Intention Setting

In today's session, Justin Michael Williams will guide you through an intention-setting practice. Taking time to evaluate whether your current lifestyle is aligned with your dreams is the first step to take when embarking on a journey of growth. This powerful tool will help you to zoom out and see the bigger picture, and set a course for this journey.

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to day one of Insight Timer's Building Healthy Habits Challenge.

Let's take a moment to get settled.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath in and exhale out.

Let's dive into today's healthy habit.

Hello and welcome to the Building Healthy Habits Challenge here on Insight Timer.

During this challenge,

You're going to get to know a wide range of different wellness techniques and some self-care practices that will help you craft a routine that works perfectly for you.

Did you know that more than 40% of our daily actions are not conscious decisions,

But habits?

Habits make up for a big part of our day.

They dictate how we live,

How we perform,

And what we can achieve in our lives.

Swapping your bad habits with good ones is the best and a proven way to improve your overall wellbeing and boost your performance.

Maybe you need to craft a better morning routine,

Or move your body more,

Or sleep better,

Or improve how you handle stress.

Or maybe it's just that you need to shift how you show up in all of the relationships in your life.

Either way,

If focusing on your wellbeing was one of your resolutions this year,

You're in the right place.

My name is Justin Michael Williams,

And I'm excited to welcome you to day one of the Building Healthy Habits Challenge here on Insight Timer.

And today,

I'm going to teach you about the power of intention setting.

Now,

Most of us,

When we hear the words intention setting,

What we really think of is just picking a few pretty words that sound really nice in the moment that will get us through whatever the person is asking us to set an intention for.

But what I want to teach you today is how to set an intention that actually takes you toward your life purpose.

That is more than just a pretty word,

But that takes you forward in your life to what really matters to you,

And what is next for the evolution of your life.

This is the power of intention setting,

Of real intention setting.

And that's what we're going to do in this practice.

Let's begin.

Go ahead and start by finding a comfortable way to sit.

And then place one hand over the center of your chest and the other hand on top of that.

So both hands are just touching right over your heart center.

Take a deep,

Full breath in and a deep breath out.

And if it feels comfortable to you,

I invite you to close your eyes.

You can always keep your eyes open for this practice.

If you choose to do so,

Just drop your gaze down so you don't get too distracted.

Take another deep breath in and out.

And with me to the count of three.

Inhale for one,

Two,

Three.

Hold for one,

Two,

Three,

And exhale one,

Two,

Three.

Great.

Let's do that a couple more times.

Inhale for one,

Two,

Three.

Hold for one,

Two,

Three.

Exhale one,

Two,

Three.

Next time,

Inhale one,

Two,

Three.

Hold for one,

Two,

Three.

Exhale one,

Two,

And three.

Great.

Now just breathe normally and see if you can soften your body just 5% more.

And now I will invite you into a short visualization practice with me.

But please remember that some of us don't visualize by seeing images in our heads that easily.

Some of us visualize by hearing sounds in our minds or by feeling sensations in our bodies or even by tasting or smelling.

So as we go through this practice,

If what's coming to you is a little fuzzy or blurry or incomplete or you're not seeing anything at all or it's obscure or abstract,

Don't worry.

You're doing it right.

Just notice what you do notice instead of focusing on what you're not noticing.

This is a good practice for life.

All right.

Let's begin.

I'd like you to imagine a future version of yourself who is living the life of your dreams.

Everything is exactly as you could always want and dream of.

I want it to feel like if this came true,

It would be a miracle.

What do you notice?

What do you sense?

You're imagining a future version of yourself at any point in the future who is living the life of your dreams.

And if this feels impossible,

Good.

Because if we can't think beyond our current circumstances,

How can we ever expect to live beyond our current circumstances?

So let yourself go there with me.

Like you could rub a magic lamp,

Everything is possible.

Every challenge and circumstance in your life has been overcome.

This is a miracle.

What do you notice?

What do you sense?

And if you have multiple things kind of shuffling around in your mind,

See if you can just land on one for now,

Trusting what arises.

And let's start to dimensionalize this a little bit.

Notice in the vision that's present for you now,

Are you indoor or are you outdoor in the vision?

Notice is there anybody there with you in the vision or are you alone?

Either are okay.

Just notice without judgment.

And notice what colors are around you in the vision.

Take a moment now and scan around yourself in the vision and pick up everything you can.

Notice can you hear anything in the vision?

Are there any sounds associated?

Don't force it.

Just see if there's anything there.

Notice are there any smells associated with the vision?

Are there any tastes?

Can you taste anything?

Are there any physical sensations,

Maybe a temperature or something touching your skin?

