How Setting Morning Intentions Can Guide Your Day
You’ve heard of the phrase “Set an Intention”, but what does that really mean?
I’ve been setting morning intentions for the past two years and there’s something incredibly powerful about this 1-5 minute mental and spiritual exercise. Setting intentions helps to calm your mind, keep you focused, and helps you be more grateful at the end of the day.
What is an intention?
An intention is a chosen frame of mind. It can be a goal, a way of being or feeling, or the desire to be an asset to those around you.
That’s right, you choose your intention. The simple act of choosing how you want to show up in the world today can give you a sense of control within yourself. You can’t control everything around you, no one can! The only thing you can absolutely control is how you respond.
An intention sets your energy and tone for the day. Your own energy can change the vibe of the entire room or situation, whether you’re aware of it or not, whether you want it to or not. Even indifference can affect those around you.
Why should pet professionals set an intention?
Pet Professionals are in the space of animals on a daily basis. All animals respond to energy in every moment. They don’t speak our spoken language, although they can learn what certain words mean. If you’ve ever tried saying the same command in different tones - happy, sad, or angry - you can see that their reaction to that word is different. Animals are constantly reading our tone and body language, even if our emotions are tied to something outside of work. They can’t tell the difference, they are just paying attention to who you are in this moment.
Animals aren’t the only ones reading your energy. Your clients and coworkers are reading your energy too. Have you ever been in a room of several people and the vibe is great and uplifting, until one person walks in with energy so negative you can feel your own body and everyone else’s get heavy? Or when the room is quiet and kind of boring, and that one person or child walks in that immediately lights up the room and they haven’t said a word yet? That’s how powerful energy is. You have that strength inside of you whether you realize it or not, and you can wake up and choose how you want that energy to influence the world, especially your world that is full of animals.
You can choose to be a reservoir of calm today.
You can choose to be the clown that makes everyone laugh today.
You can choose to be the emotional rock that anxious dog needs today.
You can choose to be confident and enforce your boundaries with grace today.
You can choose to be the best problem solver you can be today.
The options are vast and endless. You don’t have to be everything at once, but if you choose one intent to focus on that day, your intent becomes the principle you base your decisions on.
Choosing to be calm will help you notice when you are getting stressed and you’ll find ways to calm down instead of mindlessly reacting. Choosing laughter will help you uplift those around you whether you directly make them laugh, or your smile becomes instantly contagious. Choosing to be an emotional rock will help open up ideas and guide your decisions in how you handle a dog with anxiety. By now you can begin to see a pattern, that choosing how you want to show up will have a ripple effect on the people and animals around you.
How to Set an Intention
Setting an intention can be as simple or as engrossing as you want it to be. When I used to work near the metroparks, I had a favorite trail I would go to before work. When the weather was too cold or wet, I would sit in the car and set my intention. When the weather was nice, I would set my intention while walking or sitting at a bench. Sometimes I would charge a crystal with my intention and put it in my pocket. Sometimes I’d write my intention and then take a picture and set it as my screensaver that day. Other times I would just quickly set one as I pulled into the parking lot. Intention setting can take 30 seconds or something added to a full yoga and meditation practice. It’s up to you. Here are some general guidelines to setting a great intention.
It should be simple. An intention should be something short and easily remembered. That will help to imprint it in your subconscious so you don’t have to actively remember it all day.
Set one intention at a time. You may be trying to grow as a person in more ways than one, but focusing on too many goals at once will take growth away from all of them.
Calm your mind first. When your mind is all over the place or focused on something outside of yourself, it’s harder to set an authentic intention. Take a few moments to take some deep belly breaths. Let each thought come and go. Focus on the way your breath feels entering your nostrils, filling your body, and the tingle of the breath as it leaves your nostrils. Once you are calmer, the intention you need might just come to you or you’ll be in a better space to choose something that will help carry this feeling throughout the day.
Revisit your intention at the end of the day. This can either be at the end of your work day or before you climb into bed. Really think about the intention you set and how your day went. This will help you see how setting an intention works for you, or if there’s another intent you could work on tomorrow. If your intention worked for you, give a moment of gratitude to keep the ball rolling.
Did Setting an Intention Work For You?
If you already actively set intentions or are just starting out, comment below and share your experience. How do you set your intentions? How do they help your day or the experience of others around you? We’d love to hear from you.
