Intention
Actor Jena Malone, when an interviewer commented she has a good head on her shoulders for someone who’s grown up in the scary world of Hollywood, replied, “But the scary world is all around us.
“Whether the walls are Hollywood or the walls are New York or the walls are Afghanistan. It’s just a scary world, you have to know what you want from it, what your intentions are, and know that those things continually change.” [imdb.com]
Author Wayne Dyer, among many other personal development experts, affirms the power of intention, and says it is “the difference between motivation and inspiration. Motivation is when you get hold of an idea and don’t let go of it until you make it a reality.
“Inspiration is the reverse - when an idea gets hold of you and you feel compelled to let that impulse or energy carry you along. You get to a point where you realize that you’re no longer in charge, that there’s a driving force inside you that can’t be stopped. Look at the great athletes, musician, artists, and writers. They all tap into a source.” [Family Circle, June 2005]
Dyer’s related book is The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-Create Your World Your Way
In his article The Power of a Clear Intention, writer Kinney Dancair notes that embracing our purpose and choosing to set a clear intention to fulfill it is powerful: “While it can’t be proven that every person who has ever set a clear intention got what they were after, it can be shown - empirically mind you - that no real success has been wrought from uncertain intentions.
“While George Lucas may not have known that film was where his talent lay in the beginning, once he learned the talent was there, he pursued it from then on by choice, not by accident. The list of luminaries who prove this rule is indefinably long.”
Author and workshop leader Valerie Young notes in her article Are You Settling? that making positive changes in our lives is not necessarily a straight path: “If you are serious in your intention to change course, you must do so with a hopeful spirit. Expect bumps in the road. At the same time, have faith that even if the reason is not clear at the time, everything really does makes sense. You don’t have to wait to turn 50 to experience the serenity and the power that comes with knowing what you want. Life is just too short to settle for less.”
Psychologist Kenneth W. Christian, Ph.D. cautions, “Regardless of what you choose, your choices have a consequence. Exercise care about your choice. Then think. What am I doing with my time? What do I need to do to express who I am and actualize what I have to give? Pick one new thing to do each day that expresses the intention to raise your standard of living.”
Dr. Christian is author of the book Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement [more about his work at his site Maximum Potential Project]
In her article Emotions and Thoughts in the Creative Process, creativity coach Linda Dessau notes that our expression “can help those out there who have neither the words NOR the creative outlet to express their own feelings… In my work as a music therapist, I infuse every note that I play and sing with my intention to bring joy, life and healing to my clients. And I see the evidence every day that my intention meets its mark.”
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August 5th, 2006 at 1:08 am
Great post - love the quote from Wayne Dyer so true. Also you cannot motivate or inspire anyone…you can only creat the conditions for that to flourish …. thanks for inspiring me today!
August 18th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
I’ve been musing on intention vs. ambition/want lately - and it occurs to me that it is all about the come-from place. A want is about a sense of lack, of something missing, of not yet being whole enough; an intention comes from a sense of power, a self-direction to create a particular future. I’d go with intention every time.