A Joyous Perspective on Intention: The difference between treading water and swimming

It's Friday, and time for another Friday Night Thought Tale Hour with the Hendersons. This week, as I continue to work through some coursework, I found myself doing a lot of thinking about intention, and how it can impact a life. I realized that intention goes beyond motivation, and perhaps it might even be the real foundation for our motives. Intention is the in-depth intrinsic thought process that gets wrapped up in the limbic system of our brain. It involves much more than goal setting and objectives. These things are tangible and straightforward to recognize. No, intention can be very mysterious and elusive. And I've come to realize that it takes a bit of deep self-examination to understand what our own intentions indeed might be.

And it can be the difference between treading water and swimming to a destination.

Do you ever feel stuck, and wondering why you just can't seem to get passed something in your life? Perhaps you're presented with a problem or challenge that just seems to be reappearing again and again. The truth is, we cannot avoid issues in this life. It could be that you are looking for the solution by focusing on the problem... That's where intention comes in. It's about focusing on the solution, not the problem. 

I understand. It’s easy to obsess over all the possible negative, worrisome, or even tragic outcomes of an event. We can soon allow our mind to carry us down these dark and fear-filled pathways. Focusing on illness will never create health. Concentrating on unpaid bills or an overdrawn bank account will not create abundance. 

Focusing our attention on a problem will only serve to magnify it.

To find solutions, we need to do three things:

1) Before any action is taken, decide what it is you really want and set the intention. "I intend to be healthy." "I intend to be prosperous." "I intend to be at peace with others." 

2) Be reflective and stop all judgment of yourself and others. Only get angry for a good reason. Ask yourself, "Is this relationship worth risking or damaging over this opinion or need?" More likely than not, the answer will be no. 

3) Be appreciative. Showing gratitude begins the internal shift that allows you to see love and connection to all things. Do not let your intention to be diminished just because progress is not immediate. Be thankful for every nuance on the way to your intention.

These three steps are crucial to creating the reality that we seek. 

To know your intentions is to know yourself. When we remember that life’s challenges provide us with an opportunity to do that, suddenly they seem a lot less paralyzing and a lot more valuable.

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.

So tonight, Chris and I will be joined by a couple of great friends with our intentions set upon value for long relationships. I am making a martini I call "Just Peachy" because when you are able to embrace a good intention, things really do feel just that way. Cheers, Friends!

Joy's Just Peachy Martini**

1 oz of Ciroc Peach Vodka

1 oz of Peach Brandy

1/2 oz of Peach Puree

Crushed ice

Place all in a shaker, shake hard and strain into a martini glass. 

**Always drink responsibly.