This year I’m really focusing on taking care of me and doing that on purpose. My therapist and I have been talking about ways to spend more time with nature and increase my ability to be connected to the natural world. He said one way to do that was through gardening. Around this same time I decided to treat myself to a subscription box for my birthday. I was scrolling through Instagram and I found a box that will send you either a candle or a plant each month. I thought, this is perfect! I mean I’ve never had good luck with plants in the past, but four generations of green thumbs cannot end with me! I decided to give it a try.
Another part of this subscription service is the idea of setting a new intention each month when you get your box. I love this idea too because I want to be more purposeful and thoughtful about how I show up in my life. One of the ways I want to be more thoughtful and intentional is in planning my time. I have three different calendars and it gets really confusing. I have to double and triple check to make sure that I don’t accidentally double book myself. I decided to order a planner (even though I am not a fan of paper) to keep track of everything. I ordered a super cute one that I liked from Target and I was waiting for it to come in the mail.
I was relaxing this morning and it came to me what I’d like my intention to be this month. “I am organized.” I mean, I usually am but recently I’ve been more scattered than I would like. Maybe having 3.5 jobs will do that to a person. Anyway….after I decided that I decided to set a weekly intention as well. One I can share on social media and put in my planner that was supposed to get here in about a week. I sat down at my desk and wrote out:
I am organized.
I put things away.
I get rid of things I no longer need.
I use a planner/calendar.
No sooner did I finish writing that last sentence than the dog started to bark signaling that someone just showed up at the door. My son brought in a box from Target and I opened it to find my new planner! A whole week earlier than I expected! So I’ve spent about an hour getting my planner set up and ready to use which is so exciting!
I’m not sure that’s how intentions always work, in fact I think that this type of experience might be rare. But I will never forget that the same day I set the intention of being organized and wrote down what I want to do to get there is the very same moment that my planner showed up on my doorstep. I wonder if other things in my life that are not so concrete and easily recognized are also being put into motion on a regular basis without me seeing it? How powerful is this intention setting anyway?
Setting intentions is the act of stating what you intend to accomplish through your actions. It’s a commitment to what you want the journey to be about as you move on or move up. When you are intentional about something, your focus is in the moment: who you are, what you do, why you do it. And it requires presence along the way, checking inside as you work on the outside.
Coralie Sawruk
The Holistic Psychologist lists the following steps as a way to set intentions in their blog:
- Promise yourself 5 minutes to set intentions every single morning
- Get an intention journal
- Stay aware of your intentions
- Celebrate moments where you are being intentional
- Start with small intentions and build a foundation
Definitely check out this blog post if you, like me, are interested in learning how to set intentions for yourself. From what I’m learning, intentions are something that you can set to help you to accomplish your goals. I want to be successful and whole and present and joyful in my life. One way I’m working on doing that is by setting one intention a month to remind me of not only who I am but who I am striving to become. I’m starting with “I am organized.” Today the universe conspired to send me the tool that I need to help me make that intention my reality. I love this practice and plan to spend the year setting, exploring, celebrating and setting…
Love 💕 this and so excited 😆 with your intention to learn and grow. This is part of the reason for being here in this world. I have used various planners for about 30 years for goal setting, weekly intentions and journaling.
I never thought I’d get into planners, yet here I am!