Intentions are the starting point of every dream. A new year brings new hope, excitement, and intention setting to make this year different and better than the previous year. So often we start the year off with the right intentions that tend to fall to the wayside as the year rolls on.
How can we set stronger and more powerful intentions? We first must understand that everything that happens in the universe begins with intention. Every action you do starts first with an intention. It has been said that our destiny is ultimately shaped by our deepest intentions and desires, so it is important to recognize what those are.
“You are what your deepest desire is. As your desire is, so is your intention. As your intention is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.”
One of the reasons that we start the year with great intentions, hope, and goals and then they fall through is that we are not giving enough focus and attention to our deepest desires. That is where our intentions come from and that is what shapes our destiny. We will not be able to change our future until we can own our past and recognize what our deepest desires are.
According to Dr. Deepak Copra, an intention is a directed impulse of consciousness that contains the seed form of that which you aim to create. Like real seeds, intentions can’t grow if you hold on to them. They will only grow once you release your intention into the fertile depths of your consciousness. This is where they grow and flourish. Some believe that there are steps you can follow to harness the power of intention to create anything you desire. To learn more about this read Dr. Deepak Copra’s book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success or Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book The Power of Intention.
“You don’t feel happy when things are right in the world, things are right in your world because you’re happy.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer
I started my 2019 off with a 90-minute yoga and meditation practice dedicated to Sankalpa, or intention setting. This practice creates a visionary and expansive relationship to life. It was a powerful experience to take the time to meditate on the past and bring new hopes into the future. During the practice, we wrote down everything we wanted to leave behind in 2018, while also writing what our intentions are for 2019. At the end of the practice, we burned our paper slips in a fire, as a powerful message to let go of the old and bring in the joy and vitality for the New Year.
Intentions are set the best after you have found a state of rested awareness. This can be done through meditation. Once the chatter in your mind has quieted down, you can look inwardly with a sense of clarity. After your intention has been set, it is important to let it go. We are not able to control the future and dwelling on our intention constantly is not effective nor healthy. We must unleash our intention out into the world to let it grow. After this we let the universe take over. You have released your intentions into the fertile of pure potentiality, and they will bloom when the season is right. Trust that the universe will handle the details.
We set our intention to change our destiny because like Dr. Wayne Dyer said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”