There are no "rules" for setting a deliberate and effective intention.    There are, however, some things I have learned in setting intentions for myself and with my clients that may be helpful. 

 

Be Clear:   Clarity is key to providing the power to create.   Spend adequate time setting your intention so that it is true and honorable.   There are times our emotions can get in the way of creating an intention.  Taking some time to process through those emotions is important.   I worked with a client, for example, in setting an intention for an important meeting with an employee where difficult feedback would be shared.  The client's intention for the meeting was "I grow strong leaders who are set up for success."  The client believed in this intention and he was angry at (even disgusted with) the employee.    Part of him wanted to punish the employee not help him.  It was necessary for us to work through that legitimate emotion before the client could commit to a true and honorable intention.   Your results will match your true intention.  My client felt very good about the way he handled this meeting and the outcome based on the work he did ahead of time regarding his intention.

Focus on the Present:  Intentions are now.  An intention is not about what you're going to try to do, want to do or will do.  It is about now.  Read these three sentences out loud to yourself.

o   I want a career that celebrates my authentic gifts and talents.

o   My career celebrates my authentic gifts and talents.

o   I will have a career that celebrates my authentic gifts and talents.

Which sentence is more powerful?  Which will help you make the best decisions to support it?   An intention is not a request or an attempt.  It is a commitment!

Say it out loud:  Being committed to an intention is crucial in order for it to materialize (manifest).  For many accountability increases when a commitment is spoken out loud.  It is part of the magic of developing an intention statement in a coaching session.  You have an opportunity to say it out loud to another person, hence increasing your accountability to the intention.   If you don't work with a coach, share it with a friend or family member.

Short-term or long-term:  You can set an intention statement for any timeframe.  As you saw in the example above, I worked with a client to set an intention for a meeting.  You might set an intention for the day, the month, the year, your life.  If you wake up in the morning knowing you have a hard work day in front of you for whatever reason, you can set an intention for how you will approach that day.    It might be something like "I am thankful for my job.  I am calm, thoughtful and open."  In Marci Shimoff's book, Happy for No Reason, she suggests readers set an intention for their approach to happiness.  Part of the tool's power comes from its flexibility.   

 

 

 

Intentions are only as powerful as the attention you apply to them.   Have you ever wanted something for yourself and yet it just doesn't come to fruition.  A silly example is to have an intention something like "I am healthy and strong" and then eat pizza, cheeseburgers and ice cream all day and never exercise.  Hmmmm.   What's missing from the manifestation of this intention?  You got it - attention!

 

I love the way InviteChange (the organization from which I received my coaching training) defines attention.    Attention is what one "focuses upon with enthusiasm to manifest an intention - all of one's actions, sensations, feelings and thoughts that propel the inspired experience."  

 

Intentions become reality when you use them as a filter for making decisions about your attitude, thoughts and behavior.    For example, if you "grow strong people who are set up for success" how might you behave in a meeting where you must give an employee hard feedback?  With what attitude might you approach the meeting?  What are your thoughts?  Are you thinking "man, this guy made me mad; how could he be such an idiot; I'm going to show him." or "this is a valued employee who made a mistake and I'm going to help him learn and move forward productively?"   You can see how using your intention as a filter for making decisions will impact the outcome of the meeting with this employee.  The same principle applies no matter what the specifics of the intention.    

 

Let's take another example based on the career intention above:  My career celebrates my authentic gifts and talents.  You are offered a new job within your company that will bring with it prestige, power and financial reward.  It's not really a map to your strengths or an area of passion.  You're a resourceful, intelligent, competent person, however, and you're sure you can rise to the challenge if you choose to do so.    If you are committed to your intention above, how might you use it as a filter for making this important decision?  How do you put your attention to the intention?  What actions do you take? How might this exercise be different if your true and honorable career intention is "My career provides me great financial reward that enables the activities I love?"  See how the actions chosen relate directly to the intention.  See how without a deliberate intention, the outcome is often set for us by other people and circumstances.  Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood make this point well in their book The Passion Test: "Action keeps attention engaged. It is not the action that creates a desired result.  It is your intention directed through the process of attention that creates the result."

 

How might you apply that point to a business decision in front of you today?