Do You Set a Daily Intention?

“When your intention is clear, so is the way.”

— Alan Cohen

What’s your take on setting an intention for the day ahead?

I’m curious as to how many people do this. For most of my life, I certainly didn’t. But after attending a yoga workshop a few years ago – about the importance of setting intentions 🙂 – I started doing so.

Although I don’t always remember to do it every single morning, I have noticed that when I do take a moment and set a deliberate intention for the day ahead, I find it really does help me stay on track…not just in terms of getting done what I need to get done – but, more importantly, it helps me stay on track with being the person I want to be and living the life I want to live.

What is an intention?

An intention is basically a state of mind in which a person commits themselves to a course of action. Intentions are conscious desires or goals that guide our actions and shape our experiences.

In my experience, the best intentions are simple (often just a single word). An intention can be very helpful in focusing our energy to create positive change – in ourselves and the world around us. An intention is also a valuable tool in helping us reach our goals.

Here are some examples of intentions:

“I intend to be more patient today.”

“I intend to be kind today…to myself and others.”

“I intend to prioritize self-care.”

“I intend for my self-talk to be only positive today.”

“I intend to make healthy choices.”

“I intend to be in balance.”

“I intend to be grateful.”

Here are my personal top five single-word intentions:

#1. Gratitude

#2. Joy

#3. Abundance

#4. Focus

#5. Kindness

How to set an intention:

I like to keep things as simple as possible, so when I set my intention for the day, I simply think about the mindset I wish to practice that day, then I say the word out loud (to set the intention) – and I make a commitment to myself to do my best to return to that intention throughout the day. There’s no point in setting an intention if you don’t intend to use it.

For example, I will say out loud: “Today my intention is gratitude.” And then I begin my day. And then, regardless of what happens in the day, I will do my best to be grateful for it…which may require a bit of perspective shifting! Because, of course, all sorts of things can – and do – happen that I may not, at first glance, be whatsoever grateful for. But since I’ve set that intention, I figure I may as well stick to it and find the silver lining/lesson in whatever storm cloud presents itself.

However, more often than not, the more I set an intention of say, gratitude, and actively seek to be grateful for all that I have and am, the more good things come my way to be grateful for.

“What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it.”

– Oprah Winfrey

Boy, oh boy, have I ever found this to be true!

Why is it so important to set – and stick to – a daily intention?

Because:

“The future depends on what you do today.”

— Mahatma Ghandi

It’s not just WHAT you do today that matters…so does HOW you do it.

If you’re just going through motions, day after day, on autopilot, ticking items off the task list simply because they need to get done, that likely won’t lead to the same quality of future as when you take a moment, every morning, to deliberately set an intention as to the mindset you are going to have while doing those tasks and activities.

“Intentional days create a life of purpose.”

— Adrienne Enns

And in the end, isn’t that what each of us is here to do: create a life of purpose?

How about you?

Do you set a daily intention? If not, are you going to try it? If so, what will you set for your intention today?

This morning, the intention I set for myself was “Enjoy” as in…I am going to enjoy every single thing I do today. Even the challenging stuff 🙂

Have a great day!

Maryanne Pope is the author of “A Widow’s Awakening.” She also writes screenplays, playscripts & blogs. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and Co-Founder of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. To receive her blog, “Weekly Words of Wisdom,” please subscribe here. And be sure to visit our PinkGazelleCards Etsy shop.