Maria Connolly, LPC
Because of the demands of today’s fast-paced world, people who seek personal growth find that setting intentions is a powerful practice for transformation. However, there’s a crucial distinction between setting intentions and embodying intentions.
Let’s explore the story of two sisters, Sarah and Emily, to illustrate the difference between setting intentions and embodying intentions.
In 2006, I chose the name “Neways” for my business, because I was overflowing with the desire to offer women new ways of thinking, acting and being in the world. Today I’d like to share more of my story.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results‘” (Albert Einstein). The truth of this statement resonates with us on a deep level because we’ve all done it! We get stuck in a rut and we don’t see any other way of doing or being, hence our dreams remain out of reach.
If what we’ve learned and practiced in the past isn’t serving us, it’s time to take a step back and assess why it’s not working. We must look for a new way of thinking that supports a new way of acting.
Feeling stuck makes us feel powerless, yet you can turn these times into exciting new opportunities that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Let me reframe this into a water analogy: Harness the eddies in the stream of life to break through to the next level.
Nature demonstrates that water must be in motion to remain healthy. You’ve undoubtedly seen a stagnant puddle or pond – it’s not appealing! Since we’re composed of 60+% water, it only makes sense that we feel better when we aren’t stagnant.
Is it possible to stop holding on to emotional baggage? Yes! There is actually a tried-and-true process for leaving something behind resourcefully.
Have you noticed how easy it is to hold on to negative life events? A “failed” relationship. A “stupid” decision. A judgmental comment. The list is endless. We’ve got them neatly packed away in our brains, so they can resurface and haunt us all over again.
The life you’ll enjoy most is the life you create for yourself. Yes, there’s a trend of people wanting life to be handed to them or thinking the world owes them, but you and I know that attitude doesn’t bring satisfaction or self-fulfillment. We not only need the desire (Motivation) but we need the baby steps forward (Self-discipline) to make life changes happen. Let me say this again… get rid of the motivation vs self-discipline mentality and adopt the motivation AND self-discipline mindset. This puts us in control of our lives. Amazing things happen when we recognize that we’re in the driver’s seat, as Robert Greene noted,
“It is time to reverse this prejudice against conscious effort and to see the powers we gain through practice and discipline as eminently inspiring and even miraculous.”