Set Your Intention and Your Expectations
Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations. — Earl Nightingale
Start your day by setting your intention and your expectations. They really go hand-in-hand. And as the quote above states, our world is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations. They are the filters through which we see everyone and everything – including ourselves.
According to the Merriam-Webster Free Dictionary (online), an expectation is “A strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.” The definition of intention is “an aim or plan.”
That being said, setting our intention and our expectations for our day ahead is creating a strong belief that our plans will come to be.
One easy way to set your intention and expectations for the day is to ask yourself some powerful questions. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Questions to ask yourself:
• What’s my attitude I want to adopt for the day?
• How do I intend to approach my day?
• How do I plan to feel during the day?
• How do I plan to engage with others during the day?
• How do I see people treating me during the day?
Take a few minutes to ask yourself these questions and feel free to add others. I like to do this type of exercise the night before – right before I go to sleep. You can also do them at the start of your day while exercising or sitting quietly in meditation or prayer. If you like to write, you can spend a minute or two quickly journaling your responses.
A creative way to do this same exercise is to mind map it. I enjoy using colored pens to quickly sketch out mind maps. Try starting it off with one simple word in the center of your page – the beginning of your map. Select a word — like “joy,” “abundance,” or “happiness” and from there you can draw the spokes as you respond to these questions. You may even want to ask and answer the questions aloud – just to yourself. There’s nothing better than creating a full sensory experience to program the benefits of setting your intention and expectations for the day ahead. The more senses you can engage, the better.
Doing this one simple exercise will help your day to unfold in amazing ways. I know what a difference it can make for me when I consciously set my intention and my expectations for the hours, minutes and seconds that lay ahead. Also, should something arise that is unplanned for, you can help use this strong foundation to bring back your focus so you stay on track!
Try this for yourself. Commit to doing this first thing in the morning, even before you get out of bed and touch your toes to the floor. After doing this, even for a couple of days, you’ll find that your day flows more smoothly and that your productivity increases.
If you’re ready to make things happen this year in your life and business, and you want to work with a coach who will help guide you and keep you accountable to your commitments, connect with me at http://www.tarakachaturoff.com. Make this a year that matters most to you!
To Your Productive Day!
Tara Kachaturoff
