This post is in celebration of the brand new book: The Declaration of You!
by Michelle Ward and Jessica Swift. I’m so honored to have been interviewed for the book (you can see my chapter by getting + get a preview of the book here). Here are some thoughts about intention, something near and dear to my heart. May the manifesting begin!
How often do you set intentions, and how do you determine what it needs to be?
If you know anything about me, you know that I love creating Mondo Beyondo lists. These lists are all about stretching yourself into new territory. It is your list of the most outrageously wonderful things you can imagine creating for yourself. It’s where you write: Live in Sevilla, Spain for 3 months, meet Alanis Morrisette and perform in a flashmob. It’s where you capture the dreams that you didn’t know you had (and don’t know how you will achieve) but they are dreams that make you feel a bit giddy just thinking about.
I use the Mondo Beyondo list as a way to expand my sense of what’s possible. If I am stretching myself into a place beyond what’s comfortable or what I think is “possible” then I am reaching into a new place in my heart. Also, not everything on the list has to be outrageous… Mondo Beyondo dreams also look like this: Heal my marriage, experience self-love, cultivate new friendships + find my tribe.
I usually remember to do a Mondo Beyondo list on my birthday or on New Year’s Day, but it would be a great practice to do each month or each quarter. Public transportation is a great place to do Mondo Beyondo lists.
Have you experienced something happening to you that you attribute to directly setting it as an intention?
So many things! The time I met Ben Harper on a bus in San Francisco is one of my favorite manifesting stories.
Why do we feel uneasy in setting intentions?
It’s natural to feel a bit uneasy when setting intentions. It leaves us a bit vulnerable. We’ve just declared something we want -something that means a lot to us- and we don’t know if we will actually get it!
For some of us, we learned it was safer to not desire things because the pain of rejection or feeling disappointed had us feel unloved. I remember being afraid to tell my parents what I wanted for my birthday as a child because I was afraid they would forget or decide that I was asking for too much. I couldn’t bear the thought of the disappointment so I chose practical things instead. Or I’d say, “I don’t need anything. Whatever you think…”
I think it’s still a leap of faith for me to “put it out there” and declare what I want in a powerful way. There’s still that voice that shows up and says, “Fat chance, that’ll never happen” or “Who do you think you are?”
I think it’s important to WRITE THE LISTS ANYWAY.
And keep them private if they feel too vulnerable. Sometimes I make a list and put it under my bed. They are my private little deal with the Universe anyway.
What’s your personal declaration around intention?
I believe that my intentions are a powerful declaration both to myself and to the Universe. Speaking them out loud (to myself or to someone else) sets something in motion, a kind of wave of energy that I have to be ready to ride. It will usually require something of me — courage and a willingness to be vulnerable. If my intentions are aligned with my spirit however, this momentum can only take me to new places of growth, joy and fulfillment. I trust my intentions to carry me exactly where I need to go.
The Declaration of You! will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You’s BlogLovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more — and join us! – by clicking here.
P.S. Leave a comment about something you are currently manifesting and you could win a copy of the Declaration of You!
UPDATE: The winner of the Declaration of You is Amy (Badgroove Amy) I will email you today! Congratulations!
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