How to Set Your Intention and Get What You Want

When you set your intention for the personal fulfillment of something important to you, give it the significance and attention it deserves. Do this by choosing one or more of these 7 ways to honor and encourage fulfillment.

Why Set Your Intention For Personal Fulfillment?

People set intentions because they want to clarify for themselves what they want. Of equal importance, having a stated (or written) intention helps a person focus energy and prioritize.

But what does it mean to have an intention and how is an intention simply different from wanting?

Intention, goal, and aim are often used interchangeably. Each of these terms is typically distinguished from wants, desires, and prayers because it assumes some degree of commitment and a willingness of the actor to act; hence somehow participate in the effort to fulfill the intention. That effort could be mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, or energetic.

Unlike goal or aim, the word intention is commonly used in spiritual and metaphysical contexts. It connotes something transformative and of greater value and meaning.

An intention can be about something physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, or energetic. And, it can be focused on the immediate or the future.

Start With Well-Defined Intentions

The best way to empower your intention is to use words that are positive, clear, and specific.

Positive means to state what you want and not what you don’t want? For example, “I get a good night’s rest,” instead of “I don’t want to wake up at night.” When you focus on the positive, you orient yourself to what you want instead of the current situation you dislike and want to change. This is especially true if you fail to indicate what you want instead of that which you dislike. The latter leaves the future wide open. And, you assume the risk of creating a situation you don’t like either. It could be even worse.

Clear means that you state exactly what you want. When you’re clear, your words aren’t vague or understated. For example, let’s assume you’re experiencing a lot of pain in your left knee. Wouldn’t you want to be pain-free rather than feel less pain? Don’t be shy or hesitant. Be honest and clear. Believe in yourself and your ability to completely heal or attain all that you aspire toward.

Specific means wording your intention such that it excludes ambiguity and other options you do not intend. For example, let’s say you have two daughters. Your relationship with one is excellent. The other is strained. If you say “I want to communicate effectively with my daughter,” you just might further improve the good relationship you already have and fail to improve the stained one. So make sure to specify which daughter.

7 Ways to Work With Your Intention and Fulfill It

1. Every so often, take time to reflect and even daydream about what your life will be like when you fulfill your intention.
2. Journal about your intention. By doing so, you’ll reflect on how this intention will contribute to your personal fulfillment. You can also identify and prioritize actions to support your desired transformation.
3. Create a crystal grid or vision board that encompasses your vision and intention. In addition, you can charge the grid or board with the energy of your intention. Periodically visit it and recharge it.
4. Focus on who you expect to be when you fulfill your intentions. And, be that person now. Start small, habituate yourself, and continue to adopt more attributes over time.
5. Keep your intention close to your heart and in your daydreams, staying open to related opportunities as they arise. This means you don’t plan and designate your solar plexus chakra to will your intention into existence. Focus on the feeling state rather than a strategy.
6. If you have many intentions, select one or a couple to focus on right now. Too many intentions can dilute the effort you can put toward any one intention. Plus, lots of details cause confusion. This is true even on an energetic level. When you’re confused, your energy is likely to be confused and incoherent. This muddles energetic clarity and alignment.
7. Diffuse essential oils to create a supportive atmosphere. The idea is to pair your intention with the biophysical and metaphysical properties of particular essential oils. Another option is to diffuse a cleansing blend to energetically clear you and your space, thus removing toxins and clutter from the past, opening to flow, and your life forward movement. (See my post Smudging Using Diffuser Oils for Energy Work Clearing.)

Try any one or more of these ways to empower your intentions. People like the ceremony of those using crystals, and essential oils. I do too. But, in my experience, numbers four and five are the most impactful.

The Key is not to simply state what you want. Nor is it to try to create and focus on logical plans built by your cognitive mind, which hasn’t yet delivered you personal fulfillment. Instead, be that change you desire in a million different small achievable ways, hold onto to energy of your intention, and be open to those opportunities offering glimpses of your final destination.

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Patricia Bonnard, PhD, ACC is an integrated spiritual life coach and energy healer. She offers virtual and in-person sessions and numerous short workshops on personal growth, natural healing, and wellness. For more about Patricia, visit her website Starchaser Healing Arts, or contact her using her online form.