Intention
There are words I just hate to give into…words like stress, overwhelm, busy, conflict. And there is a word I really love to use. Intention.
Intention means that I am the producer of my day, the producer of my feelings, the producer of how I respond to my day and how I interact with the people around me. As a producer of my personal day, I have been able to reduce the amount of stress, busyness, conflict and overwhelming feelings. It is because I am setting the intention of how I want to BE. Somedays I decide I want to be thoughtful or kind, most often it is that I want to interact with my work and other people with purpose and consciousness. The word producer may not resonate with you, so perhaps Maestro, conductor or creator works better for you. Choose what works. This is part of being intentional.
One thing Covid taught me is that stress takes so much away from our day-to-day experience. When I give into stress and gets overwhelmed, I feel like I am on the scariest, most uncontrollable roller coaster ride and I’m just trying to hold on tight and get through the ups, downs, and the drops.
Wouldn’t it be nice to go from feeling stressed, fumbling, being unfocused to approaching your day with Clarity, Calm, and Gracefulness?
Here are a few steps to help you start your day with intention:
1. Create a morning routine.
Yes… we all say we have one… alarm goes off, we start the coffee, feed the kids, feed the dogs, eat something, read or listen to the news. This is what I call an autopilot routine. Not an intentional routine. Your goal in a morning routine is to be purposeful.
My intentional routine is:
Yoga for 10 minutes
Core workout for 10 minutes
Meditate for 10 minutes
Drink my tea
2. Decide a few important things you want to get accomplished today.
Make a list of the top 3 priorities you want to accomplish today.
Quality is much more important than quantity. Having a rich, deep and meaningful accomplishment will leave you more fulfilled, rejuvenated and focused than racing around getting 12 things done. As you go through your day, remind yourself that your goal is to be purposeful and not be stressed.
Write them down in a planner. I find the 52 Lists planner to be incredibly helpful.
3. Check in with yourself throughout the day.
See how the moment is feeling, pause and breathe for five deep inhales and five deep exhales. Notice what emotional content you have. Notice what thoughts are showing up.
Bring a sense of peace to the moment and say to yourself, May I have ease, May I be focused, May I be present to what is in front of me.