A few weeks ago, a close friend asked what I had coming up.
The truth was that what I had before me wasn’t something I wanted to do but something that I needed to do and that when I looked at the situation objectively, I could see how it wasn’t really as bad as it was in my head. My head was telling me stories about the situation that didn’t necessarily need to be true.
So I told her all that and then I ended with this, “So my hope is that by understanding all of this, that I can just practice grace.”
In that moment, I set my intention for that time. And, wonders of wonders, a period of time that I had not been looking forward to actually ended up being exactly what I needed, better than I could have hoped, good medicine. Not coincidentally, I had found grace.
At the beginning of each year, I choose a word for the year. I ask myself what feeling I most want that year to have and choosing a word that embodies that becomes a valuable tool for me. But sometimes I need a feeling on a micro-level. I need it when I am driving to something that I am dreading or doing something that is hard or pushing myself past an obstacle or just desiring the ability to savor instead of rush. Sometimes what I most need is a word for the moment and not the year.
At most of my workshops, attendees are asked to set an intention at the outset of the experience. Sometimes, we write our intentions on stickers and wear them over the course of the workshop. Sometimes we use paint pens to write them on rocks. Sometimes we just journal about the word we choose and why. Occasionally we share them, other times we don’t. Either way, at the end of the session, we always return to intention. How did your intention show up for you today?
And, you know- much like my experience with grace, it always shows up. It is amazing what happens when you call for something. It gets found. Maybe not in the way that you thought it would show its face, but in some way.
Because I sometimes need a focus on the micro level, I don’t limit my intentions to the feeling I want for the year. Sometimes, I set an intention before I approach Happy (or BF for that matter) about something he’s doing that is challenging to me. Sometimes I need an intention with my work or my friendships or my personal challenges or whatever. Sometimes, no matter the situation, we just need a simple touchstone that will ground and guide us.
So, this week, I want you to practice beginning with an intention. Whether you have to walk into a meeting that has you on edge, visiting a difficult personality for you, trying something new, getting some news or whatever, give yourself support and guidance by setting an intention. Whether it is peace, patience, light, grace, flow, hope, joy, ease, growth or something entirely different that you want, claim it so that it can hear your voice and make its way to you.
