What happens when we set an intention?

Following on from last month, when I talked about new year’s resolutions and how setting achievable goals can really help you focus and keep you motivated, this month’s newsletter is about who we want to be and how we can become that person.

Intention + Action = Results

Essentially, having an intention inspires us to take a specific action. And taking that action generates a result.?

Let’s break it down…

Intention

An intention is defined as “something that you want and plan to do”.?

But how much control do we have over what we want?

Scientists estimate that 95% of brain activity is unconscious. Brain activity includes:?

• Habits and patterns
• Automatic body function
• Creativity
• Emotions
• Personality
• Beliefs and values
• Cognitive biases
• Long-term memory

The good news is that our brains are neuroplastic, which means they have the ability to change and adapt due to experience.?

Donald Hebb, a Canadian psychologist, showed that “neurons that fire together, wire together”, and this can happen at any point.

So, if we’re feeling unhappy or unfulfilled in our lives, we need to form new neural pathways that help us believe who we want to be in our lives.?

Intention is therefore about who we get to be in our life.

When we set an intention, we need to look at who we get to be if we’re going to create the results we want to have.?

So, who do you want to be?

Set your intention and then believe it. Make being that person part of your daily routine. It can be useful to look in the mirror and shout out loud who you’re going to be today.

Doing this daily will make your neurons wire together, and slowly but surely, you’ll start to see evidence that you are in fact that person

Action

Next, it’s all about taking action.

Put yourself in the shoes of the person you get to be. What actions would that person take if they put aside all the beliefs and attitudes that they have about themselves?

When we take action without being attached to an outcome – without judging ourselves, others or the situation – we start to become the person we’ve set the intention to be.

Actions should be small, manageable and incremental as we need to hold ourselves accountable for them; or put a support network in place that will hold us accountable.

A 1% improvement on what we did yesterday is an amazing start. And over time we really start to see change.

Results

When our actions are aligned with the person that we intended to be, we start to see results:

• We give off an energy that’s positive and attractive
• We start to attract more results
• We see events as positive and contributing to our desired outcome

And before we know it, great things start to happen.?

So, keep believing. Don’t give up. Because consistency is key.?

It’s an ongoing journey

There are so many stories I could tell you about how intention setting and aligning my actions has created results over the past year. I’ve found it a challenging concept to put in place, and it requires consistency and patience.?

Patience is not one of my natural assets, as I’m the restless sort – always wanting to get as much done as I can before I give myself “permission” to stop!?

Crazy, eh?! But maybe that resonates with you?

A recent example I’d like to share is when my coach gave me the challenge of setting an intention for the number of people that I’d like to sign up to my first 5-day Challenge.?

I said 20 – I only had 4 days (including one day off and a weekend) before the challenge started. So that felt realistic to me. But no, it wasn’t a big enough stretch!?

She challenged me with 50, which was well out of my comfort zone. I said I was willing to give it a go, though. So I took as many different actions as I could l think of to try and get more people to sign up.?

I felt sick. But I didn’t stop to think about it too much. The more I did. the more it felt fun – like a game.?

So, what were the results??

35 people signed up! Not 50, but 15 more than the target I would’ve set. I was over the moon, and I’d grown as a person at the same time.?

I’m hoping that this story brings the concept to life and motivates you to go out and push yourself.?

And if you want a little extra push, you know where I am!

Book of the month

The High 5 Habit: Take Control of Your Life with One Simple Habit

Mel Robbins

I first heard about Mel Robbins’s book “The High Five Habit” when I listened to her being interviewed by Rangan Chatterjee on his amazing podcast, “Feel Better Live More”. back in November 2021. I loved the science behind Mel’s simple, effective daily “High Five” in the mirror. It leverages the same understanding of the brain’s neuroplasticity to create sustainable change that I use when I offer Positive Intelligence’s Mental Fitness Programme to my clients.?

Mindfulness tip

I’m linking this month’s tip to the book recommendation. If we can find a way to add a new habit onto an existing one then it’s much more likely to stick, because we’re using an “automatic” behaviour to create a connection with a new one.?

I wonder if you like a cuppa as much as I do??

If you do, why not try turning the task of making your favourite brew into a mindful exercise?!

As you fill the kettle, be aware of its weight as the water fills it. Listen to the sounds as the water rushes into the kettle. Feel your muscles working as you move the kettle to the socket to heat the water.?

Feel the texture of the tea bag as you put it in your cup. Maybe give it a smell before that and identify any aromas you haven’t noticed before.

Carry on like this while the kettle boils and you make your tea. You’ll notice that your awareness and concentration in this activity gives your usual thought patterns a break.?

You’ll be more present and you’ll feel more relaxed and ready to do whatever comes next.

I’d love to hear how you get on!

In case you missed it

Join me for my next mental fitness programme starting Monday 27th February - Click here to register.

Listen to me being interviewed by Sabrina Victoria on her “Her Version” Podcast:?Become An Unstoppable Force Of Nature with Claire Thomas?

Are you a leader and want to become more conscious and effective at home and work? Learn your true leadership personality type. Take the quiz to find out your strengths and weaknesses and how to style flex to amplify your impact!

Powerful Conversions with these Powerful Women

Emily Leyland - Rewatch HERE - who runs an office with her sister that anyone would want to work in; fun, healthy, sporty…?

Susan Walsh - Rewatch HERE - who takes us on her journey into entrepreneurship and how she landed in the world of “dirty data”!

Sheila Vaske - Rewatch HERE - where we talked about how the Mental Fitness programme I run has helped her and her story of how she got to where she is today.?

Jovita Tam - Rewatch HERE - where we talked about so many things from yoga philosophy to how we learn in different cultures.

And not to be missed in the coming weeks

Powerful Conversations with these Powerful Women Jem Bevan, Kresse Wesling, Helen Moon and Jennifer Cox