Prayer, Intention, the Secret … What the Bleep
It took me a long time to realize the power of Setting Intention. I’ve had many influences with regard to “intentions” over the years:

• the Catholic mass is often said in “Intention” of someone.
• yoga teachers often have students set an intention at the beginning of the class.
• movies like the Secret and What the Bleep – are based on the power of the mind and how *in control* we really are!

Science has backed these concepts through its discussion of the power of attraction -> if we exude what we desire, we actually attract the same to us. The trick here is to KNOW what we want to attract!

As a kid, my ideas around “intention” and “prayer” were limited by the nuns’ interpretations. These days, “ideas” around prayer are a LOT different and I fully recognize how powerful my thoughts are in bringing quality to my life… and I don’t mean cars, houses, vacations, and Red Sox tickets (although I do talk about those *kinds* of things here)… I mean true contentment, vitality, relaxation, joy, and appreciation.

Recent Example of Newly Set Intention for Linda: Desire for more activity (which I see as a crucial input for greater “vitality” and “relaxation” noted above).

In the scheme of things, I know my activity levels are pretty good, but from a personal perspective, I could be more consistent. *Increasing Activity* is the monthly WW topic for October. This timing is good for me and I decided to embrace it and FORCE myself to find ways to make it happen.  And I swear – by deciding to make it happen, it started to happen!

I am always struggling with how to work more activity into my daily life. The days I go into the office are SOOO long and start before I could even make it to the gym, and end late enough that I’d be choosing exercise over dinner. The days I work from home, I have a LOT more flexibility, but I like to play games with myself … “oh, I could get so much more done if I just stayed home”
Here is what I know – I am better off when exercise is a regular part of my life!

Anyway – WW is asking me (again) to focus on Activity. I decided I wanted this. Here’s what happened:

• Week 1: I decided to set a timer on days from home… so that I would know it was time to get up and move. For one of my movement “sessions” I did 10 minutes of yoga – I set the timer so I’d know when 10 minutes was up…. a few hours later, I walked up with hill behind my house… a decent incline, and it takes just about 10 minutes. [These breaks are totally reasonable given my 9 hour work day – they would certainly be tolerated were I in the office too!]
• Week 2: The next Monday night, I wasn’t “feeling” running on my busy street, (a state route where cars and trucks pass at 40 MPH) … I decided I wanted the “security” of the gym, which is often pretty dead at 7-ish in rural MA! At the gym bulletin boards displayed signs for a Barre/Pilates studio, and it turns out the studio was opening IN the gym, and the owner was having an open house – THAT VERY NIGHT!! So, I walked my sweaty self into her studio, got acquainted, and have attended several classes since!

For me, being one of this teacher’s first students in pretty cool; the personal connection is extra incentive to show up and I like seeing entrepreneurs bring things to life. It also helps that I am loving the style of exercise as a complement to the other activities I enjoy.

In setting an intention, I decided I wanted it – I used my timer and the *FL‘s 10 minute bursts* but how about that gym-studio-serendipity..??
I had not run AT the gym in weeks!! How was I there this particular night? For me this isn’t fate (which to me implies we have no part of how things play out); I believe that calling something out (i.e. setting and intention and thereby making it an area of focus) increases the chances that you are going to see something you may not have otherwise.

And I swear this happened with the husband too! Several month before I met him, on advice from the Secret – I began to define the future Mr. Linda Blowers. This was difficult to do! I’d always been attracted to a good square jaw (ha!); and the other thing that was super clear, is that I wanted a man with confidence – someone who really knew who he was! Well, right from the beginning Hubbo 1) demonstrated more cajones behind the wheel than I, and 2) delivered the calmest, most self-assured first kiss eva!! Indeed, the hubbo is wickedly, stubbornly confident! He stands behind his opinions and arguments and because he believes in himself, he pushes his limits and accomplishes SO much.

What do you want for your life? How do you describe the best lives you know? We all have so much power … power to craft our lives.

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