The Power of Setting Intentions
As we start to wind down this year, it offers a unique opportunity to pause and reflect.
Each year, we sit down and reflect upon what the year has brought. Every meeting, conversation, significant event, exchange, and we evaluate how it went. Did it bring us closer to our outcome or did it move us further away?
With this in mind, we then set intentions for our health, our finances, our family, our personal growth, our faith and our business.
What we have learnt is that when you have a plan, you are able to chart a course that allows you to move forward more effectively. The plan will also be truly aligned to your values, not to anyone else's opinion or what they think you should be doing.
Setting Powerful Intentions is a great skill of Mindfulness, and we all can use a bit more mindfulness this time of year.
After the hustle and bustle have whisked away, choosing to ponder and sit in reflection is also a great way to be present, calm your mind and your stress.
Here are a few tips to consider and be mindful about when setting your intentions for a brighter tomorrow.
- Your environment is stronger than your willpower. It’s hard to sit and ponder when there is noise and distraction around you. This part can be hard as a parent. Find a time of the day and a place in your home where you can have some quiet space to sit in silence and reflect. Or if it’s easier, leave the house to find a quiet coffee shop or park.
- Set the mood. Once you’ve found a space, make it comfortable and conducive to thinking. Grab a cozy blanket or your slippers, pour yourself a nice glass of wine or cup of tea, and light your favourite candle so you can watch the flame flicker as you get lost in thought.
- We forget easily. It’s not an age thing, it's a human being thing. This is why journaling is so powerful. Find a journal and a pen, and start to write down your reflections of the year. Chances are you are not going to complete this is one sitting. You’ll want to have your notes in one place to come back to as you work through your reflection and set intentions.
- Less is best. We find it helpful to have several categories to help organize your thoughts - and also because you’re a very complex person (that’s a compliment, lol). You may have 6 categories (health, family, relationships, spirituality, finances, career) or more, but limit the number of intentions you set within each to 1 or 2. It helps you prioritize what's really important to you as you have to focus in, but it's also easier to focus on less throughout the year. So, give yourself permission to focus on less and focus on what you truly want. Ignore cultural messages that say you need to do more, be more and have more. It’s a lie.
- Dream big. As Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them”. We think it also starts with giving yourself permission to dream big. What would you dream of if you weren’t worried about what other people would think? What would you dream of if you knew it wouldn’t fail? Just imagine. Allow the little kid in you to imagine again and watch what unfolds.
Remember, you hold the light within you.
Time to shine brighter and join us in being Pillars of Light.
To a brighter future for all,
Janey and Shannon
