Set Daily Intentions Everyday For A Better You

Setting daily intentions and sticking to them allows you to focus on what really matters to you, to hone in on what you value, and what might be valuable to you. Many people excel at identifying their values and know that living within their interpretation of them is a powerful way to achieve success. 

Intentions give you purpose and the motivation to achieve your purpose. When you’re setting daily intentions you’re creating, within yourself, an action-oriented state of mind.

As a result, you’re declaring to yourself that today will not be just another ordinary day; you won’t let it be. The practice of setting daily intentions can change your life. 

The Difference Between Goal Setting And Intention Setting 

Goal setting means you’ve established a goal and no matter how you feel or how busy the day has been, the goal is still the same. It’s ideal to keep working towards your goal until you’ve achieved it. Example: “ I want to run a half marathon in six months by running 2-5 times a week.”

Intentions are different in that they can be specific to each day & how you’re feeling in the moment.

Goals are focused on the future and aimed toward a specific achievement whereas intentions are set each day and could be ever-changing. Learn how to set goals here.

Intentions are about who you want to be and what you wish to contribute as a person.

The goal of intention setting is to slow down and decide what is important to you each day, because every day may be different.

You can still be happy and calm even when life is a work in progress if you know you’re setting intentions that help to make you a better you.

Clearly stating what you intend to focus on each day will better help you be in control of your destiny. 

Here’s how…

Setting Daily Intentions Will Help Calm Your Mind and Body

Declaring actionable intentions will help you focus on what is important to you each day. It will place your focus on something that will have a positive impact on your life.

Setting an intention before your meditation, yoga practice, or, most importantly, each day can be a powerful practice because it prepares you for action.

Be Specific

When you write down your intentions, try and be as specific as possible. Your intention should be clear, otherwise, you won’t be able to focus your efforts or feel truly motivated. Specify the details of the things, people, places and experiences you wish to carry out.

Take Control

When you set intentions with full awareness, you are opening yourself up to be more creative and have more opportunity. There is more room for growth and change. All of this helps you be in control of your destiny rather than just seeing what happens and hoping for the best without any action.

Don’t Try To Multi-task

If you’re trying to set your intention while you’re looking for an outfit in your closet with your toothbrush in your mouth while the television is blasting, you may find it difficult.

Choose a time to set your intention when you’re calmer. This could be while your showering, winding down for the day, or on your lunch break. This will help you focus on what is important to you today without any distractions. 

Try To See and Feel Your Intentions

For instance, if you’re tense, try to envision yourself lying on the beach, breathing slowly. Doing an exercise like this could help you get to a calmer state to better help you come up with an intention for the day. Whatever your intention may be, try to see if and feel it. Imagine the positive energy running through your body. 

Examples of Daily Intentions:

• I intend to express gratitude today to all I meet with even the smallest gesture. Example: If someone holds the door thank them genuinely and enthusiastically because they chose to be kind to you.
• I intend to love without judgment. Example: I will let those around me simply be without placing judgment out loud. 
• I intend to take things for face value. Example: I won’t let my mind ruminate on what someone could have meant if they didn’t say anything negative. 
• I intend to be happy. Example: I will be as present as possible and see the beauty in everything I encounter. 
• I intend to see everything around me. Example: I will be mindful and use all of my senses to experiences each moment.
• I intend to cook a new, healthy recipe. Example: Trying a new recipe yourself could help you see it is easy to make. You may eat it more often, even with slight variations or short cuts if you’re crunched for time.
• I intend to truly listen to others today. Example: Sometimes we listen but only partially due to our constant need to plan our next action or make sure we didn’t forget anything. Listening with intention is to be mindful and focus on only what someone is saying in that moment and nothing else. 
• I intend to learn something new today. Example: I love the podcasts Stuff You Should Know. I’ve learned a lot of wacky, random stuff from this podcast and at one point ( before I had two toddlers) I became obsessed with learning all there is to know about ham radio) it doesn’t have to be that extreme, that falls more into a goal. But, listen or read something informative that you’ve always been curious about. 

You may forget why whatever it is you’re doing is important to you in the first place due to feeling stressed out. In other words, intention setting can help you make your day as purposeful and positive as possible. An intention is a guiding principle for how you want to live and how you want to feel. 

 So, when you wake up each morning, you have a choice: to set an intention for your day and feel in control, or to feel scattered and lacking purpose? 

Take a few minutes and recite your intentions of the day or, better yet, write them down somewhere.

Share your intentions below!