New Year, New Intention

Welcome to The Spark Show and Welcome to 2020! This is our first episode in the New Year and I’m so excited to be here with you. First of all, I know everyone is excited about this new year, this new decade. It’s also the Year of the Rat which is my year - so shoutout to all my fellow rats out there. When I was little and I found out about my Chinese Zodiac, I was like - “Ew, rat” but as I started doing my research I discovered that rats are known to be clever, quick thinkers and successful. In Chinese culture, rats are a sign of wealth so I’ll take that!

So in this episode, I wanna talk to you about intention. And this is a big one for me because before I started being more serious about personal development, which was when I started my business, I wasn’t clear on my intentions. I had thoughts and dreams like, “hey maybe someday I can do that” or “hey, that would be so cool if…” And that was it, they were just wishes and hopes with no meaning or intention. 

As someone who practices yoga regularly, my teachers would invite us to set an intention for class. Oftentimes this would just be a word or a thought. Sometimes they would offer us one, for example “LOVE.” Loving our body for where we are in our practice and not where we want to be. One day it was “KINDNESS” and being aware of the things we tell ourselves and being kind to ourselves as we are kind to others. When I set an intention for class, I found that I would be more aware in those 60 minutes. It made my practice more vibrant even magical. 

Outside of yoga, I would go to events and seminars where they would ask you to set an intention for what you wanted to get out of the event - whether that meant going out of your comfort zone and talking to 5 new people that you’ve never met before, or maybe it was more personal like being 100% present at the event and letting everything else go, or maybe it was to play full out. 

I realized that setting an intention amplifies the experience. It gives you a guiding light and whether or not you achieve it, you’re still operating with the intention in mind. 

I started a tradition a few years ago where I would choose a word for the year. This word would be my intention for the year and would be my guiding light for my decisions. Last year, my word was FOCUS. I realize that I tend to do a lot of things and sometimes my efforts are distributed over too many things and I don’t see the growth that I want to see. The year before that my word was BALANCE. I felt like I was working way too much and I wanted to make more time for fun and joy. 

Because I chose these words and had it visible in my planner, on my desk, everywhere - I was able to reconnect to my intention every single day and it helped guide my decisions on what I should be doing on a monthly, weekly and daily basis. 

In addition, I also take some time to do a whole New Year planning session where I reflect on the past year (and in this case the past decade) before I plan out the following year. If you haven’t done that yet, definitely check out episode 59: Hello 2020 where I map out this entire process. It’s not too late to plan out your year, there’s people who don’t even do this at all and spend the year wandering aimlessly. I don’t want that to be you! So right now, commit to spending 1-2 hours going through this episode. 

It also helps if you have a big vision in mind. I don’t mean a vision for 2020. I mean your ultimate big vision. I’m talking 10-20 year vision. Yup, like the BIG BIG VISION. What would that look like for you? If you’re not sure about this and need to spend some time crafting this too, listen to Episode 12, where I help you get clear on that big vision. And don’t feel bad if you’ve never done this before. Life is a learning process. I didn’t start doing this kind of work until the last few years and now it has completely transformed my life and they way I think about things. 

You see, most people operate under the impression that life is happening TO them. As if they had no control, no choice in the matter and it’s kind of like they’re the victim of their story. And the fact is, it’s just that a story. We tell ourselves stories all the time. And if we’re not careful and we’re not aware, these stories actually create a reality that we don’t even want. 

For example, one person’s story could be like: I have a job that I hate. I have to stay at my job because I have to pay the bills. Even though I hate my boss and I know I want to be doing something else, I have to stay at my job because I don’t have a choice. I really want to do something else and I’ve always known that I can do better, but I’m trapped and I don’t know what to do. 

Unfortunately, people play this story of their life in their head for years. It pains me to see it, it really does. Because I know what’s going on here and most of the time, people are not seeing what’s going on. They’re not hearing themselves, all their hearing is their own fear and they’re listening to it as if it’s true. 

