  Whatever resonates with you... take the time tomorrow morning (and for the next few days) to set your intention for the day.  Reflect back at the end of the day - what do you notice?

I'd love to hear all about the changes you notice!

You can email me at: [email protected] (or just comment below this post)