Its that time of year again…time to look back, remember all of the things you wanted to accomplish, remind yourself that you a haven’t completed nearly the smallest portion of them, and then vow to create another list full of last years ideas and a few new ones planted on top. But wait…what if it didn’t have to be this way. What if this year could be different? It can be my friends. It can be…

So much of our lives are spent rushing from one moment to the next, from one age to another and so forth. We spend so much time creating list after list and minimal time actually completing them. Instead we find ourselves unhappy, and wishing for more time or more people or more things.

I recently listened to a podcast focused on finding happiness, and the secret to help us reach it. And guess what? There is NO SECRET… it simply lies within us. As humans we are constantly allowing our minds to wander from one thing to the next and never fully investing ourselves and our happiness into the here and now. We are constantly wanting the next moment instead of enjoying our current one. Instead of sitting down to enjoy a conversation with a friend or family member we instead reach for our phones hanging out in our back pockets or our purses simply because we heard them beep, sing or buzz.

Expectations always leave room for unhappiness.

I will be the first to admit, I am guilty of all of the above. That’s why this year I have no intention of setting a resolution for myself or placing any expectations onto myself or others. Expectations always leave room for unhappiness. They are rarely met in the way we dreamt of them, and they almost always have a way that leads to a comparison of others.

This year I have a different proposition. Instead of resolutions, I plan on creating daily intentions. Intentions allow the thinker to be fully in charge. They are not based on the actions of others, but instead find their meaning within the purpose of the creator. Intentions are limitless. They are free and uplifting. They allow us to meet moments of difficulty with grace and a level of compassion that is so often missing. They allow us to seek moments of solace, and self-care. They are boundless, and simple, and most importantly they are ours to bring to fruition.

Intentions allow the thinker to be fully in charge.

If intention setting seems difficult or hard to grasp, think of it as a Mindfulness training; A resetting of your brain to help you find the meaning in your current moment. Intention setting by itself was difficult for me at first. I was unable to fully grasp the joy of it until finding my yoga path. At the start of every practice, we set an intention for the class, it can be as simple as “being present,” or as brave as “having courage to try a new yoga move.” Some classes our intention is simply to replace our wandering minds with feeling and acknowledging the inhalations and exhalations of our bodies.

Mindfulness training; A resetting of your brain to help you find the meaning in your current moment.

This my friends is the true beauty of intention setting. It allows the mind to be at peace and whenever you feel the heaviness of the day or aimlessly wander away from the present moment, simply repeat your created intention using your inner voice and allow your body and mind to come drifting back to the here and now with a newfound awareness and peace for the current moment.

I hope many of you will join me in intention setting this year, as we try to free our burdens and return to a simpler life, full of awareness and awe of where we are right now, instead of where we are going.

 

Simply Yours,

Martina

 

be present