Make intentions a reality.
It is the start of the New Year. What better time to talk about the magic of our intentions for 2024? Have you started thinking about everything you would like to change in the next 12 months? I do this. I can't help it; most of us do this.
Maybe we are wired to keep improving and increasing our desire for things, which is excellent, but we also need to realize that nothing is wrong with us. If we are satisfied with certain things, then we cannot let society try to influence us to change anything. It should only be considered if we take the time to reflect on where we are in certain areas of our lives.
I reflected on how 2023 added up, what worked, and where I wanted to see change. The most significant area I want to improve is how I spend my time, specifically my free time. This year, I want to have a solid studio schedule. In the past, I scheduled studio/creative time around my family's needs. Which was my role, and I loved it. I loved being at all my son's games and school functions. But that has changed. I still plan to attend his college games, but I have a lot more time to build my business and spend creating art.
All these thoughts started because I was reading about "successfully implementing changes” in our daily lives. How does a person keep those New Year's resolutions? Honestly, in a few weeks to months, we usually reset back to what we know, the same old day-to-day.
The key is to set an intention for how you want to feel and how your life should look to you. And break it down into smaller areas and add them to our day. Small steps help us take significant strides over time.
Our intentions are little whispers to the universe, telling it what we want to attract into our lives. Intentions help channel your energy towards creating those delightful outcomes we are looking for.
To incorporate your intentions into your daily life, you can start by setting some goals. The goals don't have to be grandiose; they should be small and doable. I suggest writing them down. Schedule them and make them meaningful to you!
Another practice that will help you create moments in your day that help your intentions is to build a practice of gratitude. By learning to hear our thoughts in a grateful habit, we cultivate a different environment around us—a positive space.
This may be difficult initially, might "feel" weird, or you may think, "What does this really do?" but once you start doing it repeatedly, you will feel the difference. For example, suppose I were to complain every single time I had to do the dishes; that negative energy makes the whole day feel crappy. And most of us have to do dishes multiple times a day. Now, I am not saying I skip around and have a party when there is a sink full, but I think this will take 10 minutes, and I love a clean kitchen. Now, doesn't that feel just a smidge better?
So, setting our intentions that little things like dirty dishes aren't going to bring my attitude down today helps an overall feeling of more joy.
Because I want more studio time to create art, I am blocking off days in my calendar as studio days. But the key is I am responsible for the follow-through. I can't say I will be in the studio on Tuesdays, and pretty soon, I will start pushing that day off and filling it up with other things. This is especially hard because my studio is in my home, and most of the time, I think to myself, "I should get the laundry done first," or someone wants to meet for lunch, or I think I can quickly run to Costco for the week's groceries. All things I need to or want to do, but they need to be scheduled AROUND my studio day.
I hope you can relate. I am sure there is some area of your life you want to transform, and intentions are great, but unless we put action to our desires, they might stay intentions and not realities.
