For many of us, setting the big, long-term intentions for our life is not all that difficult. We may want a romantic life partner, or perhaps start our own business. Maybe we want to reach a certain income level by the end of the year. Because they are long-term, we are fairly comfortable letting go of “how” these intentions may manifest themselves. We may, in fact, be so comfortable letting go of the “how” that we don’t do much about these intentions at all.
Based on some email responses I received on my last blog post, it seems to be more difficult for us to come up with intentions for today, or for the next three days, or even for this week. We may already have plans, or perhaps we’re just really, really busy. Our immediate future seems pretty much set!
And yet, the immediate future is what creates the long-term future. What we do today determines our tomorrow. And today is shaped by this present moment, and then the next one, and the next one. How can we create each moment consciously without a guiding intent? If our intent is all about the future, what happens to the now?
I have nothing against long-term intentions. They are a necessary part of our journey. So let’s keep creating our vision boards for the year, or whatever it is that helps us solidify our intentions. But think of long-term intentions as the big road map that tells us what major highways to take between, say, New York and Los Angeles. That big road map contains those major highways – but it’s not detailed at the local level. It doesn’t tell us where to stop for breakfast, lunch and dinner, where to get to an inexpensive hotel for the night, or where we can pick up a supply of snacks for the road. We don’t discover those things from the big road map. We learn those just by taking an exit and being present to where we are while knowing what we’re looking for.
In my last article, I asked my readers to set an intention for getting something accomplished within a three day period. That’s certainly one sort of short-term intention. But when determining our short-term intentions, another powerful question we can ask ourselves is “When the end of the day comes around, who do I want to be?” At the end of my day, I like to be tired in a satisfied way, with a sense of having done my work in the world and hopefully having learned a lot and strengthened my connection to Spirit. I like to be relaxed, knowing my work for the day is truly done. And I like to go to bed looking forward to the next day. These are intentions that have nothing to do with my “to do” list. But setting these types of intentions every day shapes each present moment as it arises, and changes the quality of my day, week, and thereby my entire future.
We can do the same thing for our work week. When Friday evening rolls around, who do we want to be? What state of being do we intend to embrace? Keeping that intention in mind can influence our choices and actions in profound ways as we go about our business.
When you get up tomorrow, set an intention of who you want to be at the end of your day. Ask your Higher Self and Guides for assistance. See what unfolds.
Blessings,
Andrea
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This was so funny, I just got through hanging a “write on wipe off board” and on it I wrote this heading ” goals for week of June 9th. Under that I wrote a few things that I want to stay on track with. I am just starting to make short term goals and decided to try out this board and write my goals each week. Then next to that on the wall is my vision board. I decided to check my email before going to bed and I was so surprised to see your blog on setting short term intentions, fits perfectly to what I just did!!! and had lots of more good tips!!!
It feels like it was a confirmation that this will be very benificial for me! Thanks so much!
well Andrea
I have just finished setting my intention and absorbing the past blog ( I was a few days late) and lo and behold here are some more words of profound wisdom! It seems that without intention we are wafting in the breeze, waiting for some magical being to come and point us in the right direction to manifest our dreams into reality, but in essence unless there is the heartfelt intent in anything how can help be forthcoming? Yes we all dream the big dreams and I am one to get lost in the minutiae of whatever appears on my path beckoning for my immediate and often unnecessary attention.. and thus that is to be my intention, to actually have an intention for that block of 24hrs we call a day and to feel the reward at the end of it as I relax in bed at night at recall my actions.
Hi Andrea, I had subscribed to the “think big, think long term” school of thought for the longest time. While this has been great in many ways, the challenge I get very often is finding the motivation and patience to “wait it out”. Sometimes it’s so easy to forget that big dreams don’t turn into reality overnight and we need to work towards them. When patience run thin, we lose steam and then wonder why we achieve so little. This year, my perspectives have shifted and I’ve come to realize that “baby step” goals can indeed be more effective in leading the way to our big dreams — they’re like “work-in-progress goals” that contribute to the big stuff. My guides no longer want to answer my big, long term questions, LOL … they’re telling me to chill and focus on the present, and take those “baby steps”. I’m sure I can look back a couple of weeks or months from now and be surprised at how much I’ve progressed on my path. Great post Andrea – this really resonates with me.
Lorna – Gotta love those synchronicities! I’m so glad this will serve you – love the idea of having a “short-term” board next to the “long-term” vision board! That’s an awesome way to stay on track!
Robyn – You bring up such a great point – that we get sidetracked when we don’t set intentions. And we absolutely can get lost in both the far-away really big picture, and the minute details …. balance in all things, right? I agree with you that it’s all governed by intention, and without them, life happens “to” us.
