Why set positive intentions?
When I first discovered the power of setting positive intentions years ago, it felt like I had unlocked a secret door to personal mastery. I was struggling; my childhood trauma created a dark cloud that followed me everywhere. It felt like I had my own personal Yogi Bear dousing my inner fire into depression.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Key Takeaways
♥ Daily intention-setting helps us attune to our full potential and opportunities to align with our values.
♥ Intentions increase self-awareness and attention to specific areas that guide our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
♥ Setting heart-centered intentions before conversations and interactions often improves relationship interaction.
♥ Intentionality can provide new ways of thinking and jumpstart our natural creative states.
♥ Positive intentions have a ripple effect; one person's clear intention can influence a group and elevate the energy of those around them.
Table of Contents
My Personal Experience with the Power of Intentions
What Are Intentions?
Why Setting Positive Intentions Can Transform Your Life
1 Positive Intentions Stimulate the Inner Guidance System
2 Being Intentional Creates Alignment in Your Life
3 Setting Positive Intentions Nurtures Relationships
4 Intentionality Magnifies Creativity
5 Positive Intentions Heighten Social Influence
Closing Thoughts
Frequently Asked Questions
My Personal Experience with the Power of Intentions
One afternoon, when working in my garden and battling ivy weeds, I had an insight. I caught myself admiring the ivy’s tenacity; even though it was frustrating, their relentless spreading was also impressive. I saw myself like the ivy—a survivor, a fighter. I had the same tenacity and had found ways to grow despite my past.
In that moment, I set an intention without even realizing it. I said out loud, “I will find a way to be my best self.”
Then I forgot all about it.
Following that statement, I started to notice opportunities to connect with the truer part of myself. I began identifying ways to see life differently as IF I WERE ALREADY my best self. It was remarkable!
Then it clicked for me.
I realized I had set in motion a thought pattern that was guiding my awareness—I set my first positive intention without even realizing it.
That's when I understood intentionality wasn't just a practice—it was the foundation of all meaningful change.
It was a key to stepping outside the prison of conditioning and limitations. Since then, I've integrated positive intentions into every aspect of my life and work, and the results continue to amaze me.
And now, there’s science to back what I experienced. (Stay tuned for a blog on the science.)
After years of working with thousands of people in personal transformation, I've witnessed firsthand how this simple yet profound practice can reshape lives, enhance relationships, and create lasting positive change.
Before we dig in to why setting positive intentions is a good thing, let's define them.
What Are Intentions?
Intentions are the underlying energy and motivations we bring to our relationships and experiences, consciously or unconsciously.
When we utilize and direct intentions consciously, we can adjust the lens of how we view the world and how we respond and interact with it.
Unlike goals or specific outcomes, intentions represent the quality of our attitude and attention we apply to our experiences. It's like setting the direction of a sail for the wind to power.
For example, rather than setting a goal to make a new friend this month, you might set an intention to remain open-hearted and genuinely friendly with others.
Intentions focus on the present moment and creating a specific focus to align with, rather than a goal where an outcome is concrete and measurable. Intentions shape our thoughts, emotions, and not just what we do, but how we do it and the energy we bring to our daily experiences.
Related reading: "Intentionality: Choose Intention, not Tension!"
Why Setting Positive Intentions Can Transform Your Life
Let me share the five most compelling reasons why positive intentions could transform your life, too.
Positive Intentions Stimulate Your Inner Guidance System
A beautiful aspect of setting positive intentions is how they activate your inner wisdom. This practice helps people tap into a deep sense of knowing and their natural intuition.
Think of positive intentions as gentle whispers from your highest self, guiding you toward your true potential. They create a bridge between your conscious desires and your subconscious wisdom.
Simple and Practical Application:
I started with a simple daily practice that I found doable and that I could be consistent. (I’m the Queen of Inconsistency so this was essential.)
As I woke up in the morning, before climbing out of bed, I’d take time to set a positive intention for the day.
Here’s how it works:
Begin each morning by placing your hand on your heart and asking, “What is my highest intention for the day?” Listen to what rises.
If more than one idea surfaces, you can combine them or pick one. Keep it simple, especially at first.
For instance, “Today I will find all the reasons to be grateful.” Then, watch how your attention will gravitate toward gratitude.
It’s as important to see the shifts as it is to set an intention. You can add a journal to document the small insights and changes, which helps to anchor change.
Start small and BE consistent. However, even if you forget sometimes, I’ve found setting intentions still work.
Being Intentional Creates Alignment in Your Life
What fascinates me about intentions is how they align our energy with our values. They’re like an inner tuning fork.
Our awareness increases so we can make tweaks. We’re no longer on unconscious cruise control so we spot opportunities where our words and behaviors don’t match our intentions or goals.
In my emotional intelligence workshops, participants often experience significant shifts when setting intentions. Just by setting them, they’ve stated that they feel more aligned with their authentic selves.
I recently worked with a client who transformed her leadership style by setting and consistently using the daily intention, “I lead with compassion and clarity.” She remarked how all of a sudden after focusing on the intention only for a day or so, she had greater self-awareness. Here’s what she said:
“It was like a spotlight showed me all the instances where I lacked compassion, or wasn’t being truly present, or how unclear I’d been in my communication. On top of that, I KNEW how to change the tone or the wording to connect better with others. It was unbelievable.”
Within weeks, her team's productivity and morale soared.
