Writing intentions is all about focusing the mind to create what we want, and be who we want to be. Underneath this is a deep river flowing—life, energy, the heartbeat of existence. So although we want to focus the mind, ultimately we want to free ourselves from the mind so we can be in our heart and show up the way we truly are, at our core. I have not met anyone that wrote an intention to be more constricted, less loving, etc. I have known people who wrote intentions designed to help them not “cave in” or give their power away, which is still about honoring the self.
The mind, if left to its own devices, will often run away with us. It can chase its tail and end up with us “cutting off our nose to spite our face.” I have taken to talking about the mind as both smart and dumb…at the same time! It is capable of brilliant ideas, and terrible self-defeating patterns. I recently heard Anne Lamott quoted on Oprah, and I thought it was brilliant – “My mind is like a bad neighborhood, I try not to go there alone.” How easily we can get off on something that gets more and more negative the longer we think about it, going deeper and deeper into a “bad neighborhood”.
So to guide the mind, we write intentions. To help ourselves step into the future we want, we write intentions, to help us avoid behaving in ways we know will not serve us, we write intentions. In this way we truly are the creators of our experience. Last weekend we hosted a mandala painting workshop. People came from different parts of the country to discover their creativity and what happens when they step into the unknown. What were their intentions?
For some, they came wanting to create a piece of beauty and even though they did, the mind got in the way and they could not see the beauty they had created. Others came with a “beginners mind” open and curious about what would unfold and were surprised and astounded. The key was people’s capacity to be in the present and allow what was unfolding to be okay. Over and over people were challenged to not let the mind, run away with judgements, comparisons etc.
So let’s focus on this concept of being present, because it is essential for you to live your intentions. Any intention you write is a living, breathing entity, an invitation to show up, moment by moment. Being present is more than meets the eye. Easy to say and much harder to do. I attended a Byron Katie workshop a few years ago and she shocked me when she said “When you are in the present there are no more decisions to make.” Well I could hardly believe my ears and then my mind shut down and I remember thinking “That’s ridiculous. I make hundreds of decisions every day, it’s not possible to not make decisions!” In fact this idea was so contrary to what I believed that I put it out of my mind for a full 2 years. But, like any great idea, it didn’t go away and one day I was ready to actually consider it. In fact, somewhat defiantly I decided, how ironic, to live a day not making decisions.
So the next morning my feet hit the floor and I remembered my “plan” not to make any decisions. Instantly my mind started up “Are you going to bathroom, are you going for water, are you….” All I could do was tell my mind to “Shut up” and try and sit, not deciding. Well the surprising thing is once I settled my mind and took a deep breath I found I had stood up and was moving towards the bathroom. I then noticed how easily I “floated” towards the kitchen. The day was unfolding and then the thought of a friend entered my mind. This friend had back surgery and would be flat on his back for 3 weeks or more. I had promised him some audio tapes (yes this is from those days) and now was the moment to fulfill my promise. He needed those tapes NOW, not later. What I haven’t mentioned, is this day of me practising “no decisions” was the day before I was leaving for 3 weeks of teaching, in Colombia, South America. My list of things to do before leaving was a mile long and tapes were definitely not on the list. Needless to say my mind went crazy – “You don’t have time to copy tapes, it’s too late, there’s too much to do…” Well another round of be quiet, Sh…Up… was required and again I took a deep breath settled down and came present. The long and short of this was I found myself copying, tapes, wrapping them in brown paper and taking them off to the post office and little by little getting used to being in the flow. The day flew by, and by evening I was completely packed, had completed everything on my “to do” list, which I never even looked at, and I many things not on the list were accomplished with ease. How did this happen? How did so much get done, much of which my conscious mind would’ve forgotten or ignored? To this day I am astonished and cannot tell you how it really happened. What I do know is this:
- Being in the present allowed me to tap into information and priorities that my conscious mind was ignoring or had forgotten
- Being in the present allowed me to be more generous and more helpful to others
- In the present everything will be honored and included and I can trust the deep wisdom that flows within and beneath me
My mind predicted the day would either be a complete waste or a disaster. It had predicted I wouldn’t get everything done and would be stressed to the max. It had predicted the very opposite of the day I had experienced. Everything my mind said, to scare me off being present, was a lie.
So do I live this way all the time – heck no! Would I like to – Oh Yes! So why don’t I? I get distracted, busy, I forget I am the creator of my life, all the usual, human stuff. And so we come full circle to intentions. They help me live more intentionally, they help me remember, in the moment, what matters and they help me be more loving and compassionate, day by day.