Learn how to set monthly intentions to help you reach your goals. With a quick and effective method, monthly intention setting is easy and attainable.
I am so excited to start this new series on the blog: monthly intentions. Last month I posed the question to my email subscribers, and I got dozens of responses from people who wanted to learn more about intention setting and how I am using intention setting to be more mindful in my everyday life.
I truly believe that intentions are powerful, and have the ability to be quite transformational, so today we're going to dive in a talk about what intentions are, how to set them, what mine are for the month of August and a challenge to you: I want YOU to set monthly intentions right alongside me.
One quote that fits this idea perfect is…
“Live less out of habit and more out of intent.”
What is Intention Setting?
To put it simply, intentions orient our lives. They are thoughts and mantras that are the backbone to how we live. Intentions are our deepest desires, our deepest truths. Creating intentions is when you choose an action, feeling or way of being that you want to cultivate in your life.
Sound a little woo-woo? Stick with me.
We are constantly being flooded with messages and information. Advertising is telling us who we should be, our friends and family are impacting who we are and what we should want, our daily interactions impact us greatly. But what if we started our day with a truth that we wholeheartedly believe? Would the rest of our day be oriented in a different direction?
Let’s take a simple example: “I practice self-compassion.” When we wake up and read that or speak it aloud to ourselves and then go on with our day, it’s like a compass that directs us. We are intentionally living instead of just going through the motions.
If you’ve ever done yoga, you know the instructor often asks you to set an intention for your practice (or sometimes they set one for you). This is the same concept ‘in the real world’ – what are you hoping to get out of your day, week, month?
How to Set Intentions
To start, think about what you need more of in your life, or what you feel like you're craving. Sometimes this takes a little digging past the initial “more exercise”, “more money”, etc. What are you really truly desiring? To love yourself? To practice gratitude?
Remember there is no right answer, there is no way to “win”, this is just a practice.
Next, find a piece of paper and write them down. The physical act of writing out your intentions (I like to do this on a monthly basis) helps them really stick. We are much more likely to remember something that we've written down versus just thought about.
Write out your intentions in the present tense, not what you’re hoping to do. Write them in a journal, on a Post-it note to stick around your home, or doodle your intentions and hang on your wall – whatever reminds and inspires you! I like the idea of having something to look at, so my vote is a post-it or doodle!
My intentions for August
Now that we've talked about what intentions are and can be, let's actually write some down. I personally like to set my monthly intentions as actions and/or feelings – things I want to accomplish this month or feelings I want to cultivate in my life.
Here are my intentions for this month:
- Get more comfortable saying “NO”
- Daily meditation to be more present
- Take time to unplug every single day
- Be more intentional with the time I spend with my loved ones
Your turn! What are your monthly intentions?! Comment below or share with me @simplyquinoa and #SQintentions so I can support you this month!
