Our 7-Step Mantra for Clear Intentions
We all have intentions. They may be conscious or subconscious, but they are there nonetheless. And we also know that what we think about shows up in our life. The problem is when we can’t get clear on our intentions and take the steps necessary to make them come true.
Was it a coincidence or was it caused by an intention? Because both happen every day – even though half of the time we sometimes can’t see the difference. Intention-setting is actions created through focused thoughts and desires. This type of co-creation with the universe has the power to manifest strong intent into reality with just one thought. But it is easier said than done, this ‘just one thought’ needs to be clear, have no emotional blockages, understand the consequences, and much more.
This blog post will help walk through the 7 steps needed to get clear on your intentions so they work for you.
1. Define Intention – What do you want to create in your life and why is it important for you to achieve this goal.
2. Feel Emotions that Arise – How does achieving your goal make you feel?
3. Play the Script Through – What are the obstacles that might prevent you from reaching your goals, and how can they be overcome?
4. See from Different Perspectives – Who would benefit if you were able to reach these goals (family, friends, society)?
5. Be Specific – Identify a plan of action by setting realistic targets and timelines for yourself.
6. Visualize Already Having It – What success will look like when it happens – what will change about your life or actions because of this achievement?
7. Go on Living Life – You will begin to observe this as you pay attention to the day-to-day progression of your intentions.
Getting clear on our intentions can look like a lot of work, but it is worth the time and effort. This intention-setting process will help you get clear on your intentions so they work for you!
Step One: Define Intention
What do you want to create in your life and why is it important for you to achieve this goal?
We go about our daily lives with intention every day – even if it’s just figuring out what we are grabbing as a snack or how we’ll have a glass of wine after work. These can become deep-rooted unconscious habits over time. Yet many of us never ask ourselves why they’re doing those things every day. This leaves us feeling detached from our own lives, not knowing where we want to be next, and feeling somewhat like a robot. If you’ve ever had moments of confusion wondering where your life is going, then intention setting can help clarify where you want to go vs just living automatically on autopilot. After setting my own intentions during the recent full moon, it got me thinking on how I might want to re-evaluate some of my daily activities.
Activity to Get Clear on Intention
This activity has done wonders for me. Go about your day and write down each activity that you do in two categories; Productivity and Happiness. Then, on a scale of 1-10 (1 being worst, 10 being best), write down the number of how this activity makes you feel. At the end of the day, review the list of activities and see what made you happy, what was productive, etc. Doing this for a few days can help you see what you would rather be doing with your time than continuing certain autonomous actions because you’ve been doing them so long on auto-pilot. Bringing our awareness to things like this may seem small but it can help us make huge changes once we are aware of this auto-pilot cycle and how we feel really feel about it. See my take on this activity below.
Once you have awareness of the intention, you must feel any emotions that arise. You should know why achieving your intention is important for yourself and how other people will be impacted by this intention.
Step Two: Feel Emotions that Arise
How does achieving your goal make you feel?
You might not always get a clear understanding of what emotion arises when you think about what intention you have in mind. Some emotions are basic and can be identifying immediately by yourself and others around you.
A widely accepted theory of basic emotions and their expressions, developed by Paul Ekman, suggests we have six basic emotions. They include sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. Some emotions can be more complex with more difficulty in understanding and interpreting them. According to the APA, complex emotions include, among others, awe, embarrassment, envy, gratitude, guilt, jealousy, pride, remorse, shame, and worry.
You may not know if it’s a fear or excitement that shows up, and that’s okay. Just be sure to bring your focus to taking the time to notice the feelings that come with your intention and the intensity of them.
Step Three: Play the Script Through
What are the obstacles that might prevent you from reaching your intended goals? How can they be overcome?
If you fully intend to achieve something but there are obstacles in your way then it is possible that the intention won’t manifest. Some common personal or environmental obstacles include fear of failure, scarcity mindset, lack of resources or skills. For these obstacles that come up such as fear, let’s play the tape through to see what the end of the situation may look like.
Activity to Play It Through
You might need help from others if these show up as a barrier for you. Reach out to a therapist, friend, or email us here. We are happy to talk the situation through with you so you can start to get clear on your intentions.
Step Four: See from Different Perspectives
Who would benefit if you were able to reach these goals (family, friends, society)?
Sometimes it’s helpful to think about how achieving your intention will not just affect yourself but those around you as well. Sometimes the happiness of others can be the difference between feeling motivated or giving up.
Step Five: Be Specific
Identify a plan of action by setting realistic targets and timelines for yourself.
Identify what is best suited to your immediate life. Where are you today and where can you get tomorrow? Creating small goals and celebrating the small wins in your progress add up to huge growth if you keep at it. Setting realistic goals with achievable timelines is key to this growth. That is why it is helpful to break these intentions down into smaller steps so that you have something achievable in place.
Step Six: Visualize Already Having It
What success will look like when it happens – what will change about your life or actions because of this achievement?
Visualization is an important part of intention setting. You can use the power of visualization to help you set and achieve goals. We’ve already visualized and felt through the types of emotions that could arise as our intentions manifest but what will life be like when they actually come to fruition?
Think about how achieving your intention would feel if you already had it. How will the intention manifest in your day-to-day actions or routine? What would change about your life?
Step Seven: Go On Living Your Life
Intentions are something you continue to work on and see-through as they become your reality. They are not just a one-time event.
Once your intention has been set then it’s time to go about living. However, the intention isn’t something that can be done in two minutes and forgotten about. It needs continual upkeep as life happens. It is in the blockages and clearing those blockages that help us achieve intentional living. To change anything in your life, you have to change the beliefs and assumptions you hold about it.
Think about how the intention will manifest into reality every day for you. What do you need to do in order for your intention to be fulfilled – is it staying committed? Is it doing something different when faced with a similar obstacle?
This intention-setting process will help you get clear on your intentions so they work for you. You will begin to observe this as you pay attention to the day-to-day progression of your intentions.
Conclusion
With intention setting, we have to be specific and know what our intention is before going through the process. This article has provided steps on how to get clear on your intentions so they work for you! Our team is waiting and ready to help with any questions that might arise when it comes to intention-setting processes.
We hope these insights will inspire you and provide a solid foundation for starting your own successful intention journey today. You have the power to transform your life and habits significantly. Satori Way is here to help set the stage with what is right for you, join us as a free member, and check out our 5-day course here!
Sources
Waltman, S., Murphy, E. (2016). Play the script till the end. Retrieved from http://psychologytools.com/play-the-script-till-the-end/