Craft Your Dream Life with Intention Setting

Craft Your Dream Life with Intention Setting

Do you remember the book “The Secret?” Well, the secret is out. The idea that our thoughts create our realities is becoming more widely accepted and appreciated. The New Year offers a clean slate, a fresh start, a time to put our best foot forward. Maybe there is something you've been dreaming of having, becoming, or creating. Do you have a goal that has been packed away in the closet for a bit too long? Are you ready to clear the dust and cobwebs off some of the magnificent things you wish to manifest in your life? Now is the time, and you have the tools.

The Law of Attraction illustrates that we are magnets, and we draw to us that which we most dominantly think about. Our thoughts constantly strengthen our magnet. To get what you prefer, the Law of Attraction states you must place your attention on the preferable—exactly what you want. If you want to be prosperous, you must focus on prosperity. Someone who constantly thinks about scarcity will not attract abundance. Whereas someone who thinks about abundance will charge the magnet that welcomes prosperity into their reality.

Author and spiritual teacher, Wayne Dyer, says, “You will see it when you believe it.” We can launch change and growth in our lives by being deliberate with the thoughts and language that support our beliefs. Reinforcing our beliefs on a daily basis provides cosmic nutrition so that the universe can support us while we take the necessary actions to move in the direction of fulfilling whatever it is we want.

Listen to Your Internal Monologue

I love the quote, “Be careful what you say to yourself—You are listening.” I know I've caught myself reciting relatively unkind narratives. If we subscribe to the concept that thoughts and words carry extraordinary power, we need to be mindful about the way we speak to ourselves. We should resolve to speak to ourselves with the same love and compassion we would extend to the people we love most in our lives. Our self-talk becomes our story, and our story projects onto the movie screen of our daily lives. In time, life will appease what you consistently, consciously or subconsciously, reiterate and request. It is advisable to speak kindly towards yourself so that the hologram of life can reflect kindly onto you. We must script specific thoughts on purpose, and hold ourselves accountable to those thoughts. Intention setting is a magnificent way to do just that.

 

man on mountainside

Reiterate What You Want

Do not get me wrong, this is not all about positive thinking, hocus-pocus, or rainbow narrative. Our thoughts have to be actionable. Sitting around and thinking about money will not make you rich any faster than sitting around thinking about how water will quench your thirst. But how can we know where to place our efforts and actions if we do not first become definite as to what it is we want? And as importantly, absolute about what we believe we deserve? These ideas require moments of contemplation and compassion. If you have self-imposed limits as to what it is you think you can or cannot have in your life, use intentions to help erode those faulty limitations. The universe is limitless and you are worthy of that which you desire.

Make “I AM” Statements

“The ancestor to every action is a thought.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Setting a sankalpa, the Sanskrit word for intention, with a daily “I AM” affirmation provides a stable and achievable template for crafting our lives on purpose. These statements are not expectations or goals. We use this vibrationally-charged descriptive language to help solidify what it is that we are attracting into our lives. The “I AM” affirmation serves as a potent power source for you to charge up whatever it is you wish to manifest in your life. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The ancestor to every action is a thought.” I AM statements help us to internalize our deepest desires.

Repeat Your “I AM” Statement Every Morning

Start your day off with an inspiring and achievable intention. Allow your statement to be authentic and sincere. There is no intention too grand or too tiny. If the statement rings true for you, it is true. By setting an intention in the morning you are setting the tone for the day. All other thoughts, feelings, and actions will filter through your intention. You may adopt a new intention each day, or you may reiterate the same intention for days, weeks, or months on end. Once you see that which you desire manifest in your life, you can give thanks and set a new intention. There are no rules or strict guidelines when it comes to intentions. You can get creative and have fun with it. I would certainly recommend greeting each new day with an intention. I like to repeat it three times in a row to give emphasis and effect. But you don't need to stop there. You can state your intention intermittently throughout the day, before meals, in times of distress, and/or again before going to bed each night. The universe receives the intention the instant it is initially stated, but repeating the affirmation serves as a sweet reminder for you.

Vocalize and Declare What You Want

Vocalizing what you want to manifest strengthens your receptivity to it. Declaring “I am healthy, I am healthy, I am healthy” on a daily basis provides space for health and well-being to become increasingly tangible. Starting each day with “I am successful, I am successful, I am successful” sets the tone for success to thrive in one's life. I encourage you to play around with intentions and integrate I AM affirmations into your daily routine for 2017.

Sample Intentions

“I am open to learning, loving, and healing.”

“I am abundant.”

“I am kind.”

“I am forgiving.”

“I am filled with self-love.”

“I am making a positive impact on the world.”

“I am helpful.”

“I am attracting into my life people who align with the highest ideals of myself.”

“I am open to the flow of life.”

About the Author

Kristen Lillian Riordan

Kristen first fell in love with Ayurveda while earning her 200-hour yoga teaching certification in India. Kristen studied at Kripalu School of Ayurveda, the...

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