The Power of Intentions

I’ve been thinking a lot about intentions lately. It was prompted by a talk that I was a part of at the local Shambhala center a few weeks ago. The person giving the talk asked the question, “Why do you sit?”

I admit that I was at a loss of words because I really had to think about that question – and I suppose that’s the point. I decided to look up some definitions of intention and I found this on wikipedia:

“An agent’s intention in performing an action is his or her specific purpose in doing so, the end or goal that is aimed at, or intended to accomplish…”

So, getting back to the above question, intention really means having an answer to the ‘why’ and ‘purpose’ of what we’re doing.

Why Intentions are Important

Intentions are closely linked to mindfulness. What we do (i.e. our actions) are a direct result of our thoughts. The problem is, many of us get caught up in doing without fully understanding or acknowledging our intentions, or simply stated, ‘the thought guiding the action.’

When we start looking at the thought guiding the action or the why, I think it’s worthwhile to examine if we’ve have any attachments or stories behind it.

An example could be starting a business. This is something that has always been of great interest to me and I’ve begun to really delve into and examine what my intentions are in wanting to do this. Is it because of money? Is it because of some perceived freedom I see from starting my own business? Do I perceive a ‘higher status’ associated with entrepreneurs?

The answer was certainly a definite yes to all of this, but I began to question that. More and more I’m trying to focus my intentions on contribution. How can I help others? How can I contribute? I’m more open now. Entrepreneurship is one path, but it’s certainly by far not the only path one can take. Also, good will, compassion and helping can come in many different forms and I’m learning that a job, career, business, etc. doesn’t define me as an individual although we are certainly all conditioned to believe that and I sadly think more of us think that than not, even when we think we don’t!

Working out might be another example. Why do we work out? Are some of the reasons linked to vanity? What does that say about the attachment we have to a certain image of how we should be?

Finally, it’s good to examine the emotion driving the intention. Is our intention coming out of a place of greed, desire, anger or resentment? Is it out of a place of loving kindness not only for ourselves, but for others? Can we begin to recognize the limits we put on ourselves by over-identifying with certain feelings and emotions?

So, Why Do I Sit?

This honestly was a very tough question for me to answer and part of it may be due to my tendency to overthink everything. There was and still is a certain sense of restlessness in my life. Anxieties, fears, insecurities would and certainly still do creep in from time to time.

I used to really repress these feelings or act out in certain ways that were entirely counter-productive to cultivating any sense of well-being and peace in my life. It was by starting to look at my intentions, my view of myself and my view of the world that I was slowly able to start to change. I use the past tense here, but really it’s an on-going process.

So, quite simply, I sit to learn. For me, it’s a process of exploration. Exploring what it’s like to step out of the never-ending, rushing stream that are my thoughts and sit on the bank just watching. No worries, no opinions, no judgment.

It’s also very much an act of kindness and compassion towards myself. By directing my intention to be more forgiving, kind and compassionate toward myself, I am finding that I am becoming more compassionate towards others. It’s kind of hard for me to put into words now, but there’s a certain openness I have felt in re-directing my intentions for how I live and act in my life.

How about you? Have you looked at your intentions lately?

Photo Credit: Dr Craig