Be Only You

An intention is quite commonly known as a determination to act in a certain way or to produce an intended goal or objective. There is an expectation of a certain action to come about. So when applying this to yourself, your intention is really just how you want to think, feel or act in a certain way or one step further, your desired end-point or goal.

A while ago, I wrote about how powerful your mind can really be in Your Mind Is More Powerful Than You Think. In this, I want to focus more about how to reframe the negative narrative within your mind and how you can use the power of your intention (within your mind) to reshape your life.

Where focus goes, energy flows. And where energy flows, whatever you’re focusing on grows.

Tony Robbins

Your thoughts which you listen to over and over again become your belief system and this is what shapes your wordly experience. Most of the time these thoughts are inherited from early childhood through caregivers, schooling and the world around us.  Ever wonder why you might have a compulsion to not waste food or to not mark the page of a brand new book or not leave the house with wet hair for fear of the flu? At some stage in your life these learned beliefs were a tiny seed, one that would only grow into a sapling and then flower, provided it had the right environment inclusive of nutritious soil, water and adequate sunlight. The same can be said for maintaining this belief or flower, they need consistent attention or in the case of your mind, intention to stay alive.  

So if your thoughts are energy which your mind transforms into feelings and emotions. Then through this cycle, you can create a belief system around something, someone and yourself. It is a repeated behaviour of thinking the same thought, believing the same belief and acting in the same way. Most often, we find it is easier to do this with critical thoughts such as “you are not good enough” or “ you don’t have enough” or “you are not as good as them”. While at first you might think this is your inner voice (or more commonly known as our inner critic), these are in fact external voices (from other people throughout our lives) that have successfully infiltrated our mind and our belief systems. 

I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Bonne Ware (Top 5 Regrets Of The Dying)

Noise Versus Intentions

Your true and pure thoughts are what drive your positive intentions in life. These are the tiny whispers from your intuition and the clarity of mind. Although like most humans, the vast, vast majority of our mind is littered with so much of the noisiest thoughts and chatter that we collect upon our daily lives.

Unhelpful Thoughts

• Your insecurities centred around how you are “not good enough”
• Chatter including the word “should”, mostly forced expectations in the shape of parental or societal voices
• Repressed childhood belief systems e.g. you must get top marks for a gold star or write inside the lines to be a “good” child

The list can go on and on here but you get the idea. None of these belief systems help you get closer to your real intentions in life. So do yourself a favour and do what you can (mediate, walk, journal, therapy) to process them and develop a more beneficial thought pattern and silence this inner noise.

You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.

Wayne Dyer

3 Steps For Positive Intention Setting

1. Recognise Your Power

Your thoughts create your belief systems, which create your personality and your worldly experience. You must believe that you have this power. It’s easy for me to tell you this but only you can feel and drive this for you. Don’t believe me? Think of the hardest thing you’ve had to do in your life? Was it easy? No of course not, but somewhere along the wayyou decided you would push through and handle it the best way you know how. Now here you are reading this having gone through it. That took courage, strength and resilience which without your intention, it would not possible.

2. Decide Your Thoughts

While this sounds simple, it most certainly requires a lot of practice. Firstly, try to catch your attention when you have that thought or chatter which you know is destructive or critical towards you. Remind yourself with “ah there you are again, welcome”. 

In these moments, picture a beautiful bed of fresh soil that you intend to plant your new seed. Visualise creating a hole in the soil for your seed. Now ask yourself “what shall I replace this thought with”. If it is helpful, imagine what you would say to a dear friend experiencing the same challenge. What would help them feel better? 

3. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Like with everything, this is not a one and done exercise. Like with tending to a beautiful flower patch, it requires weeding often. These weeds represent the inevitable negative and critical thoughts that will of course cross your mind again and again.

Practice makes perfect and reshaping anxiety ridden thoughts takes all sorts of therapeutic methods (find what works for you). Make sure to remind yourself often just how strong you are. Like riding a bicycle, you likely fell off a lot of times but you got back up and onto the saddle. The same with potty training, you most certainly didn’t get it right at first. It is the same when training the brain. You may find using positive affirmations as a powerful technique in this. Tired of a particular negative thought on repeat? Why not write out it’s exact opposite thought and stick it all around your house? Where you can see it first thing in the morning and last thing at night so you can repeat it ideally out loud to yourself. Give it a go, it may surprise you.

Some of my favourite affirmations

• I am enough exactly as I am
• I release all that no longer serves me
• I am worthy
• I am loved

Your mind is an amazing well of energy of which you get to decide how to use it. You are in the driving seat and decide which direction to go. The choice is all yours if you are willing to get in.

Thank you for reading and if you haven’t already,  subscribe below to receive my weekly blog straight to your inbox and receive printable gratitude and values exercises! Please also forward this to anyone else you think might be interested

Much love ♥

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist, these opinions are my own views and thoughts. I strongly encourage you to work with your healthcare practitioner and/or therapist if any of these views have had a negative impact on you.