How to Make Richly Meaningful Intentions in 6 Mindful Steps

                                                                                                                     - Ms. Manisha Varma

Ms. Manisha Varma is a Counselling Psychologist with over two decades of rich experience working with youth across the spectrum of psychological and wellbeing concerns.

Beginnings of all kinds are often seen through the lens of aims, goals, and aspirations. Such a thought process can propel our energies in the direction of fulfilling key needs. But, do we look at our aims closely enough or set them in a manner of an unconscious task?

It's important to understand how Mindful we stay as we begin anew with pursuits of our choice. So what has Mindfulness got to do with aspirations, you may wonder! Mindfulness is awareness in the present moment in a nonjudgmental manner. Mindfulness brings Clarity and that in turn propels your energies into worthwhile pursuits. It is by Being Aware that your aspirations can turn to conscious Intention-setting. Intentions are those seeds when planted in our awareness keep us motivated to live a richer life. Let us look at how we can use the word "Intend" as an acronym for a Mindful path. Here it is:

I - Investigate

N - Nurture

T - Track

E - Export

N - Nullify

D - Delineate

Let us now look at the terms of the acronym in further detail.

1. Investigate - What is the intention about? What are its parts, the beginning, and the end?

2. Nurture - Who and what could enable your journey with the designated intention? Who would profit with the intention besides you? 

3. Track - When would you chalk timelines for different elements of the intention? When would you focus on the ripples of the intention in the years that follow? 

4. Export - How would the intentions translate into actions? How would it aid your development and those of others/community? 

5. Nullify - Which elements of your intention are unnecessary? Which elements come in the way of your actions?

6. Delineate - Where are the action steps for the intention to begin, halt and end? Where would you allot check posts?

As you read the questions above, what did you experience? Did they bring you to focused attention? Did they free up your mind space? Did they push you towards certain other possibilities than you could fathom? Did they make you introspect more than you had done earlier? You need to ask the right questions to operate your intentions. Precious, they may seem since they are contributing to some form of purpose in your life. If we dive further into the six terms and their corresponding questions, we get more clarity. Let's explore here:-

• In the first step, when you Investigate, you look at the intention for its various components. This can give a blueprint of the path you may pursue. This first step can give you a glimpse into whether the intention is worthy of your commitment.

• When you Nurture, the focus is on accessing resources and benefitting people. This ensures that you are using only resources, while you value people. It corroborates a human touch in your endeavours.

• In the third step, Track, the importance of time comes into play. You define timelines for the completion of the intention. You also check the impact of the intention for the future. This furthers the process of cultivating vigour for similar intentions in future.

• The fourth step, Export, links the intentions to actions. Brainstorming methods for bringing the intention alive helps. So does the reflection of their impact on people at large. Together both give the necessary impetus to make wiser choices in required actions.

• The fifth step entails letting go of the parts of your intentions that are unproductive. Again, you may need to discard parts which come in the way of your efforts.

• The final step is about understanding the kind of action footsteps required. Also, knowing the boundaries of actions and culmination. Periodic checks during actions would help sustain or change routes for the actions.

If you haven't worked on your aspirations through meaningful and well-structured intentions, Consider. 

Remember, Intentions watered with Focus have the potential to blossom into Changed lives. So, water your intentions with Mindfulness. Enable Productive Beginnings!!