Intention Matters - Even If It’s Woo-Woo

I’m not a woo-woo person. I think we’ve all established that. And the whole “let’s sit down and set your intention” (said in a really soft low voice) never hit for me. No shade if you love it, it just always felt a little out there for me. But I’ve been surfing lately. (A bit old to start - but - why not?) I would definitely not call myself a surfer, but I’m trying so f*****g hard. And what I’ve noticed is if I paddle out telling myself I’m not going to catch any waves, I’m definitely not going to catch any waves. At this point - reality is even when I tell myself I’m going to, it usually doesn’t happen, but I feel better about the whole thing. I’m grateful I’m out there instead of just being pissed off about it. That’s intention. You’re basically pointing your brain toward something, because what we think about is how we show up in the world. To be real - it’s way easier for me to tell other people what to do than to actually do it myself. I do practice all the time, so I’m not a hypocrite, but it’s still easier to just talk about it. When I’m working with someone one-on-one I’m watching the whole time, asking questions, pivoting when I can see they’re getting dysregulated. Doing that for myself is harder. It just is. If you’re like me - or even if you LOVE INTENTION SETTING - try what I do when I’m stuck and totally judging myself (or dragging something old around). Find a minute where you’re by yourself and set the intention to talk to yourself as a kid. Not your kid, you as a kid. Picture that little version of you and ask what they need to hear right now. Maybe it’s you’re safe. Maybe it’s this sucks but it’s going to get better. Maybe it’s it wasn’t your fault, you were a child, you didn’t create this. Or maybe it’s everybody makes mistakes and it’s what you do after that matters. A lot of the time what that child needs is compassion. You might feel like you’re still in the middle of the fire, but you’re not. You’re out of it. You’re sitting here way into the future looking back. And as an adult you get to hold that kid and say I got you. This is a little out of my comfort zone, a little woo-woo-y, and it f*****g works. So give it a try and let me know how it goes in the comments. And tell me what else you want me to talk about, because your ideas always give me more ideas. Anyway, at the end of the day, you know the deal. Just f*cking breathe. Peace out. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfuljunkie.substack.com