Setting intentions is a conscious way of keeping yourself from going through life on autopilot. You can set an intention each morning, before a meeting or appointment, or even before you go to bed to guide your dreams. Marcia Weider defines intention this way: "to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim." By practicing intention setting you can change your behaviors and eventually accomplish all of your goals. Some changes can happen in a moment, like a changed mindset for an instance and other growth requires the continuous practice of intention setting.

I believe that there are two primary intentions you can set that will dramatically affect your life and your business. These intentions can literally create A New Way of Being in your life.

First Intention: Being Authentic

Authenticity requires consciousness, exploration, and a willingness to stand for something. And the more conscious you are, the more you will receive "tests from the universe". If you are authentic and act from a core set of values that you believe in, then these tests become very easy to move through.

Christine Kane (one of my mastermind members and an amazing musician and writer) talked about "letting go of ego" at our last retreat. This is huge because when we make all of our decisions from that authentic place inside us that has no attachment to ego, everyone around grows as they feel empowerment through us.

Understand this. Reacting is not authentic. When we are in a reactive moment, we are not operating from our authentic core and we literally shrink and cause those around us to shrink also. Being authentic is not about you, it is about your time in this world and how you affect everything around you.

How does being authentic affect your business? Your clients want to know you understand them and that want to relate to you. They can't do that if you aren't being authentic. Being an authentic leader is pure attraction because so many people are waiting to be led. Running your life and your business with congruent core values makes client attraction effortless. You will begin to hear phrases from your clients like: "You walk the talk" or "You are the real deal" and so on. This is a sign that they are grateful that you are being yourself and you have now given them the permission to do the same. And don't underestimate the importance of this intention to your bottom line. It is the thing that shifts everything else.

Action to take today: Make a list of five core values that you plan to use as your authentic life and business compass.

Example: Mine are Love, Freedom, Growth, Creativity, and Equality.

Second Intention: Being Balanced

Balance is everything. And everything in the universe wants to be balanced. Balance is in all that we experience. To me, the second most important intention we can set in our lives and in our businesses is balance. This is an intention that I believe must be worked on each day because of the amount of awareness one must have to see that everything around them requires balance to thrive.

If you apply Chinese philosophy, then consider yin and yang. Yin and yang are complementary opposites within a greater whole. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, which constantly interact, never existing in absolute stasis. To me, looking at the opposite of what I want to accomplish really helps me get centered and see the benefits of truly being balanced. Here are some of my yin and yang examples below where I am always striving for balance. I need both sides of these things to thrive. Too much or too little of one and I become unbalanced.

Life

– Adult Time and Kid Time
– Stillness and Busyness
– Writing and Speaking
– Food Consumption and Exercise
– Receiving and Giving

Business

– Income and Expenses
– Marketing and Fulfilling
– Working and Unplugging
– Investing and Earning Passive Income
– Doing It Yourself and Delegating
– Innovation and Systems

Action to take today: Set an intention to become balanced in at least three areas above. As you do, you will find a certain effortlessness that begins to happen in all the areas of your life.