Integrate #4: Practice Intention
-
Integrate: Home
-
1: Find Comfort
-
2: Hold Space
-
3: Create Ease
-
4: Practice Intention
-
5: Get Curious
-
6: Be Vulnerable
-
7: Live in Contradiction
-
8: Explore Possibility
-
9: Practice Ease
-
10: Empower Change
-
11: Stay Connected
-
12: Your Fresh Chapter
Integrate Series #4: Practice Intention
Intention: A thing intended; an aim or a plan; the act or fact of intending.
As we shared in the Discover Series, one of the simplest ways we can practice the concept of intention is to get curious about how we want to feel, instead of focusing on what we want to achieve.
Do you remember the feeling you had while traveling with A Fresh Chapter? What simple steps have you taken or might you take to bring more of that feeling into your life at home?
We have only scratched the surface of the concept of intention. For a deeper look, consider the excerpt below from the article –The One Book That Changed Oprah’s Life and Business:
Before she started Oprah’s Book Club, back in 1989, just a few years after “The Oprah Winfrey Show” started, Winfrey read a book that changed her life and success as an entrepreneur.
The book was ” ‘The Seat of the Soul’ by Gary Zukav,” says Winfrey in arecent speech at Skidmore College.
“In it, [Zukav] talks about how every action is followed by a reaction, which we all know is the third law of motion in physics,” explains Winfrey. “But he also said, before there’s even a thought or an action, there is an intention.
“Something struck me about that,” says Winfrey. “That an intention precedes every thought and every action, and the outcome of your experiences is determined by the intention.”
“…. so this principle of intention is literally what saved and changed the trajectory of my living,” says Winfrey.
“I started to make my decisions on what I intended, not just on what someone else wanted me to do or what I thought would please them,” she continues. She would ask, “But what do I really intend to happen from the outcome of this decision or this choice?
What would it feel like for you to start to peel back the concept of intention? To get curious about the decisions you are making, the way you are spending your time, and the way you are interacting with others.
How can you think intentionally about what you want more of in your life?
Activity
Why not get your friends or family involved with thinking about how they want to feel in the year ahead? Just like the Thanksgiving tradition of going around the table and sharing what you’re thankful for, can you spark conversation with the idea of asking the people in your life to choose a defining word for how they’d like to feel in the weeks or months ahead?
If it feels appropriate, you could make a note of the words people share in your phone and come back to the conversation in several months to ask each other what has been going well and what has been challenging in terms of trying to generate more of that feeling in your lives.
Podcasts
Read More
- Oprah and Newton’s Third Law – Oprah explores what she calls one of the most important laws of physics and in life: Newton’s Third Law of Motion. Oprah explains why she lives her life by this law, which states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
Write or Create
Read More
There is no right way to tackle the reflection prompts below. You can answer any, all, or none of the questions. You can either write the answers in a more traditional journaling format (either in a physical journal or an online journal) or you could explore the creative process of art journaling. Other options are to sit down with someone in your life or connect with someone in your tribe and ask these questions of each other. Whatever reflection mode you choose, you are welcome to answer any, all, or none of the questions. This is simply an opportunity to carve out some time to reflect and see what emerges.
- What did I do today or this week that is bringing me closer to the feeling I want in my life?
- What is it like to take a step back and get a clear understanding of the intention behind the choices I am making?
- Who in my life seems to be living life intentionally? What can I learn from him or her?