The Results Are IN! Lessons learned from setting daily intentions.
I finished my 30 day challenge to set daily intentions at the end of July. I decided to do this so I could prepare for my move. Let me back up in case you are reading this without any context from previous posts. I made the decision to relocate from Washington DC to Rochester NY. To do this, I needed to sell my condo, pack up all my belongings, and manage all the logistics that would get me to my new home. Once I made the decision, it all happened really fast. So I needed something to ground me and keep me focused on the task at hand.
Setting daily intentions proved to be critical to my well being. It also made for a much more efficient and less stressful move.Oftentimes, I would set an intention to be productive and check off a few things on my to do list. When I was feeling overwhelmed, I would set an intention to feel calm which usually entailed taking deep breaths throughout the day.
What did I learn from setting daily intentions?
Keep it simple. Don’t overload yourself or over-complicate things. If your intention is to be productive, plan to complete a few tasks, not 10. If your intention is to feel calm, deep breaths 3-4 times throughout the day or whenever you are feeling overwhelmed is good. Don’t try to do a 5 mile run, followed by a yoga class, and then Tai Chi.
A positive mindset helps. I needed to feel grounded and it felt good to wake up knowing everything was going to be ok.
It’s a motivator. It keeps your intention front and center and motivates you to focus on your intention.
Don’t sweat it if you don’t fulfill on your daily intention. It’s a tool like any other. It requires some discipline and in the end it’s only a guideline. I was on autopilot the week after my move. I was a bit scattered and in a daze so my daily intentions went by the wayside for a few days.
All in all, I consider my 30 day challenge a success and one tool that I will use again.