“Let the Power of Intention Lead the Way” – Sharon Salzberg

I cannot tell you how many times in the last few weeks I’ve heard “2021 can’t come soon enough!”  It is almost as if the universe will have a collective reset midnight on December 31st and the whole world will wake up magical and fresh.  Don’t we wish it were that easy…especially as business owners!  Unfortunately, it is not that easy, but we all have one secret weapon at our disposal, the power of intention!

People talk a lot these days about mindfulness and starting the day with a set intention, but what does that mean to you as an entrepreneur? What is the difference between setting intentions and setting goals? How can we harness the power of intention for our benefit?

Goal Setting 101:  Goal setting is defining a specific outcome in the future that you want, then creating a plan of action for achieving that goal and following that plan to completion. While goals are important (especially in business), they can’t be the only thing we rely on when we wake up in the morning.  Along with goals, we can also set daily intentions. 

Intentions are designed to open us up and bring positivity to our current state of consciousness. The best part is, there is no limit to intention setting!  Intentions can be about anything and aren’t necessarily meant to be tangible or have a specific action take place like a goal. Some examples of intentions to set could be:

  • Create harmony
  • Lead by example with my staff
  • Be open to success and abundance
  • Stay calm and focused

Compared to goal setting, intentions can be a little vague. This is okay! The power of intention lies in the fact that it’s meant to center us as we begin your day – not necessarily turn into one more thing on our long list of “to-dos”. 

Sometimes it might be difficult to think of an intention, especially when we are first starting this practice.  Here are a few important tips to keep in mind:

  1. Keep it Positive!  Make sure your intention has a positive tone. If your intention is to have less stress, then say something like, “My intention is to invite peace and calm within myself.”
  2. Aim for the short term.  It’s more practical to set an intention for the short term rather than the long term. You can still think of the big picture—just divide your long-term intention into a few shorter ones instead. This will help you achieve a grandiose goal in shorter, more powerful segments.
  3. Make sure it can evolve.  Our minds are very clever, and when something new comes along, the mind is intrigued. But as time passes, the mind gets bored! If you stick with the same intention week after week, your mind will stop responding to it. The best way to resolve this is to make sure your intention or goal can easily be adjusted.

By striving to set (and carry out) daily intentions, tackling the highs and lows of 2021 can become more manageable and help us all put 2020 behind us.  John C. Maxwell once said “Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities.  They vary in their desires to reach their potential.”  What do you desire in 2021?