My recent (and intense trip) to Croatia revealed something amazing that I want to share with you – the power of intention and the beauty of living with intention.
It really changes the way we experience everything.
Setting an intention on enjoying the Holiday season and keeping our hearts on what’s important to us makes it enjoyable. Without it, we get caught in the stress and chaos of all that goes on around us.
In my current IIN Coaching training*, I learned that “the subtlest level of intention is a commitment formed by the heart and mind. It’s a tool for refining the will, focusing the mind, and bringing harmony to the subtle and physical bodies.”
It’s the intention that holds our desires and motivates us to take meaningful action in everyday routines and the work we do.
When we live with intention, we begin to notice signs and synchronicities that happen as a reminder that we are supported by the Divine (God). This strengthens us to continue taking action – and trust that God has our back. We become more willing to surrender our rigid plans and work with the divine.
Something to think about in reviewing 2023, and setting the intentions and goals for 2024.
Let me illustrate my point:
During my nine-day trip to Croatia, I had eight different gigs – a book signing, a corporate singing gig, an Advent concert, a goal-setting workshop, a soul-centered gathering, a fashion photoshoot for a luxury brand’s winter collection, and a talk show exploring life’s joys. (You can catch a behind-the-scenes video of these experiences on my Patreon page.)
The common thing for all of them was how I showed up – with an intention of creating experiences that move people and inspire them to live with more awareness and connection.
At the goal-setting workshop (organized by a remarkable business person and coach, Helena, who invited me to co-host it with her), we were prompted to review 2023. I realized that my actual experiences were a lot different from my initial plan. My goals included finishing my memoir, recording a song each month, live-streaming, expanding my coaching business, and supporting my son Blais through high school graduation and the transition to college. I had meticulously laid out action steps, quarterly milestones, and contingency plans for potential obstacles.
I was hitting all the marks until I received a call in March for a concert in Croatia. This was an invitation that at the time seemed like any other music gig – except that, from the beginning, there was a sense of divine guidance. The person who called me and I openly talked about it – they too felt God’s hand in it.
The call led to the glorious concert in Croatia with the symphony orchestra – which was a dream come true. My mom reminded me how I told her of my dream of some day singing with the symphony orchestra at that music hall in Zagreb. Noted. 💫 ✅
Some time this past summer, my publisher in Croatia presented me with the completed translation of 25 Gifts for Christmas. I’d been wanting to publish that book in Croatian since I wrote it in 2016. Just two weeks ago, I was holding a book event in Zagreb. Noted again! . 💫 ✅
For the concert I sang at Advent in Zagreb, none of my usual musicians were available, and I had the crazy idea of hiring a jazz trio for it. My dear friend reminded me that just last year we were walking through the same spot in Zagreb, when I told her that someday I would sing at that place with a jazz trio. Noted again! . 💫 ✅
I also envisioned doing all-day workshops and bringing all that I learned through years of my studies and coaching training – although I didn’t have a clear plan on how this would happen – and now it happened. . 💫 ✅
At the workshop with Helena, I recounted this realization in a session for the participants, and pointed out what I know is the key to success and happiness – setting an intention, understanding why it’s important to us, keeping it in the forefront of our mind, and staying alert and open to the divine guidance to put the pieces together for us – in ways that are most beneficial for the highest good of all.
If I planned to make all of these dreams come true, I would not have known where to start or how to make it happen. If I held on rigidly to the plan I had made, I’d miss out on all of that.
But here is the powerful thing – we do have to set an intention and set goals if we want to accomplish anything. Intention is like envisioning the home we want to live in, and goals are like a blueprint of the house we will build – in which we will then experience feeling at home.
The intention behind my goals of finishing my memoir, recording songs, doing live streams, expanding my coaching business was to fulfill my sense of purpose: creating experiences that move and inspire others.
And I did that – in ways that were also magical and impactful. I felt I was exactly at the place where I was meant to be – in all of those events and projects – and for reasons I might never know.
Even though my original plan didn’t happen, and I didn’t hit the financial milestones, I’m more than happy with 2023 – grateful beyond words, and motivated to keep working and trusting God.
So… I invite you to – before you make a plan and set goals for 2024, to spend some time reflecting on your ‘why’ (your purpose) and your intentions.
*I’m currently enrolled in Institute of Integral Nutrition’s Chopra Coaching Course + NBHWC Board Credentialing
