The Power of Intention: A Journey

Understanding the power of intention can be transformational as you follow your unique path for personal development. Intention is the energy that powers all actions. I like to think of it as the thought behind the thought, or the thought that underpins the words, or the thought that propels actions. It's the starting place in your mind. You may be aware of your intention or not. The more you are aware of your intention, the more you will empower your personal development and growth.

Personal Development Programme:

The Beginning of My Journey of Focusing on Intention

My awareness of the power of intention came early in my career. I mark my beginning awareness by the following event:

I was leading the last three days of a five-day training program for US Federal government mid-level managers who were newly assigned to overseas posts. In the group of 30, there were a few seasoned managers, but most had been managers for three years or less. Few, if any, would have considered themselves on a journey of personal development.

I had designed the training, which included the development of some case studies for them to explore in small groups and then present their personal insights and learnings to the total group. As they identified and discussed performance issues, I noticed attitudes that seemed different from the empowering approaches to professional and personal development that I was advocating. As they presented situations or solutions, I instinctively asked "What is/was your intention?"

The first time I asked that question to a man who was talking about a specific situation he was remembering from his past that was similar to the case study. With curiosity in my voice and demeanour, I asked "What was your intention?" He answered, rather vehemently, "to get rid of this person as soon as possible." I listened and -- and this is very important -- I expressed no reprimand, judgment, or correction. I let his answer stand for itself, heard and accepted.

We moved on. Whenever inspired, I asked "What is your intention" or "What was your intention?" and sometimes even "What do you think was their intention?" Each question was helping me to understand the power of intention.

An amazing dynamic occurred! The answers kept reflecting greater and greater empowering ideas by the speaker. It was as if once voiced, the less empowering intentions lost their power and participants were able to articulate more empowering intentions. As the trainer, I offered no resistance or correction, only acceptance of their expressions, so they did not have to resist my resistance or defend themselves.

If I had been writing a screenplay to show the power of intention just by asking questions, I could not have orchestrated it better. The whole group changed. In three days, this somewhat disgruntled group of individuals became a mostly upbeat, empowered group, eager for their new assignments.

Instead of trying to get these training participants to learn something on my agenda or to accept my point of view, I joined with them to learn what they most needed to learn. Of course, there were many other principles and techniques that I was hired to impart to them, but understanding intention was the most important learning for them, in my opinion, and it was unplanned.

As much as they learned, I learned more. I learned about the power of intention and how to introduce it to others. Over time, I've come to describe my role as "holding a space" for others to expand or grow and to find the power of intention, goals, dreams, and fulfilment.

This single incident has been the foundation for exploring my own intention and helping clients to identify their own intention. Intention is an integral part of my work.

My Journey of Intention Continues

I regularly ask my clients to identify their intention for an upcoming meeting or project or situation. When I first ask a client to identify an intention, I often hear the expression of a goal or plan or desired outcome rather than an intention.

As with my earlier experience, I allow the intention to emerge for my clients in its proper time. Purpose, plans, goals, desired outcomes, objectives, etc. are all important, but they follow intention rather than being synonymous with intention. I let clients start where it's comfortable and familiar. Sometimes it's important to focus on helping them to set goals that inspire them and then move naturally to intention. Other times, I help them to create a link or bridge to intention.

To help to make the process of further enhancing the power of intention, I encourage my clients to write their statements of intention. This keeps them more focused, clear, and accountable to themselves.

Overarching Intention

To help to heighten the difference between an intention and a goal or outcome, I often introduce the idea of "overarching intention." The idea of something that's "overarching" seems to emphasize its power and impact a little more.

I think of an overarching intention as an umbrella that expands over all other intentions and thoughts and goals and desires. In its broadest concept, an overarching intention is a way of being or a way of wanting to be. It expands the power of intention and helps you to be more conscious of your specific intention.

With the awareness of how/who you want to be, actions more easily align with your stated intention. This also means that you will more easily notice when you are not in alignment with an empowering intention that you've set for yourself.

An intention or an overarching intention becomes the checkpoint you can return to again and again to determine if your actions and results are aligned with what you intend, who you want to be, or what you want to do.

Here are a Few Examples of Overarching Intention

For the subject of Love:

• "To live in the consciousness of Unconditional Love"
• "My intention is to love myself."

For tomorrow's meeting:

• "To be in a state of open and honest communication."
• "To listen to all points of view."

