What is an intention? (And why is it important?)

This is part of the "transforming busy and overwhelm" blog series I mentioned yesterday.

[4-minute read, 727 words]

The power and quality of your leadership is directly related to the power and quality of your intention...

In order to get out of busy and start owning our space better, we have to get clear about what we want to have in our space (and why), what we want to spend our most precious time and energy on (and why), who we want to be (and why), and what we want to create (and why).

Get clear on these things, couple them with bold action, and you're half-way there.

And you need intention. 

A well-crafted conscious intention is, in my experience, a first step in navigating out of busy and overwhelm. Before I share how to set one (tomorrow), let's get grounded in the what and the why. 

Note: This is part of the "transforming busy and overwhelm" blog series experiment I mentioned yesterday. Today, connect with the what and why this feels important to you. Tomorrow I'll give you the steps to work through setting an intention. 

What is an intention? 

• An intention is a proclamation of what you want to create, who you want to be, and what you desire to make so. 
• It's a claiming of your space, time, focus, and energy. It's a claiming of your life.
• It is a clarifier of where time, care, effort, and mental, physical, and emotional energy will be distributed.
• It is a sharing with the Universe of what is important to you. And therefore an invitation to have the Universe (and others) conspire to help you make it so.
• It is a space maker, noise reducer, and clutter obliterator. If you are feeling "busy" or "overwhelmed" or even burnt out, setting a true intention will make you get quiet, consider what's most important and what you truly want to be about, and then step up to that.
• And it's a leadership enroller. Leaders with a strong energetic presence that is clear in intent are powerful, inspiring, and very rarely, if ever, complain about being "busy."

Intentions clarify and embolden. Intentions quiet the noise. Intentions create impact. Intentions lead. 

Look at any bold move you've made, any tremendous act of vulnerability you were willing to lean into, any huge success, awesome day, or leadership act you are proud of, and you'll likely find intention(s) you held that made that outcome possible. (Note: they were likely related to being in service of something outside of yourself or other humans -- not just about you.) 

Look at any ambiguous project, any crappy meeting, any nutrition or training plan gone awry, a project that fell apart, or leadership that was not your best moment, and you'll likely find where intentions were absent, unclear, not fully grounded (or even yours), or even negative. (And possibly all about you - ie. looking good, making more money, proving something, making someone else wrong, etc.).

What becomes easier when you're clear on intention?

• What you will say "yes" and "no" to becomes clearer (and easier).
• What you are willing to do, and who you are willing to be, in service of your intention becomes clearer (and stronger).
• Fear, vulnerability, and risk-taking become less scary. (When you're clear and in service of your intention, these things often go away. And if they don't, getting out of your comfort zone becomes worth it.)
• Time wasting goes buh-bye. (After all, you know exactly what you're here to create. No time for dilly dallying, binging TV, or participating in drama triangles, office gossip, or unproductive meetings.)
• Team meetings become way more productive, focused, and effective. (And shorter.)
• Daily spurts of satisfaction, personal integrity, and "oomph!" become more frequent creating even more energy to carry on. (I find this to be true even if the intention does not turn out exactly as planned). 

What else? What about being clear on intention feels important to you? Where could this up-level your leadership? Where are you not getting the results you say you want because you're simply not clear or rooted in your intention OR it's not powerful enough to compel you to hop to? What is your energetic presence communicating about your intentions? Service, care, being an invitation? Or busy, overwhelm, and being all about you? 

Worthy queries. 

The power and quality of your leadership is directly related to the power and quality of your intention. (Click to Tweet!)

See you tomorrow! 

X/Anese