Intention is the rudder that steers our life boat. It drives our lives.

Definition of “intention” (noun): a thing intended; an aim or plan.

It’s derived from the latin word “intentio”, which means “stretching” or “purpose”.

Synonyms: deliberateness, design, calculation, meaning, preplanning.

As you’ve already noticed, we can’t control the ocean beneath us—sometimes it roils and tosses us around, maybe even dumps us in the freezing water, jolting us into a new level of sobriety and awareness.

And we can’t control the winds of change that blow around us either. They will blow whichever way they please, because that’s what wind does.

But we can decide where we want our boat to go, and we can adjust our rudder to make sure our boat is going in that direction. And once we know we’re heading in the right direction, we can paddle with all our might, come hell or high water.

In the end, that’s the best any of us can do.

So intention is clarity about the results we want to create: the direction we want to steer our boat. Valuable time is wasted when we don’t begin by clarifying our desired intentions and outcomes, even for something as simple as a client meeting, or a difficult conversation with a friend.

But after you get clarity, the next step is to take stock of the internal and external resources necessary to manifest those results.

Alignment of Internal/External Resources in Action

To help you manifest your specific intentions more quickly, I’m sharing a useful checklist that will align your internal AND external resources. I’m using the example of my book, because that’s one of my specific intentions right now, but you can sub in any intention.

Wait, what do you mean by “specific intentions”?

I mean intentions that lead to a specific physical outcome, like publishing a book. Most of the intentions I use in my life are non-specific, because those create the most magical, wide-reaching results. One example: I have an intention to love and value myself and my life so much, that I choose to let go of indulging in anger or judgment toward myself or others. Even though this isn’t a specific intention, the energy behind it is so powerful that it creates a lot of interesting outcomes in my life, including tests to see how serious I am about it, ha).

Okay, here’s my sample list to get you started…

1. Intention (Who, What, Why): Publish a bestselling book that helps visionaries live their potential faster as their True Self, so I can use it as a guide to teach & facilitate internationally, and help to raise the level of consciousness in this world (Important note: never include How or When)
2. Internal Resources:
   1. Daily visualization of final outcome
   2. Daily focus on “feeling” gratitude
   3. Listing and clearing limiting beliefs possibly blocking this outcome, and doing EFT and mindfulness exercises to clear them.
3. External Resources:
   1. Daily writing ritual of 1-3 hours
   2. System for tracking ongoing progress (Google Keep)
   3. Software to organize outline, chapters and research (Scrivener)
   4. Revisit my library of writing books and make a checklist of elements required to build a solid story structure
   5. Explore/compile list of publication avenues, but only after ½ the book is completed! (because otherwise I use it as a fun way to procrastinate on doing the writing, and also because the act of visualizing this daily and taking action toward it will set energetic wheels in motion that may provide new options I never considered)

This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a solid summary of the framework, and it will work if you use it. As I’ve said before, magic is a result of consistent patterns of thought, belief and behaviour, so if you’re serious about manifesting certain things in your life, you have to make a plan and follow it.

In any case, you’re in a boat and it’s floating somewhere. You might as well grab the oars and steer it towards an interesting island. If nothing else, it gives you something fun to focus your attention on that will add a little spice to your life. And consider this, my dear life travellers: what if you do make it to that much-desired island? And even if you never arrive, imagine all the amazing, brand new experiences this journey will bring you, just by having the courage to make the attempt? Could be fun, no?

Happy creating, visionaries!

Rise up and shine as your True Self,

Shawn xo

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