For studying a new technology:

• "I want to be relaxed and interested."
• "A willing learner."

As you can see, these intentions are short and easy to remember. The brevity enhances the power of each intention. Each writer has approached each statement or phrase in a slightly different way. The words flow naturally. The ideas guide the person who has set the positive intention.

A Compelling Intention for the Journey

I find that movement along a path is greatly enhanced by creating a compelling intention. That is, a powerful intention that is compelling for you. What is compelling for you might be uninspiring for someone else, and vice versa.

A compelling intention can draw and inspire you, making the trip more pleasurable, even with bumps and unexpected occurrences. Only you know if your intention is compelling. If it draws and inspires you, it's compelling. If you feel no desire to move along your path, your intention is not compelling enough. You lose the real power of intention setting if you forget or if you no longer feel inspired.

When your heart and head resonate with your intention, the Universe handles the methods, routes, and other details, opening the roads and pathways for you. An intention that aligns with your heart’s desires is a powerful force for a satisfying journey. Whether you feel confident or hesitant, it’s important to take time to align with your inner guidance before stepping forward. Without this alignment, you certainly may feel forceful, but in the wrong direction or in an inappropriate way. This is not true empowerment, but mere movement or wasted energy.

And Now to Your Journey with Intention

What is your compelling and powerful intention for your life? or for certain parts of your life? How can you leverage the power of intention? It takes just a few moments on a daily basis to benefit from the power of intention statements you create.

If you want to write your statement of intention, you'll find information on writing your statement of intention in our Self Development Techniques Section and the teleseminar "Setting a Powerful Intention -- for Anything."

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The Power of Intention Increases
When You Write It

A Self Development Technique

The power of intention is magnified when you write a statement to reflect your intention. I consider that one of the most important principles of personal development and growth is to identify an intention; and that one of the most important techniques related to this principle is to write a statement of intention.

Personal Development Program:

"Setting a Powerful Intention -- for Anything"

I work with intention, and especially good intention and positive intention, in all aspects of my work. I frequently express the importance of identifying intention with my clients. I also advocate writing down a statement of intention. Such conversations help my clients to experience the power of intention in their lives.

I find a technique is useful until it is no longer needed because the corresponding principle is embodied. I identify and/or write a statement of my own intention for being with my clients so that I provide a space for them to move as they need or want. I consider that how I am with my clients is far more important than what I do or say. My positive intention with my clients is to be fully present, engaged, and listening at all levels.

What is Intention?

An intention exists for every thought and every action. It's a given. There's no question whether or not an intention exists; the question is, what is the intention? When you know what the intention is, that knowledge alone activates the power of intention.

You might even consider that an intention is the thought behind a thought, or the thought that powers a thought. It can be very enlightening and powerful to bring your intention to the surface after an event. It is even more enlightening and powerful to create a positive intention before an event so that the identified intention guides you in more empowering actions.

If you set a positive intention that you be "open and appreciative" in a certain situation, you have directed yourself to be in a particular consciousness. This good intention suggests certain actions; however, no specific actions are necessary in order to be in a particular consciousness or attitude. Actions follow intention naturally. And actions follow intention, whether you're aware of the intention or not. With that in mind, you can empower yourself when you develop positive and good intentions so that positive and empowering actions follow.

Increase the Power of Intention: Write It

The act of writing a few words or a complete sentence helps to focus attention more effectively than just thinking about an intention. I often recommend this technique to clients. Some clients tell me that they feel more accountable to themselves when they take a few seconds to write words that capture a positive intention. That's an important aspect of the power of intention and how it relates to actions.

Here are a few examples of Positive and Good Intention. Notice the simplicity. You will find it easier to remember a few words than a complex sentence. Notice the focus. You want to inspire yourself about a way of being in your intention, rather than to delineate specific actions or end results.

• To feel free.
• To approach this situation with openness and eagerness.
• With love in my heart.
• Open and appreciative.
• Fully engaged in the present moment.
• Seeking balance.

An Example of Writing an Intention for a Meeting

After I suggested the technique of writing an intention to one client (Timothy), he began to write down a positive intention statement or phrase for each meeting, whether he was its leader, a participant, or an observer. When he was responsible for leading meetings, he knew he could manage certain aspects of the meeting to keep it on track and in alignment with his good intention. At those times, he became aware of blending and checking his way of being (consciousness) and his ways of doing (actions).

