A lot has been said about intention and the impact our intentions have on the results we seek and the life we wish to create. And yet, we seldom dive deep to understand what is the quality of our intentions and how we can consciously create intentions that are powerful and pure. So let’s start at the beginning, by understanding what an intention is and see how its impact unfolds in our lives.
What is an intention
An intention can be defined as something we want or plan to do. An intention refers to a purpose, goal, or aim that someone has in mind or a deliberate plan of action they intend to pursue. It represents a conscious decision to direct one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviours towards a specific outcome or desired result. Intentions can be set in various areas of life, including personal growth, relationships, career, health, and more.
Let’s understand intention at a deeper level
Starting point – Intentions are often considered to be the starting point for creating the life you desire. Everything in the universe and in life begins with an intention. Whether you want to wiggle your toes, move your body, go for a run, drive your car or earn more money, find the right partner or get fit – it all begins with an intention.
Bridge – Intention is the bridge between your desire and manifestation. By setting intentions, you bring conscious awareness to your desires and become more deliberate in how you navigate towards manifestation.
Point of focus – Intention can be seen as the driving force behind your actions and decisions. It goes beyond mere wishful thinking or passive desires. It involves a focused and active mindset, where you set a clear intention and align your thoughts, emotions, and actions with that intention.
Seed – Intention is like a seed we plant in our consciousness and then it grows. Just like real seeds, intentions can’t grow if you hold on to them. Only when you release your intentions into the fertile grounds of your consciousness can they grow and flourish.
Limitless power – Once you set your intentions, you let them go and wait for the universe to do its magic. According to The Law of Intention, inherent in every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment. When we set an intention in a fertile and abundant environment, we activate a limitless power that helps us achieve our goals.
When you leverage the power of the Law of Intention, you save as much as 60% of your time, because you are moving forward in surrender to the divine flow of your intention and allowing your desires to be manifested without being in the way.
– Sidra Jafri
Is setting the right intention enough?
We have seen and understood what intention is and where it comes from and how it can shape our reality. But is having the right intention enough to manifest what you want in life? While it is the beginning, our intentions need to be supplemented with the right kind of action in the right direction. This is what we call attention.
Attention is the set of actions you are taking in the present moment with consciousness using your will power, that is fuelled by the power of your intentions.
You can look at it as a formula
Intention + Attention = Manifestation
When you plant your seed of intention and nourish it with your attention, the right people, events, and situations begin to show up in your life which take you closer to manifestation. Your intention is the bridge between your desire and manifestation.
While your intent is for the future, your attention is in the present. This means, while you keep your eye on the future by setting some clear intentions, you must put your attention in your present to take those actions that will ultimately lead to manifestation.
So when things don’t work out the way you expect them, you may want to consider this equation to get more clarity. But what happens when either intention or attention is deficient in some way?
Intention – Attention = Delusion
If we set an intention but fail to give it the necessary attention, such as consistent action, dedication, and mindfulness, it becomes delusional. In other words, it is unrealistic to expect our intentions to manifest if we do not actively engage with them.
If intention is the seed, then attention is the water. If there is no seed, no matter how much you water the soil, nothing is going to grow from it. And if there is only the seed and no water to nurture it, no matter how good and potent the seed is, it will not grow into an oak tree.
Some people are overly focused on intention and are inconsistent in their attention. These are the ones who get stuck in planning, tend to overthink and lose their steam by the time they come to execution.
And some people are quick action takers, but spend little or no time in intention setting. They are restless around planners, while planners feel overwhelmed around action takers. When you spend too much time in attention without giving intention its due importance, your actions can be scattered and leave you feeling exhausted. Intention provides a framework for our attention.
So if you feel you are doing well on both fronts – you have the right intention and you are giving it the right attention, then why is it that manifestation is still a far cry? What do you think could be missing? What if you could have a handy checklist you can use to get more clarity. A checklist that serves as a sieve through which you can pass your every doubt and question to see at which step there could be an interference.
After much thought and deliberation, we’ve created a simple checklist to help you get started. To make the most of it, think of a situation where you are struggling to manifest what you truly desire. Use it as an example to test each point on the checklist. Refer to the examples to give you guidance, if you feel stuck. Make a note of what answers show up for you at each of these steps, as you seek clarity. Allow honest responses to surface as you go through the list. Sometimes, these steps can hold a breakthrough moment for us in how we perceive our questions and our situations.