Irene – What is the saying? “Even the longest journey begins with a single step?” Something like that, anyway! I love that your Guides are on strike about the “big stuff!” That’s really funny – great way to get you to focus on what’s right in front of you! I have had similar experiences – where I want some sort of information that, really, I already have and I get a big “Sorry, we are unavailable to answer your call right now …” kind of a message!
Blessings,
Andrea
Andrea: I think that beginning each day by setting your intention for that day is a great idea. I read somewhere that each morning we should “script” our day. That is, “see” yourself driving to work safely, sitting at your desk getting good ideas, getting along with your co-workers, having a good work-out at the gym, and so on. After all, like you point out, the long run is made up of what you do in the short run!
dear andrea hess,I’M SICK AND TIRED OF PEOPLE CALLING ME PSYCHO BECAUSE I HAVE INTUITION.even though my intuition is always one hundred percent accurate and sharp as a tack.these idiots out there keep calling me “psycho” just because my intellect is sharper than theirs’.then i always turn out to be right and they end up looking stupid. these people are usually GREAT at technology(they can type beautifully and design beautiful webpages) but outside of that THEY’RE RETARDED.NOT EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS OR ACKNOWLEDGES INTUITION.THEY THINK IT’S A ONE SIZE FITS ALL WORLD.THEY THINK WITH THEIR CONSCIOUS MIND INSTEAD OF KNOWING WITH THEIR UNCONSCIOS MIND.THEN THEY GET MAD AT ME FOR BEING MENTALLY SHARPER THAN THEM.WHAT CAN I DO? I TRY TO AVOID THESE DENSE PEOPLE,BUT I ALWAYS RUN INTO ONE SOME WHERE.THEY JUST GET ON MY NERVES,BECAUSEV THEY TRY TO GET ME CAUGHT UP IN THEIR “CONSCIOUS MIND STATIC.” on another note andrea hess,i would love to buy a copy of your book”unlock your intuition,”but i’m not very good with credit cards on the internet.is there some other place i can buy your book? like maybe chapters bookstore in ontario canada?thanks,signed christine j sojka
Andrea who do I want to be at the end of today is an excellent guiding thought. You know me; I love exercises but I stumbled a bit on the one suggested in your last post. You are onto something here. I think that demonstrating how to set intentions and then have them aligned with right action is an admirable tool top teach us your readers.
I’m going to give it another shot by combining today’s suggestion with the exercise in your last post.
thanks,
Tom
Marelisa – Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment! I haven’t heard of the idea of “scripting” out our day. I do have a question about that – isn’t that a little too much micro-managing the “how”? I’ve always felt that setting our intentions and then getting out of the way delivers results that are better than anything I could imagine for myself. If we script, is there the expectation that our day will unfold exactly as envisioned? I’d like to hear your take on this!
Christine – Vent away!!!
There’s really two places we can use our intuition. One is for our own benefit, in which case, we don’t really need to share our insight with anyone. The second is on behalf of others – but ONLY if they ask. Let’s face it, no-one wants unsolicited advice, intuitive or not. And, as intuitives, we have to honor that everyone makes their own choices. And we definitely have to refrain from saying “I told you so” – even when we want to. Trust me, I’ve been there.
Develop your gifts and find an outlet for them – try doing intuitive readings for people who actually request them. That’ll be far more satisfying to you than trying to get people who don’t believe in intuition to acknowledge your information.
Finally, remember that we attract everyone for a reason. Those “dense” people just may be your greatest teachers. That’s an annoying thought, I know. But they may be in your life to encourage you to figure out a way to incorporate your intuitive gifts in a way that actually serves you and others in a more fulfilling way.
You can order my book at any major bookstore, if you don’t want to purchase it online! I’m thrilled you’re drawn to it!
Tom – Thank you! I did think that this post filled a bit of a gap in the last one … Glad you’ll give it a shot! Let us know how it goes!
Blessings,
Andrea
Andrea,
I have been reading the progression through your last several articles. It brings me to questions of divine order. I know you touched on the subject awhile back where you actually quoted some numbers about the number of possibilities ‘living what we are meant to live’ can have. I tried to remember what that article was so I could reread it, but no luck. If you could direct me, I’d like to read it again.
I have a hard time reconciling divine order at the micro managing state. In the big picture of divine order, i.e., there are no mistakes, you can’t get it wrong, I understand it. It is the premise of all possibility. Application of the idea that all is in divine order when the littler things seem to be going anything but right is where I get stuck or misdirected. Or maybe more accurately, the question how to take up ‘better’ action when the previous path you’ve been on looks downhill rather than up.
It seems if what I am living is a flow of stay here even though it’s not pleasant (or downright miserable!) acceptance of the divine order has me constantly questioning. Especially when I insert the idea that I need not suffer. And often feeling like I need or want to be doing something. So the urge to do anything except let it be is great. And the line to walk can be perilous, not doing when it might be more appropriate to take some action, if I can even manage to do so. It is the ‘who knows’ element which often does spiral downward if that was the current flow. Is it still divine order? Or did I take a detour trying to bypass it? Or simply one of those combinations of possible outcome you spoke of months ago?
