Living with Intention.

Living with Intention.

Every intention is a decision.

How important is intention setting?

An intentional life is about making small, conscious decisions about separating what matters and what distracts you. It is the sum of these small decisions that shapes the bigger purpose of your life.

Simply put, if I were to set an intention to practise self-love more often this year, I would put in the effort to remind myself and navigate my focus towards self-love each day.

Intention setting helps draw your focus in the moment: who you are, what you do, why you do it. It calls for presence, checking in with your mental state of mind.

Goals vs intention

We're often asked : "What's the difference between setting a goal and an intention?".

The biggest difference that sets these two apart is that a goal is about achieving a specific outcome whereas an intention is about setting a specific mindset or feeling.

Over time, I realised that goals tend to lead to external accomplishments and materialistic satisfaction. Let's say, my goal is to earn $100,000 when I turn 30 years old. I want that specific goal because I want to feel secure and abundant financially.

But you know what? I can still achieve that feeling of security and abundance even without the paycheque. How? By setting an intention. The best part is when you're not overly focused on the specific goal, you open doors to many more possibilities and outcomes. You might have a better work-life balance, conscious mindset and you aren't tied to a dollar amount to make you feel fulfilled.

Without that materialistic attachment to our goals, intention setting can open us up to surprises, delights and magic in our lives.

Before setting an intention

Every intention begins with the right foundation.

Acknowledge that every morning is a new day full of opportunities to seize. You are entitled to start your day with your own decisions and attitude. Carving your own path, you don't have to be pulled down by negativity, past regret and the same pattern of living you had for years. Let your values guide your actions.

The stream of culture surrounding us is fast paced, brutal and waits for no one. Intentional living reminds us to pause, reflect and evaluate the flow of the stream. Where is it heading? How does it affect us? Are we going in the right direction?

Get to know yourself. Look internally and find out your innermost passion, desires, talents, abilities and weaknesses. Prioritise yourself by giving precious time and energy for this ritual. It is one of the most valuable acts to gift yourself.

How to set your intentions

1. List your intentions.

Once you have decided on your intentions, practice vocalising and writing it down into existence. This could be a cathartic release and hold you accountable to achieve your intentions.

2. Keep your intentions clear and simple.

Make sure your intentions are as clear as possible, knowing what you want to achieve and the results you desire. Being clear with your intentions helps to draw focus and energy into achieving it.

As you familiarise yourself with intention setting, it gradually becomes easier and part of your daily routine. From there, you'll be able to start setting intentions for your future, weeks, months, and years ahead.

3. Reframe your mindset.

Your biggest enemy is your mindset. Believe that you can achieve your intention as you are setting them. Reframe your mindset to match your desire and know that there is great power within you.

Helpful tools to support you.

Wonder how you can start identifying and setting intentions? Here's a small list of practices we hope will inspire and provide support in this journey of yours.

Give yourself some time to familiarise yourself with intention setting and the helpful practices above. Then, check in on your progress and see if its working out. Did it help? Do you want to revisit your intentions moving forward or progress with the same one?