At the end of every year, I set intentions for the new year to come. Last year my intention was to publish my first book, Living, Learning, Healing; Inspirational Stories from the Heart, which I did in early 2017. Since then I've continued to get my book out into the world and into the hands of readers.
For 2018, my intention has been to strengthen my body. I love cycling outdoors in the spring, summer and fall. In the winter, I shovel snow, snowshoe and take walks in the woods. I’m active but want to strengthen my body, and so have begun physical training with a personal coach.
Every few months, I connect by phone or in person with a certain longtime friend. As we were talking recently, I shared with her that I'm transitioning and seem to have more open time than I’m used to. This is not easy for me. I have many interests in addition to my work as a business consultant and owner of Potential Released, including writing, painting, reiki, and photography, but I’m not sure how I want to spend my time right now.
I told my friend about strength training and my struggle with the open times in my schedule. To my surprise, she started laughing. She said, “Don’t you see? Your intention of strength training? It’s a metaphor for strengthening who you want to be.”
For me those endearing words of encouragement from a cherished friend happen to be spot-on. Though I hadn’t made the correlation, she’s right; I am strengthening the aspects of who I want to be and how I want to spend my time.
Revisiting our intentions throughout the year and sharing them with others can help us shift our focus to create new possibilities in our lives. Thank you, my dear friend, for helping me re-frame my intention with your wonderful and valuable insight!
Comments