Day 2: Create an Intention Ritual

The first step to full effort is attention: You remember your intentions - what it is you want to do and your deepest reasons why - and also notice your emotions, energy, challenges, etc. 

You have already defined and set some intentions for the week. Now you will design a ritual or habit that will remind you, every day, of what your intentions are. You will review your top priorities for the day (most) every morning or evening; it might take 5-10 minutes. (This is an extra 5-10 minutes, above the 20-30 you have reserved for the exercises in this book.)

My preference is to review my intentions in the morning; that's when my head is clear and I am most creative. But the evening has the advantage of allowing you to sleep on your intentions. Whichever you choose, set a reminder for the same time every day so that this habit becomes routine.

Make your intention review into a little ceremony that will become a soothing routine. Here are some ideas - choose those that suit you:

• Get your morning coffee or evening tea and your journal and sit in your favorite chair. Light a candle.

• Journal about your day ahead (or visualize it) with a wide-angle view - the people you will see and the situations that might arise.

• Look at your Priorities Plan for the week, and choose those that fit best into your day. Choose tasks and activities from a range of your priorities. (It's okay to think big, but don't set yourself up for failure.) Write them on a clean page, or make a colorful chart.

• Picture each of today's priority tasks - the moment you will start it, and how you will feel when you complete it.

• Ask, "Is this truly leading me in the right path? And is it do-able?" If yes, then commit to act on it with vigor today!

• Make a list of what you need in order to start and complete each priority - do you have supplies to gather? calls to make? - and also note your emotions, energy, challenges, etc.

• Speak out your intentions for today (or at least for the most important 2-3), including your deepest reasons.

• Think up mantra phrases for your top three priorities that captures your intentions in a few words, and write them on a sticky note.

• Draw a daily intentions mandala, with symbols and colors that represent each of this day's priorities.

• Blow out the candle.

Please design your own habit, that suits your style, and break it into as many parts as you wish. For example, my own morning intention ritual has three parts:

The first is organizational to the max- I have charts and lists, and I go through them every morning, with my coffee. It takes me about 10-minutes every morning to reaffirm which of my priorities I plan to do, and check over my schedule to make sure it's reasonable.

My Priority Plan

Next, I often write in my journal, and chat with myself about anything I'm unsure about: One recent journal entry says, "Is painting still a priority in my life? It's still a spiritual experience for me, when I do it, but I don't do it often. Writing is filling my creative need right now." 

I also sometimes make a sticky note with 3 intention mantras and stick it to my computer. I don't necessarily look at these, but writing them is helpful.