Intention

In the fall, I enrolled in my masters program through St. Mary's University. It has been a wonderful journey for me, not only as a teacher, but also as a person. One of the readings we completed was a chapter on intention. It's a word that has changed my perception on many things.The chapter was written by Paul Houston and Stephen Sokolow, out of the book The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership, Chapter 1, "The Principle of Intention."

To me, intention sits at the basis of all that we do. Whether it be in our private life, or our professional life, the implications of our intentions have drastic effects on ourselves and on everyone else we share this life with. Houston and Sokolow state that intention, when approached correctly, is the framework for the creation of the ultimate reality. I agree, that with hard work, external support, and a constant focus on your objective and main intention, that if you think it, it can be done. Acting on these intentions consists of speaking, writing and doing (Houston and Sokolow p.9) and when you have opened your intentions up for comments from those around you, you enlist support and constructive feedback. This is a process that I am currently working on in my daily life. I feel that at times, it’s difficult to open my ideas up to a peer or co-worker, because it can leave me vulnerable to criticism or judgement. I sometimes, feel that when I do open up an idea, the reaction isn’t what I was thinking it was going to be.  It leaves me thinking, “why wasn’t it received as I thought it would.” From this reading, I’ve realized that my job isn’t to be disheartened by my expectations, but instead to use these reactions, or criticisms to either continue on with my original intention, or adjust it. The goal is to align your intentions up with your actions. When you master this, you are constantly moving toward, and your intention is filled with an energy that feeds and transfers energy from you to  those around you. With a positive, energetic approach towards your support team and those around you, and with fluid discussions with your team of where you would like to go, the likelihood of you staying on track and meeting the outcome or goal will be much greater. 

For me, the biggest point I’ve come away with through this very thought-provoking reading is the idea that nothing is set in stone when it comes to your goals.  Your goals are always changing, and your intentions have great implications in regards to where you will end up.

• You need to be fluid and ready to make adjustments.
• Find your support group, or team and communicate your intentions with them. Goals are met with their assistance.
• Delegate jobs to those who can handle them, so you can focus on the important tasks you need to complete to stay focused on the goal.
• Treat others as you would like to be treated (the Golden Rule).
• Your intentions not only affect yourself, but others in many ways. 
• Finally, understand that what you “can’t” see (your spiritual connection) is at work, whether you believe it or not.