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Take a moment to center yourself. Close your eyes and breathe in a big deep breath of fresh, nourishing air. As you exhale, release tension and stored emotions from your body. Acknowledge where you have been today and the desire for continued momentum forward. Stay with this for a few moments….
Centered? Okay, good!
Sometimes we literally need to stop ourselves in our tracks and pause to just be in the moment. In this sacred pause we can turn off autopilot and turn on our magnificent mindfulness and attention; we become intentional. As you do this, you become the co-creator of your life and shift into a more meaningful way of being. By taking this time to shift and steady your attention, you are more willing to experience life in all its glory.
Sometimes it is easier to be an autopilot so you can “just get through the day” but let me please encourage that you, and the life you live, DESERVE your full attention and awareness. When you bring thoughtful intention to taking care of yourself, to your relationships and work processes, the results and connection you will feel is astonishing. It’s like you “wake up” and see a whole new world. This of course does not mean that everything you see, think, or feel will be warm and full of rainbows, but you will begin to experience your truth and the authentic reality in which you live.
This is a gift.
As humans, we have the capacity to bring consciousness to life. We can think, feel, and respond with CHOICE.
Choice kindles the fires of empowerment and we light up with authentic action. When we are on autopilot, we are not functioning at our optimal potential. We are a duller, albeit instinctual, version of ourselves. Our brains are wired to survive. Meaning, they can function without much thought or motivation outside our instincts.
Have you ever driven from one familiar place to the next and once you arrive, you don’t recollect how you got there? Your instincts took over and you were just able transport yourself without much thought. Now, if you were going to a new place you have not been before, you pay much closer attention. You had to rouse the part of your brain that brings intention and awareness to what you are doing so you don’t get lost.
This is the shift into consciousness I am sharing with you.
You do not need to wait for something new to occur, you can do this right NOW by pausing and shifting your attention.
Are you still centered? If your mind is going to your to-do list or you find that you are re-reading sentences and not remembering what you read, take time to pause, breathe, shift, and come back.
This is a PRACTICE, not a destination whereby once you are intentional, you are intentional forever. Again, your brain is wired to survive, not to thrive. The thriving comes from your heart, your soul, your empowered spirit. By valuing intention, you begin to embody a thriving mindset and operate with your whole being, your whole potential.
The benefits of applying intention are 10-fold. Not only will you feel more alive, aware, awake, and connected, but others around you will feel it, too. Our heart transmits loads of energy. In fact, there is more nerve communication between the heart and mind than anywhere else in the body, AND 90% heart-to-brain connecting fibers ASCEND from the heart to the brain. According to HeartMath Institute, our heart and brain are constantly communicating to one another. Meaning, that our heart communicates TO our brain most of the time, instead of the other way around.
WHOA! We are truly heart-centered beings!
When you settle into an intentional space within, you experience more positive emotions. A positive heart will permeate even when you are in an uncomfortable situation, and that affects our whole being in an affirming way.
So, how do you live a more intentional life?
1. Slow Down
We are fast-paced beings. We fly from one thing to the next with barely a transition. The other morning, I was so busy gathering my littles that I forgot to brush my own damn teeth. We need to literally slow our physical body down. Take rest, or just take a deep breath and say “hello gorgeous” to yourself in the shower before you turn the water off. We provide for the needs of many through the day in various ways. Our energy is thrown into to-do lists, gathering others, and rushing. I invite you to slow your pace. Say no to things that are not important or fulfilling to you in some way so you can take some much deserved rest.
2. The Sacred Pause
Do you ever notice how you might rush to “fill the space?” Like, you fill up your calendar, or you fill gaps of silence in conversation, or you emotionally overreact, or you drive way over the speed limit? The sacred pause is your best friend! Constantly rushing tells our nervous system that something is wrong, so we kick our survival mode on without even trying.
Try counting to 5….slowly…..before responding. While you are waiting to respond, listen to your heart and check in with yourself. Ask, “is what I am about to do aligned with me? With my goal? With my purpose?” You can build in pauses with each transition of your day. Stop and identify one thing you are grateful for before moving on to the next task. Not only will you train your brain to notice things that bring you joy, but you will build a bank full of positive feelings that will only attract more positive feelings.
3. Know Your Values
What is important to YOU? Knowing what you value allows for clarity in your actions. When you align with your values, you align with your purpose and the next right step seems effortless. The result = LESS efforting. You build a sense of contentment and safety within yourself so paying attention to your life becomes pleasurable and less resistant.
4. Know Your Worth
You are worth every last ounce of attention and attunement in your life. The more you recognize, cherish, and harness your worth, your capacity to feel joy and rapture in the everyday grows exponentially. Knowing your worth gives you the gift of embracing the mess, the clutter, the bold, the beauty, the fun, the adventure, and the moments of clarity.
5. Pay Attention Like Your Life Depends on It
The next time you notice your mind wandering away from what you are doing or feeling, gently bring your awareness back to the moment and pay attention like your life depends on it. I know that sounds dramatic, and I kind of mean it to be. When you first begin orienting yourself to becoming more intentional, your mind will want to pull you away again. Paying attention like your life depends on it gives you a container to focus in. Challenge yourself to pay attention fully for 5 seconds, 20 seconds, 1 minute, etc. Remind yourself of your purpose. WHY is intentional living important to you?
You deserve to live life fully alive and aware. The joy you seek it waiting for you jump in and be present with all that is your life.