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The Power of Intention
by G. Ross Lawford
The thoughts that pass through a person's mind, sometimes even without conscious
awareness, have more far-reaching effects than most of us realize. Instantly and
automatically, they register with each and every cell in that person's body. What
we call "the stress response," for example, is the body's response to an
anxious or fearful thought.
But the effect of one's thoughts doesn't stop with one's own body. Scientific studies
show that thoughts (in this case in the form of prayers) have the capability to affect
the health and well-being of other people without regard to the distance between
the location where the prayerful thought was generated and the location of its effect
(see Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine and other books
by Larry Dossey, M.D.).
Prayer is but one example of the type of thought called an intention. Intentions,
properly used, have tremendous power. They can be used to create with almost effortless
ease the outcomes we want, and to do this in a way that is sustainable. These outcomes
include the things our hearts most desire such as love, peace of mind, as well as
a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Intentions can be used to heal one's self and
others; they can be used to create loving relationships, works of art, or a better
world. On a more mundane level, intentions are useful in producing a specific outcome
from a meeting, a sales call, an interview, or any interaction whether with a spouse,
boss, employee, child, etc.
Experiments on the effects of an intention have been performed in several countries
using a variety of protocols. In addition to the effects on humans who are subject
to the power of suggestion, intentions have been shown to have a statistically significant
effect on plants, yeast, bacteria and even machines.
There are three basic components to an intention:
-- an identified goal or outcome
(the "what?" component)
-- the strength of commitment to that outcome ("how serious" are you about
achieving it?)
-- the motivation behind the desired outcome (the "why?" component
Each of these three components
requires special attention, or else like so many of our "good intentions,"
the results will be disappointing, perhaps even the opposite of what we wanted.
Be clear about the outcome
It is important that the desired outcome be specific enough that the mind/body be
able to clearly visualize it and experience it as already accomplished. This keeps
the mind from jumping to questions of how to accomplish the goal, or focusing on
the barriers that may stand in the way.
Sometimes our stated or conscious intention co-exists with other competing or mutually
exclusive intentions of which we may not even be aware. When this happens, the power
of the stated intention gets diluted or even overcome by the power of these other
thoughts that lurk in the background. For example, the stated intention of telling
someone, "I love you" might be to express affection toward that person.
Simultaneously, however, you may have the intention (conscious or subconscious) to
manipulate the other person into professing their love for you, or even acquiescing
to some demand. In this situation, neither intention ends up being as powerful as
it could have been.
High levels of commitment produce strong intentions
The strength of an intention is often indicated by the words we use in stating it.
"I'll try to ___" and "I hope to ___," for example, betray a
low level of commitment. You are giving yourself permission not to achieve the goal.
On the contrary, words like "I'll do whatever it takes to _____" signal
a strong intention, and therefore one that is much more likely to be achieved.
Even intentions to which you have a high level of commitment can end up weak and
ineffectual if countervailing thoughts coexist. What makes these competing thoughts
especially damaging and hard to deal with is that frequently they occur below the
level of our consciousness. For example, the subconscious belief that my desired
outcome is unattainable or that I don't deserve to succeed will give rise to thoughts
that reduce the strength of my stated intention, perhaps to the point of impotence.
It is important, therefore, to try to bring to consciousness any competing thoughts
and then, having decided which outcome you really want to create, to minimize any
thoughts that could block that outcome.
Be honest with yourself about "why"
Before rushing into action or considering the "how to" questions it is
important to be quite clear on the "why" question. Not only can one have
mutually exclusive outcomes in mind, for each outcome there may also be several different
motivations (including some of which we are not consciously aware) acting at the
same time. Each of these motivations acts as a separate intention even though they
may all share the same desired outcome. For example, your goal could be to stay in
your marriage. This goal could be motivated by a fear of being alone or it might
be motivated by love for your partner. Again there is the possibility that these
motivations will compete with each other such that neither of the corresponding intentions
will have much power.
To simplify matters, I suggest that you think of motivations as arising from one
of two sources: your ego or your authentic Self. Motivations originating in the ego
are usually expressed in terms of fear, guilt, "shoulds" or "oughts,"
getting something, achieving power over someone, or greed. The outcomes of intentions
motivated by the ego are not as powerful as those originating in the authentic Self
in that they bring no lasting sense of satisfaction. This is because they cannot
deliver what we all ultimately want: the peace of mind that comes with feeling worthy,
being valued and loved, and having a sense of fulfillment. The ego operates on the
assumption that these goals can only be achieved by meeting certain conditions (be
perfect, work hard, be smart, be attractive, etc.), and it measures worth in terms
of possessions, position, prestige, and other trappings it associates with power.
The authentic Self, on the other hand, has nothing to prove, nothing to fear; it
has no need of affirmations, no need to take credit, and no need to diminish anyone
else. When our intentions are aligned with the authentic Self, we are connected to
the creative power of the universe - the universal spirit or consciousness (which
we call God, the Absolute, the Ground of our Being, or a variety of other names).
When we are "real" we connect to that powerful force that sustains, unifies,
and energizes all of creation.
The power of a strong, clear intention, which is also aligned with your unique purpose
as represented by the authentic Self, is freely available to everyone. It doesn't
have to be earned or won because it comes from within. All that is necessary to realize
this innate power is the courage to put aside all the ego-generated masks, persona,
and beliefs that are keeping your authentic Self largely hidden and inoperative.
Replace control with trust
Having given proper attention to all three aspects of your intention, it is only
necessary to release control and trust your intention to carry you towards your goal.
The path and the opportunities will present themselves to you. All you need to do
is watch for them.
G. Ross Lawford, Ph.D. is a Toronto-based consultant and lifestyle coach. He works
with individuals and organizations helping people in their quest for meaning, fulfillment,
and well-being. He is author of The Quest for Authentic Power: Getting Past Manipulation,
Control and Self-Limiting Beliefs, Berrett-Koehler Publishers. He may be reached
at rlawford@attcanada.ca
Copyright (c) G. Ross
Lawford
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