MINDFUL MONDAYS: Intentions
Setting an intention, whether daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, is a powerful way to live with mindfulness. Intentions keep us grounded as we shed what no longer serves us.
An intention is different than a goal. Goals focus on the future. They are about a destination or a specific achievement (like a New Year’s Resolution). Intentions are in the present moment, and they are lived each day, independent of reaching the goal or destination. They are about our inner relationship with our Self. Intentions allow us to focus on how we want to be in the moment, how we want to feel right now, and every day. Intentions are not about winning or losing, hitting or missing; rather, they guide us to tune in to the present and offer guideposts to walk in our highest good. This means we live life by our values and what matters most to us as human beings.
In the changing season from summer to fall, nature shows us how beautiful it can be to let things go. Trees will shed their leaves, letting go of what no longer serves them and making space for the new growth to come in the spring. The shedding is not random or accidental, but part of the natural wisdom of the plant’s DNA.
In Max Ehrman’s Desiderata he wrote, “Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth,” and it reminds us that we can let go, too – of our bodies the way they used to be, of expectations, of comparisons which steal our joy, of inner criticism - of anything that is not serving us.
As humans, we let go to move forward, to keep growing. It makes sense to follow the rhythm of nature and do some intentional shedding in the fall season as we begin our planning for the year to come.