However, Timothy’s deeper realization of the impact of this technique of writing his intention came during the meetings when he didn't even speak. He wrote his few words on a pad of paper and kept the pad so he could see it but no one else could. He watched in awe as the groups of people who had been meeting together regularly for years began to change positively during one or two meetings. He noticed that they were more communicative, open, responsive, engaged, and productive. He experienced for himself the power of intention by watching the results.

I first introduced the importance of identifying and writing attention to Timothy several years ago. I recently had a conversation with him. He tells me that now identifying a positive intention is so embodied into his professional and personal life that he rarely writes it down. He does write a powerful intention statement, though, when a situation is particularly challenging or important to him.

Write Your Own Statement of Intention

In addition to the few examples above, you'll also find some examples of Positive Statements of Intention in "Journey with the Power of Intention" in our Self Improvement Articles Section and some related ideas in Set Your Goals Again and Again. If you have any difficulty getting started in writing, you may just need to find a bridge to the intention that truly serves you.

The steps to write your Positive Intention to make it more empowering are very simple:

1. Identify the subject or situation (for example, on a phone call with someone).
2. Think about how you want to be (for example, loving, open, friendly, confident).
3. Start to write (just make an attempt; write a lot or write a little).
4. Create a brief intention (for example a phrase or just a word that represents your intention).
5. Ask yourself if your written intention is positive and compelling (for example, do you feel inspired or clear or relieved?).

To become proficient at this, you need to practice. The best practice is to identify a wide variety of subjects or situations, little and big, emotional and neutral, fun and serious, at work and at play. Some will be so easy that it might seem strange to write them down; however, you will understand the process and get very good at it if you practice on both easy and challenging situations. Then watch — watch the power of intention in all aspects of your life.

I invite you to participate in the DailyAffirm Positive Affirmations Process, which begins each monthly theme with an encouragement for you to identify a statement of intention. In addition, DailyAffirm explores intention in the third week of each month so you can deepen your understanding of your reason for being and/or acting generally or in a specific situation.  

Remember, Keep it Supremely Simple (KISS)

Please, do not make this difficult. Keep it supremely simple. Understanding the power of intention is extremely important to your personal development and interpersonal relationships, but just having the intention to have a positive intention can be very effective! Be as precise as you can be in your language, but don't spend all your time wordsmithing your intention. Choose some good words that appeal to you and live your life.

Copyright © 2008 Marshall House. All rights reserved. Jeanie Marshall, Personal Development Consultant and Coach, has developed Empowering Personal Development at www.empowering-personal-development.com to encourage you on your path. This self development technique is not available for republication without express written permission.

If you would like feedback from me about your statement of intention, feel free to write out the five steps above and send them to me with your question.  

DailyAffirm: Positive Affirmations

For Your Personal Development

Affirmations are powerful: intentional, positive affirmations are powerful in ways that enhance your personal development.

Thoughts, spoken words, and written statements are acts of creation which put into motion the ideas that are thought or expressed. To create the most empowering experiences, your words and actions must be congruent with your desires. You must affirm what you want, rather than what you don't want. If you want to be healthy, you must think and talk about health, not illness.

The focus of your attention determines your life experiences. Empowering and positive affirmations help you to hold your attention on the idea or thing that you want to manifest. Yes, of course, your attention will be distracted at times to what you do not want, but it is up to you -- and only you -- to re-focus your attention. And then you must do it again, and again.

DailyAffirm: A Process for Personal Development

I've offered DailyAffirm free of charge to the Internet community since 1994. This DailyAffirm personal development process is based on working with five different types of affirmations throughout the month, which can be used sequentially or concurrently. These are the five categories or steps of affirmations:

1. Releasing/Cleansing, Days 1-7
2. Receiving/Accepting, Days 8-14
3. Being/Intending, Days 15-21
4. Acting/Claiming, Days 22-28
5. Integrating/Embodying, Days following 28

Working through this positive affirmations process in either an orderly or a haphazard way can support you on your path with greater clarity, freedom, and grace. Since this is a personal development process and not a linear step-by-step method, it's important to recognize that you may be receiving one moment, acting the next, and releasing the next. DailyAffirm helps you work through this empowering experience at the DailyAffirm.

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Ross Galán, NLP Spiritual Life Coach

Spiritual Life Coaching School