The power wasn't in the words themselves but in how they aligned her energy with her natural leadership gifts. Behaviors must match what we say we want; when they do, changes can happen more quickly.
Simple and Practical Application:
Start your day by feeling into your desired energy state, i.e., joyful, positive, or grateful.
Write your intention in the present tense, emphasizing the elevated feeling you want to experience.
Check in throughout the day by asking, “Am I aligned with my intention?” If not, restate your intention and consciously raise your energy to that elevated emotion.
Positive Intentions Nurture Relationships
In the last two decades of working with couples and teaching people skills, I've seen firsthand how positive intentions can restore relationships. (Or how negative attention on what’s wrong and complaining can devour a relationship, just like that ivy.)
Positive intentions help us show up more authentically, be more present, and create space for deeper connections.
In my own life, one of the first intentions I set and continued to set until the behavior was automatic was to be fully present to whoever I was with, starting with my husband. Setting this intention has transformed even the most challenging conversations into opportunities for genuine connection.
I've watched couples repair years of miscommunication through intentional presence and seen teams in companies rebuild trust through shared positive intentions.
Simple and Practical Applications:
- Set a heart-centered intention before every important conversation.
- Create shared intentions with your loved ones or team members. For example, “We contribute our individual best and work together respectfully and effortlessly as a team.”
- Set an intention to find the positive in every experience.
- Practice intention listening, setting an intention to hear beyond the words with empathy.
- Try one of my favorite intentions: “I choose to see and understand each person’s perspective today.”
Intentionality Magnifies Creativity
The relationship between positive intentions and creativity is remarkable. I've witnessed countless breakthroughs in my coaching practice when people learn to set intentions before creative endeavors.
I remember a marketing agency I worked with who were completely stuck and unable to find the right tagline for a company they were marketing. The leader asked the entire staff to set an intention for the ideal tagline before going to sleep that night and write down what came to them upon awakening.
One older man scoffed at the idea, but he came the next day with the perfect tagline used in their marketing campaign.
In another workshop I facilitated, a writer had writer’s block for a book she was writing. She set the simple intention: “The perfect ideas flow freely and profusely for my book.” By the end of the session, she had outlined an entire book. The intention had opened access to her natural creative state.
Simple and Practical Applications:
- Begin creative sessions with a clear intention for flow and inspiration.
- Create an intention-setting ritual that delights your senses. Use color, movement, or sound to create your intentions. For artists, draw or paint your intention.
- I often set an intention before sleep to wake up with the exact ideas I need to move forward on a project or for a presentation. Works every time!
Positive Intentions Heighten Social Influence
What excites me most about positive intentions is their ripple effect. Our energy, thoughts, and actions impact outcomes.
When we set authentic, heart-centered intentions, we don't just transform ourselves, we elevate everyone around us.
I've seen in my own life and in my client’s experiences how one person's clear intention can shift the energy of an entire room. It's like dropping a pebble into a pond and watching the ripples of positive change spread outward.
When we respond to life consciously and lovingly, it invites others to interact with us differently.
Simple and Practical Applications:
- Set intentions for the highest good of all involved in an event.
- Practice “intention walking.” With each step, you become more and more … fill in the blank! “With each step I take today, I feel more and more confident.” Or “With each step I take today, I’m one step closer to my goal.”
- Create “legacy intentions.” Ask, “What energy [result, effect, impact, etc.] do I want to leave in my wake today?”
We all have a wake—it’s either positive or negative. Now you know you can impact whatever you set your mind to!
Closing Thoughts
After years of working with positive intentions, I can tell you this with certainty: their power lies in their simplicity and authenticity.
A warning though: a human tendency is to minimize a tool that is this simple. Don’t make that mistake.
Particularly, those caught in the snares of past pain believe that their past holds them back. I get it!—that was me for a long time. I carried the souvenirs of my trauma until I realized that my True Self had the answers.
Tap into YOU! Your inner wisdom has the power to transform your life.
You just need to begin.
Start where you are, with what calls to your heart. Maybe it's an intention for healing, more joy, deeper inner peace, or stronger connections.
Trust yourself to know exactly what intention will serve your best.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between positive intentions and setting goals?
Positive intentions and goals differ in several key ways.
Positive intentions focus on the emotional state and mindset you wish to assert, while goals are specific, measurable outcomes you want to achieve.
For example, a positive intention might be "I remain open to challenges with curiosity and openness," while a goal would be "I will complete this project by EOD on Friday."
Intentions are more fluid and center on a state of being, whereas goals are results-oriented with clear timelines. Both are valuable, but intentions help shape how you show up in life regardless of whether you achieve specific targets.
What's the relationship between positive intentions and manifestation?
While positive intentions can support abundance and manifestation, they serve different purposes.
Manifestation typically focuses on attracting specific outcomes, while positive intentions focus on how we show up in the present moment and who we want to be as a person.
However, by setting positive intentions about your state of being, you naturally create conditions that can support your manifestation goals.
For example, an intention to "remain be grateful and open to abundance" can support financial goals by shifting your mindset and behaviors around money.
How can positive intentions support us during setbacks?
During setbacks, positive intentions can be an emotional anchor that helps maintain perspective and resilience.
Rather than feeling like we've failed (as we could when goals aren't reached), our intentions, such as staying patient or maintaining self-compassion, remind us of our values and guide our responses to challenges.
Deep Dive: "How to Find Inner Peace by Resolving Conflicted Feelings."
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