Here is the checklist
Patience is key
Once you have planted the seed of intention and are watering it with the consciousness of attention, you have to be patient for the first green shoot to show up. You don’t dig the soil every now and then to check if the seed is about to germinate. Eg., Imagine you’re learning to play a musical instrument. You diligently practice every day, but progress seems slow. Patience is key here. You continue practicing without getting discouraged, knowing that improvement takes time. Constantly checking your progress or getting frustrated won’t make you learn faster.
Faith is your best friend
When you are doing what you need to do – with feet on the ground (attention) and head in the cloud (intention), then learn to be in faith, knowing that your work will bear fruit. Do your job and surrender in faith. Eg., Let’s say you are prepping for a marathon and the final day gets closer, your mind is full of doubt. Doubts about your capabilities like did you work out enough, will it take you through, or will you stop mid way can be crippling. Instead if you stay in faith, knowing you have done your practice well, then you rise above self-doubt and bring out your best performance.
Detached to outcome
By detaching yourself from the outcome of anything, you give yourself the permission to enjoy the journey and allow the universe to create the right flow for you. This would include meeting the right people, being in the right place at the right time and watching manifestation unfold in a magical way. It is also an invitation for you to let go of any worry and be light as you work with deep attention. The joy is more in the journey than in the destination, enjoy the ride! If you get too focused on the outcome, you could end up emanating an energy of desperation, which will begin to show in everything you do.
Eg., At the start of a new career, you send out your resume to land the right job. While the ultimate outcome is to land your dream job, how will you tackle rejections? If you get frustrated, you are focusing on outcome, but if you enjoy the process of going though many interviews, getting better at them, learning from the people who are interviewing you, then you are in the space of detachment from outcome and emanate a happy and confident energy as you get better with each interview you attend!
Check for purity
So let’s assume you try everything, go through the checklist and yet nothing is working, then go back to the beginning. Ask yourself – what do you really want? What is your true intention? How pure is it? What do we mean by purity of intent?
Here is a little story
In a village there lived a sandalwood seller, who wanted to sell all his stocks desperately, so he could use the money to marry his daughter. To his shock, as he was winding up his daily chores one day, the king’s soldiers showed up at his door, wanting to arrest him. On asking what his crime was, they told him the King had a dream about someone wishing him harm. And it appeared to be this man.
So the soldier asked him in order to confirm the truth, ‘did you wish ill upon the king?’ Hearing this the man slipped into silence. He then said ‘yes – I have to get my daughter married, so I wished the king would be dead. Then for his funeral everyone would come to me and buy all the sandalwood I have. This way I would have the money I need to carry out the wedding.’
Listening to this, one of the soldiers said, ‘to get the same result, you could have wished that there was a big yagna (religious ceremony) in the palace and the king would invite all his guests from neighbouring kingdoms, who would then come to you to buy the sandalwood to offer in the yagna. This would result in a win-win for everyone.’
This story demonstrates the power of purity in our intentions.
Sidra Jafri says – When your deepest desires don’t manifest, ask yourself – Is my intention in the highest will and good for all? You may want to write this down.
If the answer is yes, then please know that pure intention with pure attention will always lead to divine manifestation. The reasons for it to not manifest in this case would be either a case of divine delay or that something better is waiting to happen.
Eg., The best selling author Louise Hay couldn’t find herself an apartment she liked for over 6 months after she moved to Los Angeles. Eventually when she did, it was a beautiful home. She wondered what took it so long to manifest, in spite of her setting the right intention and doing affirmations too. When she enquired, she realised this home was still under construction 6 months ago – no wonder she had to wait!
Now that we understand more about how intentions work and what their power is, let’s look at how this can roll out in our daily lives and what other obstacles we could be faced with.
So you now begin your day more consciously, by setting intentions that are pure. You then couple this with pure attention as you go through the actions that take you toward manifestation – BUT you are met with a new obstacle – other people’s judgement around your actions. Think about it. This is a big one and sometimes a complete energy sapper.
Other people’s judgements of your actions could either influence you, or it may not. If it does not influence you, then you move forward with ease and grace.
But if it does influence you, then it can lead to upset, irritation, frustration, anger and even heartbreak. What do you do in such a situation?
Here is a suggestion which we find to be super insightful and one we feel can help you move forward.
It may be wise to check with another angle to the purity of your intention at such times, by asking yourself this – Is your intention or attention rooted in fear of judgement or is it rooted in hunger for validation?
To answer this, Sidra Jafri uses this question.
Ask yourself what will you continue to do in your life, even when no one is watching, and even when you know you are not going to get the credit for it?
This will lift all the fog from your mind and you will be able to operate from such a wonderful place of purity, that what the world thinks or does, simply won’t matter any more.
Sounds simple, yet it is not easy – but it is surely possible!
To help you invoke the power of intention click on this guided meditation.
