Creating Intentions

Creating Intentions

How many of you are creating daily intentions? How many of you don’t know what an intention is? My definition of an intention is to create a powerful statement that will empower and motivate you during your day that nothing will stop you from achieving your true potential. I have also heard intentions being described as a force field that acts like a magnet to bring you all that you desire. The definition from the Webster’s dictionary says that and intention is a determination to act in a specified way or anything intended.

Intentions to me are powerful statements that create a flow of energy within me so that I am empowered at all times. I usually create my intentions in the morning or anytime I am facing a challenging situation. These can be a simple statement, or a statement that is very detailed. It’s up to you to decide what works best for you.

I have created my intention statements in a couple of different formats. I like to experiment with different ways to see what is most powerful and supportive and if it doesn’t empower me, I toss it and write another one. I have started them like this, “I am willing to embrace all my challenges today.” I also will use the word choose to create a different type of energy flow. “I choose to take on this challenge with peace and patience and know that I will be empowered.” I have also created an intention like the following which helps me release my resistance to manifesting when I am working within the universal laws of attraction. “I intend to attract nothing but peace and will only meet peaceful people during my day.”

Can you see how important creating daily intentions can be? I hope that you will climb aboard and start writing your daily intentions and see firsthand how they can empower and inspire you. When you write your intentions, you are also keeping your personal power with yourself and not giving it away to others. That is when writing an intention before a challenging situation is great too, because you can create one on the spot that is geared towards that specific challenge. You will gain your personal power and stay focused.

I have also created a workbook called “Be Empowered” that can help with creating and getting you started with intentions. This is currently being sold on lulu.com as a downloadable workbook and is a 30-day workbook. I also have it available in printed form that can be purchased from me and mailed to your home. If you are interested, please contact me and I will give you the pricing details. I am currently working in creating this workbook into an e-book which will be filled with a lot of exercises, games and meditations as well as the 30-days of my original workbook.

Cultivate Your Garden

I have been an artist for many years and require some form of creativity everyday. I find creativity through my journaling, jewelry creations, writing and organization among other forms. My creativity was something that I never thought I had because it has evolved as I have tried many different things to find what I truly love and find passion in.

Ever since I was young, I have always loved to write and got really good grades in creative writing classes, but when someone told me I had poor grammer and run-on sentences, I gave it up because I felt like I had failed. I had taken art classes also but never felt I could measure up to all the other students who made beautiful paper mache thingys. What I have found out, is that what I needed to do was to keep trying different things that would inspire me and that is what I have found in creating beautiful jewelry.

As a Creative Empowerment Coach, I wanted to give some tools to others who feel they don't have a creative bone in their body. YOU DO, it's just a matter of finding what you love to do and never get discouraged or give up before you begin. What I find amazing is that, we each have our strengths and finding yours is about allowing yourself to be compassionate and patience as you explore this gift.

What I would like to do is give you some ideas each week that you would be willing to explore and see if it would open up new doors of possibilities for you. The first exerecise is going to be a journaling exercise for which the title of this article is written.

Cultivate Your Garden

This exercise is a tool to help you become more aware of how your thoughts hold you back. I have started to visualize my positive thoughts as beautiful flowers in the garden or my mind. Each and everytime I have a powerful, empowering and postive thought, this is helping my garden grow to the beauty it is meant to be. There is so much self-love and approval in all moments.

There are moments when a negative thought will start to creep in and that is the time you become aware of that negative thought and weed it out. Nobody likes those nasty weeds that grow in the garden and the same goes for our thoughts. When you can become aware the instant that negative thought enters your mind, you have the ability to replace it with a positive thought right away so that you can remain empowered and keep that self-loved watered properly so that it thrives into a beautiful blossom.

• What are the beautiful flowers growing in your garden and how do you nurture them?
• What do you currently practice to keep them beautiful and loved?
• What do you practice to week those negative thoughts?
• How have those practices helped you to stay empowered?
• Feel free to email me with your stories at wjndesigns@yahoo.com. and with your approval, I would love to use your stories in future publications.

