The word 'intent' comes from the Latin 'intendere', which means to “stretch forward.” When you set your intent, you are opening the doors to create the kinds of life experiences that you want to have.

Setting your intent is about directing your focus in the present moment toward a future outcome. Because of the constantly changing environment of your life, setting your intent is an ever renewing process.

Your intentions are thoughts, and your thoughts are energy. The nature of your intentions will determine specifically how you experience your own reality. As such, your intention is like a filter for your experiences.

Setting your intention is quite different from establishing goals or objectives. It should precede any form of goal setting activity. Goal setting is your ability to act upon your intention. When you are clear about your true intention, you will automatically guide your attention toward those experiences that you choose to manifest in your life.

Let’s say for example that you are going to attend an important networking event and your intent is to have fun and connect with people, you will then naturally attract these kinds of experiences.

Setting your intention is making a conscious and committed decision to attract certain experiences and outcomes in your life, even when you are not sure how or when these will manifest in your life.

All too often we get so obsessed in reaching a certain goal or expecting an outcome to manifest a certain way, that we miss out on opportunities presented to us – right here, right now – and fail to notice the synchronicities and new resources along the way.

Imagine traveling to a certain destination, and because you’re going too fast, you not only miss the beautiful scenery along the way, but you also miss a sense of where you are now and why you are going to your destination in the first place.

Integrity means that you do what you say you will do, and authenticity means that you mean what you say. When you are grounded in intention, you establish high integrity and authenticity in your life.

When your thoughts and intention are conflicted you will have conflicted experiences, because your outer world is a reflection of your inner world.

Setting intent is a powerful tool in creating the life you choose. You can set your intent before important meetings, or simply state your intent before you start your day.

What is it that you intend or wish for? What kind of experiences would you like to manifest?
Some examples of intent could be to have fun, to connect with people, to learn, to explore, to be caring, to be healthy, to help others, to heal yourself, to grow, …