Good Intentions

By Marty Marsh

We're all familiar with that old saying that goes something like this, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” And I agree with that in so far as setting intentions and then doing nothing to bring them into reality.

And ‘hell’ is where many people find themselves when they spend so much time beating themselves up over broken promises, resolutions and intentions.

The great news is that the Law of Attraction doesn’t care what you were doing—or what vibration you were sending—a moment ago or a lifetime ago. It is a Universal law that works obediently and without judgment. In other words, it only works in the here and now and is completely impersonal. The Law of Attraction only works in this moment so there is no past record operating either for you or against you.

Therefore, you are free to re-start your intentions anytime you wish. You can begin your new life anytime you want and have as many starts as you want. The Law of Attraction doesn’t keep track so you can begin again right now or next week or next year. The choice is yours.

I’m reminded of a 50-year-old woman who was thinking about going back to school for an advanced degree all the while lamenting that she’d be 54 years old by the time she was done. Yep. But if she didn’t go back to school, in four years, she was still going to be 54 years old.

And it’s the same with your intentions. You can either start acting on them now, or you can wait until you're older. One way or another, you're still going to be older.

Many of my intentions are intensely personal and so I choose not to share them with anyone else—and some of yours may be the same way—but here are a few of mine that I'm giving my attention, energy and focus to:

• To review my goals, desires, and intentions every morning before I start my day
• To eat healthful food in the right proportions
• To remember how certain foods make me feel BEFORE I eat them
• To exercise at least a half hour every day
• To write something every day
• To check email only at pre-determined times each day (so I don't spend too much time with it)
• To do something to market my business every day
• To write down at least 5 things I'm grateful for every day

How about you? What are your intentions?

Tips for setting and keeping intentions

• Write out each of your intentions, starting each sentence with “My intention is to...”
  
  Why write them down? Things we leave in our minds tend to stay there as intangible, but as soon as you write them down, they become real (tangible) because now they exist on paper. And most of us operate on a principle that what-gets-written-down-gets-done and anything not written down gets left for another day (which easily becomes day-after-day-after-day). Or we simply forget all about it!
  
  
• Develop an awareness of limiting beliefs. A limiting belief usually comes to the surface of your consciousness as that small quiet voice that whispers statements like, “It’ll never happen for me,” or “I’ve been here so many times before and nothing changes,” or “You KNOW this is a waste of time.” Any thought that introduces doubt in your mind is considered a limiting belief.
  
  If you notice some limiting beliefs surfacing about your ability to see your intention through, take note of that. Attach this phrase to the beginning of any intention that generates limiting beliefs, “I’m in the process of...” For most people, that simple phrase deletes doubt and bolster’s ones vibration with regard to any intention.
  
  
• Read over your list of intentions every day. Raise your vibration around each intention by reminding yourself that you are “In the process of...” achieving this intention. Visualize yourself having achieved your intention. Imagine yourself celebrating this achievement. Notice how you feel and recreate these positive feelings throughout your day.
  
  Why re-read your intentions every day? We attract what we give our attention, energy and focus to; focusing your attention on your list of intentions will bring or manifest those things into your life much faster.
  
  
• Celebrate your successes every day. If you like to reward yourself for keeping an intention for a specific length of time, then plan and follow through with celebrations, like going to a movie or planning a shopping trip, or anything else that will leave you with a feel-good-feeling after you’ve reached a goal.
  
  
• At the end of each day, write down at least 5 things you are grateful for. If you made progress on one or more of your intentions, that's something to be grateful for right there. Take the time to be grateful. The vibration of being grateful is a powerful attractor.
  
  
• Love yourself and be gentle with yourself. If you didn't live up to your expectations for yourself on a particular day, then forgive yourself, love yourself, remind yourself that you are “In the process of...” and start over again tomorrow.