Clear the Air with Intentions

I’ve seen the simple act of setting intentions make a huge difference for people. When we create from a place of true intention, what we do comes from our very being, not just our minds.

Creating intentions for future events or situations affects us in the present by allowing us to create space and become clear about what we really want.

It also sets us up for future success by letting us decide who we’d like to be when the situation arises. Then, when we’re in the middle of it, we can be more grounded in ourselves and connected to the other people involved.

Get Clear About What You Really Want

In order to set an effective intention, you need to know what it is that you’re trying to achieve. For some people, that’s going to be a number. They might want to hit a certain sales goal or sell a specific number of slots in a new program.

I just sent a pitch email to Arianna Huffington. Before I hit send on that email, I made my intentions.

First, I considered what the Huffington Post readers might get from my article. I thought about the potential audience and intended that the article make a true difference in their lives.

Then I considered Arianna. I set the intention that the email arrive at a time when receiving it would be beneficial and congruent for her.

Finally I thought about myself. I asked myself, “What do I want from this experience?” I love what I do and the difference it makes for people, so my intention was that the email and article open a path to my doing more of the work that I love.

It was only after making my intentions that I pushed send.

How to Begin Setting Intentions

A good way to start incorporating this practice into your life is to decide on a specific time when you’ll do it each day. Maybe it’s in the morning when you first wake up, before you open your emails and start your day. Or maybe you do it each time you’re about to begin work on a new project.

No matter when you choose to set intentions, the practice will help you stay engaged in the moment and focused on the things that are truly important.

Intentions Lead to Productivity

Most of the time, we’re just running from one thing to the next. We’ll start an email with half of our attention on whatever it was that we were just doing or whatever it is we’ll be doing next.

Setting an intention calls you into the present moment and allows you to be focused on the task at hand. That is one of the keys to productivity.

With sales calls in particular, it’s easy to get distracted by what’s not important. We go into the call thinking, “Oh, I really need this money,” and we bring all the tension that comes with that thinking into the conversation.

Before your next sales call, set the intention to be fully present and available for your client. Share whatever you have that might benefit them in terms of programs and packages, but be open to the possibility that you might not be the best fit and, if that’s the case, freely offer other resources you know about.

Setting Intentions Works for Play Time, Too!

Even if what you’re about to do is take a break or take your dog for a walk or have dinner with your family, set an intention to do it with full attention. You want to be fully present for your rejuvenation times, too!

In the comments below, share an intention for something you’re going to be doing today.