In love and light,

Wendee

Forgiveness-A Step Towards Self-Love

Forgiveness can be one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself as well as others. It can be a hard task that you might be thinking you'd rather not deal with or acknowledge but when you can truly forgive yourself, the gift is tremendous.

To forgive yourself is to open your heart and allow yourself the time and space to give yourself unconditional love and approval. How often during your day are you in a negative conversation of self-doubt? When in your life do you tell yourself, you will be happy when you've reached a certain goal, lost the weight, gotten on an exercise program, and you will take that vacation once you've gotten that promotion or recognition from the job or do you simply give up before you start?

Forgiveness is allowing you to shed those negative thoughts and behaviors where you can make room for more bliss, joy and happiness. It's not about beating yourself up in moments when something goes wrong, but about giving yourself the unconditional love and approval you always deserve no matter what the outside circumstance is.

How often do you;

Deny your needs?
Blame others or yourself?
Resent someone or yourself?
Felt betrayed?
Felt rejected?
Have you ever said "why me?"?
Have you ever suffered from an illness?
Are you still waiting to hear someone you love say, "I'm sorry"?
When do you feel self-pity or self-doubt?
Do you ever feel afraid, lonely, enraged or worthless?

If you can say "yes" to any of the statements above, it's time to forgive. Forgiveness is a process that can be a piece of cake for some or an extremely fearful idea. There is a process for forgiveness that I will briefly explain which I hope helps clarify this act. The first stage of forgiveness is denial. Stage two is anger and stage three is acceptance. Forgiveness allows you to accept what is but giving you the courage to let go of the pain and negative forces that keep you from being true and loving towards yourself.

When you are forgiving yourself or others, you are willing to see yourself as human and to embrace that moment as you see yourself and others as a gift in the world. Forgiveness doesn't mean you approve of the person's behaviors or actions but an opportunity to set yourself fre of a negative connection you have with that person or yourself. It will give you more opportunity to move forward and beyond the past that keeps you stuck and safe. Forgiveness is only for you. It's a beautiful and generous gift you are giving to yourself.

I like to write letters to the person I am forgiving. I don't send the letters. I just keep them in my journals. I give myself a lot of space where it is quite and undisturbed. I light candles and sometimes put on some soft music to help me relax. I just start to write and I just let it come out as natually as it will. I don't hold anything back and I let it all out. If the tears start to flow, let them. This is a way that you are releasing those emotions that you have bottled so tightly inside of yourself. I usually start my letters like this, "I (your name), am willing to forgive (name of person, or thing). I have thing because I don't limit my forgiveness to just people, I have forgiven illness or something that keeps me stuck.

When you decide to forgive, remember to be kind and gentle to yourself during the process. This can bring up feelings that had been buried deep within your soul. Remember that forgiveness is a gift you are giving yourself. I also like to have a support friend on hand if needed. Be willing to ask for the type of support you need. You can let the friend know what you are doing and ask them to be a witness or just available for a phone call afterwards. Maybe you want to make it into a ceremony where they can take part in or just a shoulder to cry on. It's up to your how you go about your forgiveness.

I am also a trained Professional Creative Empowerment Coach you can call for private coaching if you are faced with challenges and need support. I offer different coaching book groups several times during the year based on popular self-help to help focus on a particular topic. You can find more information on my website at, www.coachingyouforward.com. I offer a free 1/2 hour coaching session if you want to explore the idea and see how coaching can also be a gift you give yourself.

In Joy and Forgiveness
Wendee Neilson
Coaching You Forward
Discover, Embrace, Empower and Create...YOU!

Creating More Happiness

Happiness: Do you have the secret or are you still trying to chase it down? How do you define happiness for you? Where are you still wishing, waiting and hoping to discover true happiness? If you have found happiness...what is your secret? How do you describe happiness? What was your defining moment when you realized happiness was not found in objects or possessions but something you have had internally since the day you were born? Happiness to me...is something I know I have within me to be. Each day that I wake up, I have to choose to be happy. Yes...happiness is a choice.