And most importantly,

Notice how this vision feels.

How does it feel emotionally to be living the life of your dreams?

I'm gonna be silent for just a moment now and I want you to scan around you and pick up everything that you can in this vision to make it come alive and become more real for you.

Revel in it now.

Take another few moments now just to really presence yourself in this vision and if your mind has wandered,

That's okay,

Just come right back.

Imagine a future version of yourself who is living the life of your dreams.

What do you notice?

What's there for you today?

And now I'm gonna ask you a question and I want you to answer this question with one,

Two or three words,

Trusting the first words that come to your mind.

One,

Two or three words.

Here we go.

As you look at this future version of yourself who is living the life of your dreams,

What energy do you need to cultivate more of in your life today now to become that person that you're seeing in your vision?

I'll ask it again.

Don't worry.

Here's your question.

What energy do you need to cultivate more of in your life now today so that you can become that person that you're seeing in your vision?

One,

Two or three words,

Trust whatever arises.

Now,

Take a moment and just think about your words.

Repeat them in your mind a few times.

And as you repeat these words,

Imagine the energy of these words bathing you and soothing you and covering every crevice of your inner and outer body.

It's like you're taking a shower in these words or a bath in these words.

Like they're dripping through your body like liquid light or honey.

And the words can turn into any color or texture that you need.

And just let these words bathe you and heal you and soothe you.

Repeat your words just a few more times.

And go ahead and take a deep breath in and a deep breath out.

And when you're ready,

I invite you to open your eyes as we transition back into your day.

What we just did is incredibly powerful.

This is real intention setting because we didn't just pick some random word that felt good in the moment.

What we did may seem simple,

But it's incredibly profound.

On the one hand,

We said,

Here's who you are now.

And on the other hand,

We said,

Here's who you want to become in your life.

And notice that we said,

There's a gap.

There's a gap between who you are now and who you want to be in your vision.

And I didn't ask you,

What do you need to do to fill that gap?

I said,

Who do you need to become?

What is the energy you need to cultivate?

Who do you need to be?

And that is the most important intention you could set for your day.

So what are your words?

What are the words that came up for you today?

And I would love for you to share those in the comments.

This is an incredibly powerful practice that you can do every single day.

One that helps you start your day with power and purpose.

And that doesn't just fill you up with a pretty word,

But that takes you in the energy and in the direction of your dreams.

Thank you so much for practicing with me.

This is Justin Michael Williams signing out,

And I'll meet you right here in this special place the next time we practice together.

Don't forget to share your words in the comments.

Bye for now.

Reviews

My words are: Love, Love and Love. Thank you, Justin, for being this incredible meditation guide!

This was really great . I appreciate it . I am at a turning point in my life and need /want to change who I am to that future vision that was presented and this was perfect for that .

It was perfect! Choosing an intention that’s not just a pretty word was perfect for me!! I dove deeper into the intention setting for the day!

As always.. Justin’s guided meditations are amazing 🙏🏼

My words .. courage … discipline … consistency 🫶🏼

Golden light inner confidence was what came to me. It feels great, many thanks for your inspiration Justin 🙏🏻😊🎶💗

Spectacular lesson and meditation for allowing your authentic intention to emerge from within you.

Thankfully, I'm already on my journey to my future self. During this mediation the energy I felt the need to cultivate was determination to achieve what I felt in my future self. The energies I saw were happiness, feeling settled and loving my life.

This was a lovely practice. I need to cultivate vibrations of peace, happiness, compassion.

You are such a gift. Thank you so so much. You give me such hope. 💝

Always just so inspiring 🌻 thank you so much 🙏🏼❤️

Indeed, not some random pretty word with no power behind it.
Thank you for this. My words are Compassion Energy Resilience

I like the focus onwho we want you be in the future.

Great way to start the day! My words were calm & confident.

Thank you for this transformative practice. My two words were positivity and belief which I will focus on each day towards my future self 🙏

Wow, powerful, energetic intention setting . Feel empowered for my morning ahead.

The word that came to my mind was "Dicipline", Thank you, this was powerful as I imagine whom I want to be my heart fill up with gratitud.

My energies, courage, communication and surrender, is this OK

Motivation, Determination & Commitment are my three energies to cultivate change 🙏💕

Oh that was lovely!
My key word was playfulness.
Followed by a jumble of exposed, vulnerable, courage, love, seen and joy. So just focusing on the first one which resonated much more.

That was amazing, really! I’m elderly, no longer feel the need for a lot of “goals.” But I envisioned myself being a great cook (could that happen?), surrounded by friends.