Setting Intentions – becoming someone we look forward to seeing in the mirror

I went to a Vision Board workshop at my yoga studio a few weeks ago. We all sat on the floor and chatted while we pasted cutouts from magazines onto poster boards. We sorted through images that we found inspiring and aspirational and created a collage of hopes and wishes for the new year. There were pictures of places we wanted to go, things we wanted to acquire, images that represented goals we have yet to achieve, and catch-phrases that would motivate and inspire us. It was a fun morning with a group of wonderful women who all felt hopeful for what has yet to come.

I went home and hung my board on the wall above my desk and thought about how many times I have made big plans for a new year or a new chapter or a new me – and I reflected on how they did or didn’t pan out.

Over the next several weeks, I began to change my narrative. It became less about what I wanted to accomplish – and more about who I wanted to be. It occurred to me that thinking of a specific goal is great, but becoming the person who achieves her goals is the bigger picture – the whole collage if you will. Becoming someone who cancels out negative self-talk by replacing it with positive thoughts. Becoming someone who pounces on opportunities whenever they present themselves. Becoming someone who smiles – a lot – and makes the most of every connection. Defining myself with who I am rather than what I do brings new perspective and changes my approach to goal-setting.

A few weeks later, my vacation trip to Florida was derailed by Covid. I chose to embrace this found time and tackle a couple of my magazine cutouts! I booked an overnight yoga retreat and a ski lesson….Yay me! I get to check two boxes! Included in the yoga retreat was a workshop on setting intentions and manifestations – Perfect! I was pumped! Well….a broken water main shut down the campus (clearly this vacation was all about flexibility) and landed me in a little motel room near the ski school. With nothing much to do but watch the tv in my room, I took this time to set my intentions and manifestations – my private alternative workshop. Only this time, I put in writing a list of ‘I am’ statements about my very best self. A list I can refer to every day to remind myself of who I am. A list that I can add to or edit as I please. A list that describes a person I really want to know and be known. A written ‘vision board’ for my internal goals.

There are so many ways to embrace the Law of Attraction. For me, this list is my way of attracting internal shifts that will raise my own frequency. And these shifts put me in a much better position to tackle those magazine cutouts!