I was heading out for a nature hike for some Unavailable Time to recharge and reground when my son (who knew where I was headed) said "Daddy - will you say Hi to my stream that I love and throw in a magical rock?" We've spent a good deal of time in nature together as father & son and both have a great affinity for water in all of it's forms so I knew exactly what he meant - he was asking me to make a wish for him, or as I would state it: to set a positive intention for the future.
Those of you who have children will know the challenges of making and keeping promises so I always look for 'easy' wins :) - this was one promise that I knew that I could keep so I said back to him "You Bet!" and also set a promise to do the same for myself. The short drive to the stream and the subsequent hike through the forest allowed me some time to focus on what intention that I would set so when I did arrive at the stream I was good to go.
Over the years I have developed a discipline around setting intentions and holding/maintaining a positive focus to achieve the outcomes that I truly desire. I've set intentions for everything that you can imagine - finding a new job, meeting my life partner, meeting someone who will advise & guide me on my path, a new car, inner guidance, tickets to a concert, having a healthy baby, a new pet, etc. Today however I found myself with an intention of something broader so I went for it.
I selected a special rock from the creek side, held it to my chest, set my intention in my mind and spoke it into the rock - "I'm setting my intention to be a powerful force for good and change in the world." I know, kind of a 'world peace-y' intention but it was what was in me and I've learned to just run with it over the years. With that I threw the rock at the stream... and it bounced off a log and missed the pool I was aiming for. Not exactly what I was hoping for here at all. However, one of the reasons that my son and I love this stream is that it always seems to 'deliver'... so I waited.
And then the quiet voice inside of me said as clear as day: "Throw again." Again, this is where continued practice can make the difference - the calm and quiet seems to create a space for these 'things' to occur - if you're quiet you can hear it but if you're running around all crazy you often miss it. What also came with the voice was the picture of multiple rocks, not just one. So I selected three more rocks, set the intention and threw again. This time, they all flew straight and into the pool creating that splash and radiating wave of intention that I could feel already moving out into the universe - spot on.
What I wanted to share today was less about my specific intention and more about how a practice of setting intentions and following a discipline can work for you (specifically). I ask you to consider that a 'bounce off a log' while setting an intention may actually be a 'hello' regarding your intentions themselves. If things don't exactly 'work out' as you intended or perhaps scripted out in your mind, consider trying again or resetting the intention with a more flexible range of outcomes or interpretations. You may be surprised what you experience and your feelings will almost always validate for you when you are 'spot on'.
I have made a promise to a good friend of mine to write and share more, as well as keeping the promises to my son that are 'easy' to keep - I can only hope that this new intention that was set to today is part of the positive flow!
All the Best,
Whitney
© 2012 All rights reserved, Whitney Merrill
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