Create a Life You Love

A good friend asked me to join her book club and, being an avid reader, I eagerly accepted. We each got a turn picking a book to read and when it was my turn I choose Dr. Wayne Dyer's The Power of Intentions: Learning to Co-Create Your World Your Way. I read it more than once and each time I get something new from it. A few days before our meeting my friend advised me that she and the other members were having problems with the concepts in the book and she was afraid that we would not be able to have a full discussion about it. The idea of setting intentions was a new concept and a little daunting.

I remembered I had to read and re-read the first few chapters of the book in order to understand what intentions really are. Eventually, setting intentions had become such a routine and valuable part of my life that I couldn't see others not doing or understanding it. I explained to my friend that setting an intention is simply speaking what you desire as if there is no question whether it will happen. Setting intentions is much more than just setting goals. It gives us a level of control over our lives and lays out the groundwork for our day, week, month or longer. Through setting our intentions we can create a life that we love.

Has there ever been a time when your day started late, and you didn't take a moment to pray, meditate or just be thankful for a new day? Did that sense of urgency and things not working out carry throughout the rest of your day? I'm sure this has happened once or twice (or maybe more) to a lot of us. By simply taking a moment and setting an intention you can shift your energy and change the course of your day. Normally I set my intentions before I start my day, but they can be set at any time.

In his book Dr. Dyer outlines four easy steps to set intentions:

Step 1: Discipline. In this step, Dr. Dyer explains that we must retrain our bodies to perform as our thoughts desire. This will most likely take a little time to get used to as it entails us quieting our ego mind and making a daily commitment. Most of us already have busy schedules and the thought of adding anything else may be a little daunting but in the end it is well worth the effort.

Step 2: Wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom will help keep us on track. We can stay motivated and inspired by reading, praying, meditating or anything else that keeps us emotionally and spiritually fed. It will give us patience as we connect with our mind/body/spirit.

Step 3: Love. Love for ourselves and what we do is very important. This process of reconnection with self is dependent on love. Everything in our lives should come from love and be done with love. It will make us feel good and keep us motivated.

Step 4: Surrender. Dr. Dyer describes this stage as "the place of intention...where your body and mind aren't running the show." For most of us, surrendering is a very difficult thing to do as it takes a lot of trust and belief in the unseen.


Today, take a moment to reflect on how your day is going so far and how you are feeling right now. If it isn't going the way you would like, set (or reaffirm) your intention for today, and wait for the shift to happen! May your day be filled with joy, happiness and everything your heart desires.

Spring cleaning

Spring is finally here and as always, I look forward to my annual cleaning rituals. The house will be cleaned from top to bottom (much to my family’s delight), papers will be shredded and recycled, and items that are no longer needed will be donated to worthy causes. Though the house is well maintained for the most part, a good hands and knees scrubbing with a toothbrush is necessary at least once a year *s*.

My house isn’t the only thing that gets cleaned during the change of season. Each year I cleanse my body temple also. I normally spend at least a week fasting and cleansing, doing longer meditations and daily positive affirmations.

I use my meditations and positive affirmations as a way to clear out mental clutter. My mental clutter consists of a string of random thoughts such as “how did I let things get out of hand” or “I should have taken the time to do more.” I allow these thoughts to come to the surface and through love I acknowledge and release them and heal each one as they come up. Instead of beating myself up I am instead motivated knowing tomorrow is another day and a second chance to get back on track.

The road to total health and wellness is oftentimes a challenging one. In a “perfect” world we would all be consistent and there would be no unexpected challenges on our journey. The reality is that we all have the best intentions, but due to the wonderful unpredictability of our day to day lives we may get off track a little (or a lot!). This time of year gives us all the opportunity for a fresh start or at the very least a reminder to pick up where we left off.

As spring blossoms take the time to cleanse your body temple – starting upstairs, waaaay up in the attic. Brush away the cobwebs of self-doubt, wipe away thoughts of unworthiness. Open the windows so that the shadow of fear and frustration disappears in the bright light of hope and love.

As always, wellbeing starts in the mind – so what’s on yours?