Your Guide to Setting Powerful Intentions for Personal Growth

Embarking on a journey of change or committing to a new goal can be exciting, yet it often comes with a tinge of intimidation. Whether you’re seeking to cultivate more gratitude in your daily life, prioritize holistic wellbeing, or release what no longer serves you, intention setting is a powerful tool. However, if you find yourself uncertain about where to begin or how to articulate your intentions, rest assured, you’re not alone.

Intentions are ideas or values that you can set and carry with you throughout your life. Furthermore, they can be set at any time of the day. To demystify the art of intention setting, our Wellness Team have provided more information about what intentions are, why they add meaning and value to your everyday, how to set intentions, and how to make them happen. Here’s what you need to know.

What is an Intention?

An intention is a guiding principle or purpose that reflects your values, aspirations, and desires. It serves as a compass for your actions and decisions, directing you towards a particular state of being or way of living. Intentions focus on the present moment and emphasize the journey rather than the destination. They provide a framework for how you want to show up in the world and shape your overall mindset and approach to life.

On the other hand, a goal is a specific, measurable, and time-bound objective that you strive to achieve. Goals are often tangible and concrete, with a clear endpoint or outcome. Unlike intentions, which emphasize the process and mindset, goals typically emphasize the desired result or achievement. Goals provide direction and motivation, helping you to stay focused and track your progress towards a specific target.

Benefits of Establishing Intentions

Have you ever felt like you’re just coasting through the motions of daily life? Life can become so hectic that it feels like you’re merely surviving each day, checking tasks off your list without a clear sense of progress. It’s a sentiment many can relate to, but it can also leave you feeling stagnant or even burnt out. This is where the practice of setting intentions can make a significant difference.

Setting intentions serves as a powerful tool to reset your mindset. Ultimately, intentions act as a compass, guiding you towards your purpose and values, and helping you to navigate life with clarity and intentionality.

How to Establish Intentions

You’ve recognised the importance of being deliberate in your actions, but where do you begin? Here are some steps to help you get started:

Identify your values – what is important to you and and assert your ownership over them. Recognize that your values and intentions are personal and should reflect yourself.
Define what needs to change – reflective practices such as journaling, meditation or engaging in meaningful conversations with a friend that energize and inspire you. Once we identify our values, we can think about what we are already doing to live in alignment with our values and where we are not doing so. From there, we can identify what needs to change. Think about what would help you fill in the gaps.
Be flexible – remind yourself that intentions are not rigidly defined goals with meticulously laid-out plans. They can be big or small, and change daily or monthly.
Hold yourself accountable- commit them to writing and display them prominently in your living space. Consider locations like your bathroom mirror or computer monitor where you frequently interact. This visual reinforcement serves as a constant reminder, ensuring your intentions remain at the forefront of your awareness.
Put your intentions into action through regular practice. Understand that implementation may not always be seamless, as life’s demands can occasionally disrupt your efforts. With perseverance, living out your intentions becomes more natural, ultimately shaping the life you desire

10 Examples of Intentions:

There are no strict guidelines for setting intentions. You intentions will be unique to you, reflecting your individual desires and aspirations. However, if you are seeking inspiration to begin, here are some examples:

I intend to listen actively before offering my opinion.
I intend to stop taking things personally.
I intend to manifest happiness naturally.
I intend to see the goodness around me.
I intend to be kind even when under pressure.
I intend to make someone smile every day.
I intend to make mindfulness an important part of each day.
I intend to suspend judgment and accept life as it is in the moment.
I will allow myself to take up space and be myself.
I intend to deepen the connection in my relationships.

Achieving your intentions:

At Shanti-Som Wellbeing, we believe in rather than succumbing to unrealistic expectations, we advocate for setting intentions for 2024 that are realistic, motivating, and achievable. It’s essential to prioritize intentions that uplift our spirits and enhance our wellbeing, rather than ones that leave us feeling depleted.

Approach intention setting with a growth mindset. A growth mindset involves acknowledging your ability to grow and develop through hard work, good strategies, and input from others. We can start by reflecting on what we are proud of and have accomplished in the last year, and think about how we want to grow in the next year.

When it comes to succeeding in your intentions or goals, studies have shown that sharing them with supporters can help keep us accountable and more committed. So why not the same with intentions? Ask a trusted friend or family member who shares your values to join you in setting intentions together. This can be a way to strengthen connections as well as support and remind each other throughout the year.