This week recognizes the Chinese New Year, which is a true bright spot for those of us just catching up with the fact that it is indeed a “New Year.”  I find January a time of transition; mentally processing my reflections of the year I leave behind and considering my intentions for the one that lies ahead.   This often includes dismantling and recreating my vision board for the year; reviewing my finances and finalizing year-end records; emotionally processing the year’s unresolved issues so my energy if freed for the future.  So, a January 23rd New Year presents a perfect opportunity to implement the intentions that I have been formulating the past few weeks. 

“Intention.”  A powerful word that means different things to different people.  Here are a few that I’ve come across:

“A good intention clothes itself with sudden power”  - Ralph Wald Emerson 

"Our intention creates our reality"  - Wayne Dyer

“Inspiration is intention obeyed”  - Emily Carr“Good intentions are at least the seed of good actions and everyone ought to sow them"  - William Temple, Sr. 

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  - Author unknown  

I’d bet most of you have heard the last one.  Many of us have become cynical about the role that intentions play in our lives, and too often reduce our expectations to wishful thinking or half-hearted attempts at change.

The dictionary defines intention as “a course of action that one intends to follow,” and “an aim that guides action, an objective or a purpose.”   The implication is clear that intention is intrinsically tied to action.  So why is there so often a disconnect between the setting of intentions and the reality of our actions?  Why do the majority of New Year’s intentions fizzle by the wayside by Valentine’s Day?

While I cannot offer a definitive answer to those questions, I believe there are some fundamental factors that make a difference.      It is important to understand the setting of intention as conscious use of our energy to invite opportunities into our life.  Setting an intention to change something in my life, for example, requires an openness of  my mind, my heart, my time and my resources toward the change I seek.  An intentional invitation is less powerful when part of me is closed off.    Being “intentional” requires conscious awareness or I will not recognize the opportunities when they are presented; be it through an event, a person, a process, a thought, an emotion or an experience.

    Having recognized the opportunity to live out my intention, I must trust myself enough to act on the opportunity.   This is easier if I also trust that my intention serves the highest good of all involved.

These elements of openness, awareness and trust are the conduit for implementing our best intentions for 2012.   

It’s not too late!  I invite you to join me this week in sending forth our best intentions out into the world with great expectations of what will be returned.