When you do something, anything, is it with intention? Are you aware and awake to what you do every day or are you just trudging through life? I found that for years, I was just existing in my life and it was passing me by.
If we learn to do things with intention, it has the power to make mundane into profound. Intention requires attention to detail and needs our effort to become something tremendous.
We know that to do something complicated or profoundly meaningful requires our full attention and effort in order to succeed. For example, walking a tightrope or taking a test are tasks that call us to be fully present and in the moment. But it can also be use with day to day events, like eating breakfast or going to work. In fact, everything we do benefits from the presence of intent, which has the power to transform boring tasks into profound experiences. You have to try it to find out, though.
Intent is one of the cornerstones of the Zen tradition of Buddhism in which monks work for years to develop the stillness and peace of mind to do only one thing at a time. Most of the time we are doing one thing and thinking of something else, or even doing three things at the same time, such as talking on the phone, doing dishes, and making coffee. There is nothing wrong with multitasking, which is necessary at times, especially in family or corporate life. However, balancing this with a dose of intention can provide valuable insight into the benefits of doing one thing at a time, being fully present with whatever the task at hand happens to be.
It is funny how multitasking is looked upon as a positive but in reality, it means you are only fair at what you do, not great because you get busy doing 10% here, 10% there and nothing is at 100%, if you stop to think about it.
Let me use an analogy with musicians. A good musician plays their guitar a couple or few times a week but a great musician is playing for hours every day, non-stop without interruption. That is how you go from good to great. You do it often and with one intent. To practice the guitar. Not thinking of your next golf game on Saturday or chatting on the phone as you strum away but closing the door, turning your phone off, putting the guitar in your hands and just play.
As a writer, I started to branch out and was trying many activities and the writing ended up taking a back seat. I had stopped writing with intent. I have put a lot of things away and concentrate on my writing more than anything else now. I find that as I write more, the more flows out of me and I get my message across better.
From the moment we wake up, we can apply intent to any situation by simply saying to ourselves, “I am aware and I am awake.” We can use this simple verse throughout our day, with whatever we are doing. As we acknowledge what we are doing in each moment, we come alive to our bodies, to our surroundings and to the world, owning our actions instead of performing them unconsciously or out of habit.
We may realize how often we act without intention and how this disengages us from reality. Applying the energy of intent to even one task a day has the power to transform our lives. Just imagine what would happen if we were able to apply that power to our entire day.
I am, as always, humbled by your light.
If we learn to do things with intention, it has the power to make mundane into profound. Intention requires attention to detail and needs our effort to become something tremendous.
We know that to do something complicated or profoundly meaningful requires our full attention and effort in order to succeed. For example, walking a tightrope or taking a test are tasks that call us to be fully present and in the moment. But it can also be use with day to day events, like eating breakfast or going to work. In fact, everything we do benefits from the presence of intent, which has the power to transform boring tasks into profound experiences. You have to try it to find out, though.
Intent is one of the cornerstones of the Zen tradition of Buddhism in which monks work for years to develop the stillness and peace of mind to do only one thing at a time. Most of the time we are doing one thing and thinking of something else, or even doing three things at the same time, such as talking on the phone, doing dishes, and making coffee. There is nothing wrong with multitasking, which is necessary at times, especially in family or corporate life. However, balancing this with a dose of intention can provide valuable insight into the benefits of doing one thing at a time, being fully present with whatever the task at hand happens to be.
It is funny how multitasking is looked upon as a positive but in reality, it means you are only fair at what you do, not great because you get busy doing 10% here, 10% there and nothing is at 100%, if you stop to think about it.
Let me use an analogy with musicians. A good musician plays their guitar a couple or few times a week but a great musician is playing for hours every day, non-stop without interruption. That is how you go from good to great. You do it often and with one intent. To practice the guitar. Not thinking of your next golf game on Saturday or chatting on the phone as you strum away but closing the door, turning your phone off, putting the guitar in your hands and just play.
As a writer, I started to branch out and was trying many activities and the writing ended up taking a back seat. I had stopped writing with intent. I have put a lot of things away and concentrate on my writing more than anything else now. I find that as I write more, the more flows out of me and I get my message across better.
From the moment we wake up, we can apply intent to any situation by simply saying to ourselves, “I am aware and I am awake.” We can use this simple verse throughout our day, with whatever we are doing. As we acknowledge what we are doing in each moment, we come alive to our bodies, to our surroundings and to the world, owning our actions instead of performing them unconsciously or out of habit.
We may realize how often we act without intention and how this disengages us from reality. Applying the energy of intent to even one task a day has the power to transform our lives. Just imagine what would happen if we were able to apply that power to our entire day.
I am, as always, humbled by your light.
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