9 Practices to Live Your Intentions

What helps you live your intentions, achieve your goals, step into your best self?

As coaches and facilitators we support people on getting clear about what they want and then help get there.   Here are some practices that work for me, from the practical to the emergent and including inner and outer work. Watch for an expanded version of this, created by our WILL team.    See what resonates for you below!

DSCF0086Practice 1 – Make Your Intentions Visible. Write them out and put them on screen saver, your mirror, your journal, so the words keep showing up for you.

Practice 2 – Create Space for a Daily Review. When the world is sleeping, before the children are up, before email, take a few minutes to remind yourself of your intentions.

Practice 3 – Deeper Reflection.. If you have more time for reflection, ask yourself, “Did I do something yesterday that aligned with my intentions, or didn’t?” then listen to your deepest desires and yearnings, they will support action.

Practice 4 – Consider Possibility Consciousness. A foundational leadership practice is to focus on what you want to create not on the past or constraints of the present.

Practice 5 – Embrace & Embody. Act as if you have already fulfilled your intentions. Notice how your body responds to ‘trying this on’.   This is the foundation for creating more space for possibilities.

Practice 6 – Remember Self Compassion.   Acknowledging and loving yourself wherever you are – vulnerable, imperfect, untidy – holds integrity.

Practice 7 – Don’t do it Alone. Find people who model where you want to go or share the same struggles. Seek a ‘growth partner’, someone who will encourage you, be candid with you, as you move toward fulfillment of your intentions.

Practice 8 – Take Micro-movements. Take one small step, really small, but know that growth is incremental.   I use the number 5 – 5 actions or 5 minutes a day on something that matters.

Practice 9 – Imbed the New Patterns. We hear it all the time – there’s plasticity to the brain – and after a while new practices become habits. The brain likes repetition for rewiring.

Over the next few months Lillas and I and our WILL team will be using these practices in our workshops, saying more about them in our blogs, and creating a handout that integrates our ideas for our community.

We would love to hear about a practice that works with you…so we can share it with our community. You can email us at info@womeninleadershipforlife.ca or make a comment in the section below.

Linda

Photo of Taj Mahal by Linda