intention: aim or objective: something that somebody plans to do; quality of purposefulness: the quality or state of having a purpose in mind

Dear Universe,

Lately, I have been thinking more and more about intention.

It started with a conversation I had with someone a couple of months ago.  We were talking about relationships and she made the comment that, “as long as two people enter the relationship with the best of intentions, and they are both on the same page, that’s all you can ask for.  No one knows what will happen after that, but the right intention has to be present.”

I had never quite thought of it that way.  But since then, I have come to realize just how important intention is in my day to day life.

I wake up with intentions for my day.  When I communicate with loved ones I always have the best of intentions.  When I enter my classroom I have certain intentions for how my time with my students will go.

Sometimes things don’t go exactly as I hoped, but I’m starting to think the intent to have positive intentions is as important as the actual result, regardless of the outcome.

People pick up on what one’s true intentions are more than we realize.

I say this because lately I have been thinking about others intentions towards me… and it turns out?  We are all pretty good judges of this if we take the time to think about it.

When I feel hurt or slighted, instead of jumping to conclusions or assuming things, I instead ask myself what I think their intentions were.  Usually, I think people come at us with love and positivity… how messages or conversations are delivered may not always reflect that, but realizing that the intention is probably coming from a good place, has helped me have a fresh perspective on lots of situations in my life.

Of course, sometimes I pick up on negative feelings or intentions as well, but there’s usually an explanation behind that—usually one that has nothing to do with me personally.

And I’m realizing it works both ways.  I think others can sense my intentions, more than I recognized before.  Now I find myself doing something I never used to.  At least a few times a day I stop and ask myself: What is my intention here?  Doing so allows me to project that feeling into what I am doing.  I find myself approaching certain aspects of my day completely differently.

I think too often we go through our days blindly, getting lost in all the things we need to do and the people we need to see.  Most of the time, we run on auto-pilot, cruising from one moment to the next, not thinking about what we’re doing or how we’re approaching one another.

That can be dangerous. At the very least, it can lead to shallow or empty relationships, misunderstandings or missed opportunities.

“Before you agree to do anything that might add even the smallest amount of stress to your life, ask yourself: What is my truest intention? Give yourself time to let a yes resound within you. When it’s right, I guarantee that your entire body will feel it.” ~Oprah Winfrey

Thank you for the realization that having conscious intentions can make a difference in how our days play out and how our relationships work out.  It seems the more I am aware of the idea of intent, the more it’s coming back to me in positive ways.

Much Gratitude,

A