Discovering that happiness was not found in objects or my possessions was an eye opening realization. Happiness was something that I kept chasing. I was filling my life up with things...many of the things I did not need and others that I did...at the time. But somehow, these things did not make me happy. Happiness as I discovered was something internal that I had to feel from the heart and choose it. There were days when that was very challenging and seemed impossible. But I made it my mission to keep the forward momentum going and by choosing happiness, it made it easier. It made my challenges seem less important. The challenges began to lessen while happiness became the focus.

It hasn't been an easy mountain to climb...believe me, those days that I woke up completely exhausted and achy all over, I never thought I would get out of bed, let alone get through my day. But I did. It was a choice. I decided that I'd rather be happy than not be happy. On those bad days, it seems far easier to not be happy than to be...and that was what had to change. I know it is far easier to stay in a negative state of mind and play victim because then I don't have to take responsibility or be accountable. But believe me, when I first came aware that happiness was inside me...I was on a quest to find it.

I read a few books about different subjects and when I formed my own opinions, I decided that happiness could no longer be found in the things that I had to look deep within myself to find my own happiness. To shine the light from within that radiates out. I was on my journey to find what happiness was for me. I already had the awareness what happiness wasn't...it wasn't found in things. So now I am starting from the beginning. What I did to find my happiness works for me. If you are looking for happiness, you need to find what works for you.

My journey to find happiness was not so hard once I started thinking back to what didn't work and to actively participate in my own daily practices. I read in a book that daily acknowledgements and gratitude's were essential in helping improve self-esteem. Acknowledgements are things I acknowledge about myself. I get to toot my own horn. What I like about me. The list was short at first, but it grows daily...like a blossoming sunflower. Gratitude's are outside of me and helps me appreciate the world around me. I have also discovered affirmations. WOW...these are really a boost for self-confidence and helped me to smile each and every day. I am really feeling empowered now. A day that I can smile is a day that is filled with happiness. You know, I am even smiling to people on the street...strangers I have never met...and they are smiling back at me. How fantastic is that. I have also developed my own Empowering Daily Practices, which I have posted on my website for anyone who would like to start their journey.

So I am now finding more happiness each day. I am learning to empower myself with positive statements. Well, then, what happens when I slip or have a bad day? I asked myself. Again, I want to emphasize that having a bad day is a choice. Wow, that word "choice" again. I am having another great awareness...oh my gosh this is awesome! How cool is that? I love that word "choice"...I have the choice....I have the power to choose....I hve the power to choose. Choice, choose, power and happiness are now a part of my daily life. Who knew? What about empower...that is another word I discovered when I read yet another book. Each day, I find ways to empower myself. That can be from a simple statement about my intention for the day to a lavish conversation with a colleague. There are many different ways in which to empower yourself. I love to empower myself with knowledge. I love to journal and to write affirmations that are positive and inspiring. Speaking of inspiring, I have recently been re-inspired by my love of creating jewelry. Making something so beautiful is very empowering.

Happiness is love. Happiness is joyful. Happiness is a choice and nobody can ever take that away from you. Happiness is my right and I will do what it takes to be happy in every moment. I have also discovered that when I am happy, I am giving the world a gift. I am putting a positive imprint into the world that expands the universe. When I am out and about my day, I make it a habit to gift the world a smile. A smile is a free gift that is worth a million. Smiling can brighten someones day. Smiling can bring about a change in attitude. Smiling is also burning calories and exercising facial muscles. How wonderful is that. I don't worry about the lines...I'd rather have the world know I've been happy rather than sad. So give the world a gift today with your smiles and you'll be giving yourself a gift of happiness. Smile and be happy!

If you would like to get extra support with finding happiness, hire a Life Coach. Hire me and I will help guide you while holding your hand during your journey in finding happiness. I am available for private one-on-one coaching. If you want to give coaching a try, call me for a free no-obligation sample coaching session today. I EMPOWER individuals who desire change and yet are not sure now or what to change. Supporting people in bridging the gap from where they are today to where their dreams and passion await. I am you Life Coach for Coaching You Forward ~ Discover ~ Embrace ~ Empower and create...YOU!! You can get more information about me and my coaching practice at www.coachingyouforward.com.