Setting Intentions To Infuse More Joy Into The Everyday

“When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way.” ― Wayne W. Dyer

If you’ve been keeping up with these digests this year, you know that I have been all about spreading hope, happiness, and joy, and HOPEfully helping you do the same in your own life.

(Catch up on the past issues, Bring Joy and Happiness with a Warm Smile and Personal Introduction and Spreading joy and hope one person at a time: Who can you bring joy to today?)

This week I have been thinking a lot about living a more intentional life, and how setting and holding intentions can help us with everything from being more mindful and experiencing more joy to getting more done and making progress on our goals.

Living without intentions can leave us feeling unfulfilled and often rushed. It can feel like we are hurrying through our lives, checking off one task only to hurtle headfirst towards the next. Living this way might have you feeling overwhelmed, unfulfilled, and joyless. Accck.

Thankfully, setting intentions can help us take back our time and give us the space to soak in some joy, and even get better at getting things done.

Lately I have been setting intentions as a way to get more joy back into my life and also to spread joy around to others. When we set and hold an intention that is in alignment with our values, it opens up the way for us to be more intentional about the actions and thoughts that we want to take.

Want to give it a try?

Here is a simple intention-setting exercise to bring you more focus and clarity around what you want more of in your life:

1. Sit quietly. Get comfortable in a quiet place for a few moments. If you practice meditation, then after your meditation practice is a great place to give this a try. Have a pen and some paper nearby to jot down thoughts that come up.
2. Ask yourself “What do I need more of right now?” The answer to this might be progress towards a particular goal, clarity around a challenge that you are facing, or simply the need for more rest, or, like I have been craving recently, more joy.
3. Once you know your intention, create space around it. What are the barriers keeping you from your intention? These might be physical barriers, mental blocks, or internal narratives that are keeping you back from what you want to achieve.
4. Take one small step today. And determine what action steps you want to continue with in order to make progress towards a larger goal. With my intention to experience and spread more joy, I have been searching for small ways in my everyday life to bring joy to others, such as striking up a conversation with Anthony at the grocery store or lingering on the phone with Jordan’s mom to bring her a little joy in her day. The small things, the ones that we may take for granted or are in too much of a rush to slow down and savor, are often the greatest opportunities for gratitude and connection.

What intention will you set for today? I hope that you can slow down and savor the beautiful moments in your day today.

For more on setting intentions, here is an inspiring article.

Leaders Finish Strong

Leaders, how is the year going? Are you making progress and hitting your goals, or do you need some help charting the path? Our team of coaches are here to help you with everything from charting the path to retirement to raising up the next generation of leaders to strengthen and grow your business. Schedule a call with one of us today.

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NextGen

What’s the difference between setting an intention and setting a goal? Intentions focus on a micro level and with more awareness. If you have an ambitious goal but need help setting priorities and taking action, this is the article for you.

LEARN THE DIFFERENCE

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MentorLoft is Reading:

Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything

Manifestation and intentions might seem like woo-woo stuff, but they are actually phenomena rooted firmly in neuroscience!

From the publisher:

A deep exploration of the neuroscience behind manifestation, with a six-part plan for realizing your dreams.

For decades the practice of manifestation has been widely dismissed as self-involved, materialistic pseudoscience. But as neuroscientist and recognized compassion leader Dr. James Doty reveals, manifestation introduces us to different possibilities, and it lays the groundwork for a kinder, better world.

Doty grounds us in the practices that change our brain structures: attention, meditation, visualization, and compassion. This mind magic allows us to move through the world in ways that help us see clearly—reclaiming our agency, realizing our dreams, and reaching out to help others along the path.

Where previous works about manifestation have focused narrowly on outward success and individual benefit, Mind Magic delivers an openhearted call to make manifestation part of a deeper contribution to healing the problems we face today.

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I would love to hear how your year is going! Hit reply and tell me, what is bringing you joy, what intentions are you setting, and anything else you would like to share.

Remember: Leaders don’t bail. Leaders FINISH STRONG.