Book of the Week-The Power of Intention

January 7 th, 2016

It's late but I have thoroughly enjoyed my day. My eldest daughter turned ten years old today. I kept both daughters home from school and we enjoyed each other's company, celebrating Molly and preparing for her big party tomorrow night. She has seven friends sleeping over and it is all very exciting.

I chose to write about The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer because I vividly recall reading it during a trip to Mexico seven years ago. My daughters were young and I read every time they napped (twice a day) and, in the evening after they had settled in for the night. I have always loved books. As a child, I couldn't wait to go grocery shopping with my mom so I could sit in the cereal aisle and soak up all their books. I don't know why there was a book rack with cereal but it didn't matter. When I discovered self-help books, it opened up a whole new world to me. We see the world in a certain way, based on our upbringing and our experiences. Books show you life from a different point of view. It also helps you recognize and understand your own behavior which nourishes self-love as well as compassion for others.

When I read Dr. Dyer's book, I was in a bit of a fog. I was married with two young children and sleep-deprived. My maternity leave was coming to an end. My husband and I were struggling to re-create what we had together before becoming parents. We were both exhausted and finding our way. We felt frustrated, confused and overwhelmed. This was an important book for me because, at its core, the message was to be aware of your intention. I was feeling powerless to change anything in my life. I couldn't see every individual aspect of my existence just the sum of its parts. Focusing on my intention gave me a tool I could work with to align all of the pieces of my puzzle.

After much soul searching, I realized I had three main intentions:

1-Work on my relationship with Vincent in order to stay connected and loving as a couple and a family
2-Be a fun, loving, present mom for my girls
3-Use my skills to help others

This helped me tremendously. I didn't have to make any major decisions just stay true to my intentions. Knowing your intentions allows you to prioritize and move forward. On page 255 of the book this is described as thinking "from the end". It means you know what you intend the outcome to be. Rather than trying to figure out how to get there, you align what you say, think and do on a daily basis with your intention.

Here are some useful tips from the book to help you connect to your intentions:

1-"Become conscious of your thoughts", you will notice whether a thought is strengthening or weakening your energy. Is the thought aligned with your intention. If not, stop it in its tracks and replace with a more appropriate thought.

2-"Meditation", get quiet every day and become receptive to inspiration, stay focused on your intention.

3-Eat live food, feed your body with as much unprocessed food as possible. It's easier for you to thrive when your body is well nourished and your mind is uncluttered by toxins.

4-Pay attention to the quality of the people in your life, if you surround yourself with negative people, you will also eventually see the glass as half empty.

5-Notice the energy of your home. Is your house cluttered? Are there lots of objects to remind you of a divorce, illness, debt etc.? Clear your space of such objects and replace them with art, affirmations or just enjoy the uncluttered space.

6-Abandon your need to have more or be superior, this can compete with our intention and pull you off course.

7-Grab any opportunity that presents itself  if it moves you in the right direction, toward your intention.

8-Find people who know their purpose and are living with intention, learn from them.

9-Communicate your intention to others, they may have important information that will move you in the right direction.

10-Find something to be grateful for each day. Recognizing what you have helps you maintain your integrity because you do not perceive yourself as empty.

I hope this information is helpful for you. It changed the course of my life.

Anne
www.artnsoul.org