One of my girlfriends has been encountering some resistance from one of her co-workers lately. They were joking and she made what she thought was an innocent comment and he went ballistic on her. The comment wasn’t personal and it didn’t relate to him directly at all, yet he was completely offended, so much so that he has since stopped speaking to her altogether.
My friend didn’t take well to this. Her response was to be quiet. Only saying what was necessary. No engagement. No small talk. And she hates it.
So here’s what I told her:
“Intention makes the difference. As long as your intention is aligned, you do not need to censor yourself.”
So this conversation got me thinking, what does intention mean to me? According to Merriam (Webster that is), an intention is a “determination to act in a certain way.” In other words to be deliberate.
I wish I could say that I am always clear on my intention, but that’s not true. But what is true is this, everything is better when your intentions are clear. Conversations are more captivating, goals are achievable, and obstacles appear smaller. When you have an idea of where you’d like to go, things start to fall in place.
Dr. Wayne Dyer explains intention as “a force in the Universe that allows the action of creation to take place.” He describes intention as an energy that is a part of every single one of us. I absolutely love that concept! That means that by taking deliberate action we can co-create the experience of our lives. We hold the power to manifest our dreams by setting the intention to do so.
Intention setting doesn’t have to be hard, it doesn’t have to be a long drawn out process. You don’t have to set your intention every second of the day, you can do it first thing in the morning. Something as simple as “today I’m going to be positive and productive.” That’s all there is to it.
Now back to my friend…
Her intention was not to upset her coworker. They were mutually participating in a conversation, when something stuck a nerve for him. That’s all. She apologized (even though she is not really sure what she did wrong) and that’s where her responsibility ends. People get offended, we all do. All she can do now is continue live with an open heart and make her intentions clear.
This post is part of the Soul Salon, a monthly discussion of the topics that move our Spirit. For a list of all the Soul Salon posts check out the full line up here.