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Every month I sit down with my journal and set my intentions for the month. It’s a part of my spiritual practice that has grown from setting intentions with the moon cycles to using it monthly and even daily.

This is a fairly new process for me (I started utilizing this tool Summer 2019), but I will tell you that it has changed my life. It has helped me to go inward by knowing exactly what I want out of life, find what truly motivates me, and has helped me to become more intentional with everything I do.

  So I am super excited to share my intention setting method with you and I look forward to posting my intentions on a monthly basis. 

Before we dive into the fun stuff (May’s intention) let’s first talk about how to set your intentions.

   What are Intentions?

If you think setting intentions is limited to yoga classes and meditation retreats, think again. These guiding principles are just as useful for parenting, working, and anything else you do during your daily life.

Webster Dictionary defines intention as what one intends to do or bring about. 

Think about what matters to you and how you want to live your life. When you set intentions, you keep the most important things at the front of your mind, and make it easier to integrate them into your usual routines. 

   How to Set Intentions 

 The first thing you want to do is find a quiet space. Make sure you clear out distractions. If you know your children will try to disturb you, try to do this when they’re asleep or away from the house. Sit down in a comfortable position and focus on your breath. Calm your mind with prayer and meditation.

As you begin to visualize your intentions, think about your core values and beliefs. Ask yourself what happiness and success mean to you. Think about what you need more of.

What do you desire? How do you want to feel? Use the answers to these questions as the basis for your intentions. 

 Next, grab a piece of paper and a pen and break them down. Just the act of putting your intentions into writing can make them seem more concrete and attainable. You’ll strengthen your sense of commitment and make it easier to visualize your destination. As you clarify your intentions, you may also notice any obstacles that you need to address.

Make sure you write your intention in the present tense. Write them like you would write an affirmation, it’s already happening. Think about what you want instead of what you are trying to avoid.

Finally, speak your language. Your intentions must resonate with you. Maybe you like to keep them simple or maybe you prefer a more poetic message. Maybe you accomplish more when you look at the big picture or maybe you need more structure and detail.

For example, Maybe you like your language is a little colorful. Meaning… you like to slip in a curse word any chance you get. Writing “I am a boss” may not resonate with you.  But, writing (I am a badass boss”  might fit you better. 

 Remember, this is all about YOU! 

 How I Set My Intentions

Photo by My Life Journal on Unsplash

I utilize the basics to intention setting and add my own flare to it. I would encourage you to figure out what works for you. If you are new to intention setting, I would say don’t overwhelm yourself (kind of defeats the purpose right?). Go with the basics or you can utilize my method and add to it later. 

  1. Reflection
    1. I reflect on the previous month by journaling and thinking about what went well that month. I then journal about what I want to improve on in the upcoming month. 
  1. Word of the month
    • The first thing I do is pick a word that is the theme of the month. I usually go with how I want to feel. 
  2. Goals
    • I set 3 goals for the month. It can be personal or business goals (or both). 
      • Tip: If you set goals for both personal and business/career goals I wouldn’t overwhelm myself with too many goals. I would set 2 goals for each for example.
  3. Habits
    • I set 2 habits that I would like to work on or start to implement each month. Usually, it is a habit that I need to work on the most, like productivity or going to bed at a decent hour. 
  1. Skills/Learning
    • I pick a skill or e-course that I want to work on for the month. It can be something new that I am learning such as SEO or a refresher of something I learned about already.
  1. Affirmations
    • I like to make a list of affirmations for the month that I repeat as a mantra daily
  1. Spiritual Guidance
    • I set a spiritual theme for the month. You can utilize a bible verse, oracle cards, tarot cards, whatever your jam is.  

This month I am focusing on truly moving forward with my goals. Here is how I set my intentions:

Reflection

April Reflection:

I am really learning how to get out my own way. I have had intentions to release this site to the world back in February (just look at the date I published my get to know me tag and about me page) (asdf link the page) 

The problem is that I really need to let go of my perfectionism. One thing that you will learn about me is that I don’t half-ass anything. If I am going to do something, I have to do it great or not at all. 

This is both a gift and a curse. The gift is that when I tackle something new- like entering a new career – I have been able to go at it with a level of grit that has allowed me to be successful. The curse is that at times it keeps me from inaction because I am striving to achieve something unattainable.

I’ve talked about going into this online business world thing scared as hell. Because this is so new to me I am scared of failing. I know, failing leads to success but let’s be real, who REALLY enjoys failing? It’s uncomfortable as hell and I don’t like it!

BUT, I marked 2020 as the beginning of truly stepping into my purpose. I know that people need my particular zone of genius and the longer I sit around trying to perfect things, the more people I am not reaching. 

SO, I’m ready to stop being a scaredy-cat. It’s time that I share my voice with the world. It’s time to truly take action. I can’t include a “how to take action” piece at the end of my posts (the teacher in me just loves to give HW) and not take my own advice. 

So let’s do it! Scared and all… 

May intention:

I’ve been thinking about how I can eliminate distractions. During this pandemic I am not going to lie, it has been hard to get things done. My daughter is home with me and since she is an only child, she demands a lot of my time.

I’ve done business Zoom calls with her yelling at me to “GO BACKWARDS” (rewind) her new favorite show Little Einsteins. She loves to watch the same episode over and over again, which I know is developmentally appropriate for her age, but it can get annoying when you are trying to do something and you are interrupted (and yelled at) to restart the same episode on Disney+. 

But, that is the life of a parent. I can’t control how my daughter distracts me, but I can work on outside factors. One thing I’ve done is put my phone on downtime and put it far away from me while I am working. I’ve also started using an app called Rescue Time. 

It’s a productivity app that helps you figure out where you spend your time online being productive. It’s free but I paid for the premium version, so I can utilize the focus time function that blocks out distracting websites like Facebook during work time.

So far it has helped me but now I have to continue to work on how I spend my time. I may be staying away from “distracting” websites but am I really spending my time on things that will move me forward in my business?

Here is my referral link if you are interested in trying it out: https://www.rescuetime.com/ref/2274573

My intention is to continue on my journey of understanding how to be more productive and create systems for myself that will help me to be successful.

2.  Word of the Month:

  • Accomplished- I’ve been holding off on sharing my voice far too long. The time is now!

3. Goals:

  • Get my first 50 email subscribers 
  • Work out consistently (I’ve been very sporadic with my workouts)
  • Create a workflow system that doesn’t leave me worn out at the end of the day

4. Habits

  • Go to bed before 12 AM (this one is hard! I am a true night owl)
  • Practice more self-care

5. Skills/Learning

  • This month I am working on continuing with my learning of SEO. I am also learning more about how to utilize Pinterest to grow my traffic.

6. Affirmations

  • Everything I desire is within my capacity
  • I focus on making my dreams a reality 
  • I am worthy of manifesting my dreams
  • My success is fueled by my ability to take action
  • I am deserving
  • I do the work each day necessary to deserve success

7. Spiritual Guidance

  • I personally utilize Work your Light oracle cards. I usually pull multiple cards, utilize the guide for interpretation, and give thanks to the most high once I am done. I use it as an answer to my prayers. But these cards are very beautiful and they draw you in immediately.

How beautiful are these cards?!

I am going to spare you the details of all the cards I pulled (I usually pull 4) but the summarized message I received is that I am ready for this journey, I am entering into a new age, and that I shouldn’t work myself too hard. 

Now it’s your turn! What are your monthly intentions?  Let me know in the comments below so I can support you.

Okay love, see you in the next post

Peace,