For someone who’s aware, has a big vision and set an intention, that story could be something like this: It’s my vision to make a huge impact in the world. While I’m building my empire, my job is my investor and helps me pay the bills. I’m excited to work on my business in-between my work hours so that I can quit my job in 12 months when I replace my full-time income. I choose to be positive so I can make a positive impact in this world and I choose to take action to get to my goals. 

If you don’t have that big vision, it’s going to be hard to see things this way. But you have a choice. You can choose to look at it the first way and keep telling yourself that story or you have another choice - change your story and change your life. 

If you’re not happy where you are, they you are the only one who gets to change it. It all starts with the decision. It’s a simple question really - Are you happy? Yes or No. If it’s a yes, then great, what could make you happier? If it’s a no, what has to happen for you to be happy? 

It’s really important to get clear on what you want. If you want more happiness in your life, then maybe that’s your word for the year: HAPPY. And then ask yourself, what makes you happy? It surprises me really, how little people ask themselves that question. 

I get it: sometimes you’re too busy taking care of other people and other things so you put yourself last. And that’s not good either. So maybe this year your word is SELF or SELF-LOVE or SELF-CARE. And you commit to doing something for you, just you, every single day. Whether that’s a meditation, a walk, tea time, whatever that means for you. But if you set the intention, it’s more likely that you will follow through. 

And also I want you to emotionally connect to your intention that you choose. For example, what would it feel like if your intention was SELF-LOVE and every day you wrote in your journal just one thing that you loved about yourself. At the end of the year, that would be 365 things that you absolutely love about yourself. I would love to read that list! Wouldn’t you? 

So I’m sure you’ve got some ideas brewing in your head now about what your intention will be for 2020. If you’re not sure, set aside some time where you write some words down that have come out to you. 

You can also manifest your intention! So manifestation is something I’ve talked about in some of my episodes and some people don’t believe in it. It’s that thing that happens, for example you’re thinking about something random like an elephant. And then later that day or in a day or two you see a video of an elephant or a picture. 

It’s the belief that your thoughts create your reality and that if you think or manifest something in your mind enough, it will show up in real life. Whether or not you believe it, I invite you to try it. It’s also a call to your intuition to show you what your intention should be. When I’ve had trouble coming up with my word, what happens is that it shows up randomly, or should I say magically? 

I don’t know about you but I’m a big believer in magic and miracles, I mean why not? I believe that it’s a miracle that we’re alive and that we’re living in an age where all these amazing things are possible. Again it’s the story I choose to tell myself. I can also choose a sad story or a horror story but I prefer to live in the world of cheesy, romantic rom-coms where there is a happy ending. The question is - what story will you choose? 

So my friend, I hope you’re excited to choose your new intention for the new year. Whatever it is, whether you know right away or if you’re going to take some time to manifest and let it come to you magically - know that having an intention will guide you closer to your big vision this year. 

I wish you so much love, happiness, success and abundance in 2020, whether you’re a Rat or not! I think it’s gonna be a great year for everyone, especially for you. 

Thank you so much for listening! If you liked this episode and enjoy listening to The Spark Show, please leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts for a chance to get featured in one of my upcoming episodes - I would truly, truly appreciate it. 

In the next episode, I’m talking to my friend, producer, and client Sasha Huff on how to build your influence with a podcast. If you’re thinking about launching a podcast and you know you want to get your story out there, this one is definitely for you. See you there!

Listen to the full episode here:

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Listen to Previous Episodes: 

Goodbye Excuses

My New Year's Resolutions for 2020

Hello 2020

Celebrating Wins

My Biggest Lessons from 2019

The Power of Community

The Best of The Spark Show 2019

An interview with My Instagram Husband featuring Luke Bearl

The Best Influencer Gifts

The Magic of Live Events

Easy Holiday Content Ideas

Email is NOT dead featuring Gemma Bonham-Carter

                  Connect with Gwen Lane

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