Setting Intentions.

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At the end of 2012 (seems so long ago doesn't it) I talked about writing your Wish List for 2012. So today I want to follow that post up with what to do with your Wish List. 

I know we are already 8 days into the new year and I am a little late in writing this post and to be honest I debated not doing it.  However, I believe that the best way to Live Happier is to live with intention.  So even if you have already set your 2013 intentions, this practice will come in handy at some later date.  Setting intentions is a fluid process, one that can happen any time of year, not just January 1st.  So if you recognize a place in your life where you seek help, solace or a need to change you can always set an intention around it.  

As I confessed in my first post of the new year.  I struggled a bit with coming up with intentions, goals, etc.  And quite amazingly, once I admitted I was struggling. Once I let go of the SHOULD around intentions and resolution.  Once I admitted this year is going to be hard and challenging the intentions and wishes flowed pretty easily.  I have seen that time and time again with myself and my clients.  Release it and it flows.  It is when we are holding on to control so hard that we run into trouble. 

So, here is the process I go through to set my intentions for the year. 

1. Taking some time to dream about what your want your life to look like.  (the wish list idea).  Dreaming big. Dreaming without judgement.  Dreaming without shame or guilt.  
2. Narrow down all your dreams into your top 3-5.
3. From those 3-5 wishes, form intentions for the year. Intentions can be actions you want to take, awareness you want to keep in the forefront, changes you want to make, or things you want to eliminate.
4. Name your intentions in broad terms.
5. Provide specific steps to continually achieve the broad intentions. 

So here is my example after listing off many many wishes, some which were pretty crazy I narrowed my list to these 4 wishes (you can have anything from 3-5 wishes)

1. Daily conversations with amazing people.
2. To feel 100% healthy all the time.
3. To cure my Dad's Parkinson's and my husbands epilepsy
4. To be 100% authentic and genuine in how I live my life 

And from those wishes I made these intentions. For each intention I made a general proclamation and then added specific steps. 

To put my health as a higher priority.

• Continue working out 3-4 times a week.
• Eat less sugar.
• Eat more veggies.
• Build awareness around eating through anxiety

Continue to spend quality time with my father and my mother.

• To learn as much as possible about his disease and how to best help him.
• To deal with my stress and struggle as it comes up and face it head on. 

To be congruent in how I live my life.

• To celebrate whole heartedly that I am turning 40 this year.  (even though I am  currently struggling with it)
• To recognize I am enough and continue to let go of my tendency to people please.

To expand my circle of knowledge and people.

• To make more of an effort to connect with my current friends while also adding new ones into my life. 
• To take more classes in things that interest me, no matter how 'out there' they seem.

I would LOVE to hear some of your wishes or intentions or both.  Feel free to share them below or send me an email!

Happy 2013.

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