Andrea,
Your parameters, for evaluating your day, your sense of satisfaction, etc — for me, this is the very definition of what it means to “be happy.” The happiness we pursue, our sense of success, of being in the flow, these are small, subtle, constant, daily experiences. They are very different from what I would categorize as Milestones, or Goals.
You’ve broken or described the details of my mantra: “Joy only happens in the present.”
And quite frankly, the Milestones, the Big Moments are intense, few and far between, and not a wise bar to set for the base level of happiness. The Big Stuff – that intensity – would be impossible to maintain all the time, while the simple joys are not only the easiest to identify and maintain, they are the ones that sustain US; they sustain themselves.
The good news is that absolutely anyone, regardless of their job, their title, or their income, can possess this secret of joy.
Girl, your posts are just rockin’ lately!
Very well said, and I agree Andrea’s posts Rock!!!!!
Hi Andrea,
I found out about you through your comments on Tom Stine’s blog, and wanted to connect with you as I feel a strong personal alignment with your work. (I help people find agents and publishers for their books http://www.authoronestop.com and also have a new book out called, “The Power of Miracle Thinking.” http://www.miraclethinking.com).
Regarding your latest blog posting on intentions, I would like to share the following: A few days ago, I realized I hadn’t blogged in a while, so I got on my miracle thinking blog and wrote a brief exercise about a process that I call, “Set Up Your Day,” which involves stating an intention for one’s day. As an example in my blog, I had written the following intention: “Today, I ask for a wonderful, magical surprise.” Then I instructed my readers to let that thought go and just move on in the flow of their day. A few hours later, I received a phone call from niece, who lives on the opposite coast from me. She was in the area and wanted to get together with me for dinner. I received my wonderful, magical surprise! : )
I invite you to visit my sites or blog and please be in touch if you feel a similar alignment.
Sincerely,
Randy Peyser
Andrea: I think most of us have a daily planner where we set down what we plan to do on that day. Scripting your day is just taking a moment to go through your daily planner and “seeing” yourself having a positive experience while performing the tasks you’ve set down for yourself on that day; it’s not about trying to “see” every minute of the day, just overall having a good experience with all the things you will encounter on that day. Also, I think that whenever we set goals, or “script” our day, and so on, we should add: “This or something better for the best of all concerned.” That way you open yourself up to something even better happening.
Hi Barbara – I tried to find the article in my archives, and couldn’t locate it. I think I remember the one you talked about … but sure can’t remember the title. Sorry – I’ll keep trying to find it!
There’s definitely a fine line between allowing for “Divine order” and letting go of our responsibility to create our lives. Here’s my take on this: We set out intentions. “How” those intentions are manifested is up to Divine order. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t also have to take action – we do. We are the Divine Creators, here. So we work with intent and action to create the life we want, and at the same time trust that we are perfectly supported by the Divine. And if something doesn’t look exactly the way we intended – if we’ve done our work – then I would say the outcome is in Divine Order.
I don’t think any part of Divine Order ever requires us to suffer or be miserable – that’s usually us, doing that to ourselves.
Slade – Thank you!! So glad this resonated with you. I completely agree that we cannot define ourselves by those Big Moments – there’s just not that many of them, and we miss out on a lot in between. I even think sometimes that the intensity of those Moments can be a distraction, even disruptive if we keep trying to recreate it. Thanks for bringing that up in this discussion!
Lorna – Thank you!!!
Randy – Thank you for visiting! And thank you for sharing that story – it’s a perfect illustration of how short-term intentions can work! What a wonderful little miracle. I think life does become magical when we can appreciate how our “little” every day intentions manifest themselves.
I’m off to visit your blog!
Marelisa – Thanks for the explanation of this practice. That makes perfect sense! I always add a similar phrase: “In my highest good and the highest good of all.” Sounds like we’re on the same page!
Blessings,
Andrea
Andrea,
I had such a profound experience in response to doing your exercise — it wouldn’t fit in a comment, here — so I’ve posted it on Shift Your Spirits today:
Riding the Wave of Intention
Thank you, dear! Your work makes an enormous impact and I’m very grateful for it.
xxxooo
Slade
andrea,thanks,but i found a way to deal with those dense people.AVOID THEM BEFORE I GO NUTS!HA,HA.thanks for the information about your book.signed christine
I Intend that I take responsibility for myself and my action.
I Intend that today will be a prosperous day for me.
I Intend that the Universe is conspiring to suprise and delight me toaday.
I Intend that I shall live in peace today
I Intend that all the above shall be..for the highest good of me and everyone else involved.
Tammie