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In October, my intention came whooshing in like an autumn wind. In an instant, I knew courage would be my 2016 intention. Immediately I thought, Why courage? Will this be a particularly challenging year? My mind ever alert for possible problems quickly made itself heard. Gratefully, I am in the company of many brave women. Whenever I forget what it means to be brave I have only to look at the women encircling me.
Choosing an intention is a practice we continue in women’s circles. We have done this for nearly a decade. Consciously stated intentions are at the core of each circle. It helps us support each other on our shared journeys.
Often it is tempting to use intentions to fix unacceptable flaws. Is it any wonder that forming them can then be a struggle? But their role is to shape our experience. Self-perfecting is impossible and exhausting.
I know this to be true.
What if we found a different perspective? What if we didn’t have to perfect ourselves but access parts we hadn’t emphasized in the past?
An intention is an ongoing reminder of how we engage the moment. As we look over a day we can reflect on how our choices embody them. In that way they guide and allow us to ask: Am I a reflection of my intention? And if not, what do I need to shift or change?
I wrote in Unfolding: “Many of us long to let inner guidance have a larger role in our choices, especially in the second half of our lives. We want to trust our inner authority and speak from there with boldness and compassion.” This quote may hold clues to the intention you wish to use. Here are some to consider…
• I am the possibility of trusting my inner authority.
• I am the possibility of speaking boldly.
• I am the possibility of living my dreams.
• I am the possibility of embracing new adventures
• I am the possibility of courageous actions.
• I am the possibility of letting my light shine
• I am the possibility of compassion

Words like these reveal our heart’s desires. Intentions remind us of how we want to be. Could awareness without willful determination be the answer? Yes! With this more soulful approach we are encouraged to unfold.  Intentions bring awareness to our days.  How we enter each moment is a choice. Intentions can guide that choice.They are not a demand for change but a practice of living mindfully.

Using them we become a handmaiden to our soul.

Photo Credit: Bill Glass