How Intentions Rewire Your Brain
Manifestation,or womxnifestation if you will, is a valuable tool for actualizing your potential. Setting intentions is particularly powerful because it acts as a foundational support system to your actions but differs from setting goals.
One of the primary differences rests in timeframe. Goals are future-based, while intentions are rooted in the present. It’s one of the reasons why setting intentions can add such a positive and immediate impact to your daily routine. When you set an intention first thing in the morning, you can begin practicing and following through on it instantly. For example, if your intention is to pause and think before you act, you can start applying that to the first items on your to-do list, like getting dressed, before applying it to your work or finances.
Before you can begin following through, you need to decide what your intention(s) will be. The best way to start, is by identifying your most common thoughts or behaviors: if you’re prone to anxiety, your intention might center around allowing yourself more grace or practicing guided meditation. Make the intention as specific as you feel necessary but start macro and zoom in from there. The same goes for long-term ideas: start by dividing those into smaller, short-term intentions that are more manageable.
Intentions are powerful — even water can be physically altered when exposed to various affirmations. Repeating your intentions and remaining consistent is the best way to see positive change. Practice is what rewires the brain and intentions work as a sort of personal trainer for your mind. The more you shift your perspective and approach tasks through the filter of your intention, the easier it becomes to do so without thinking about it.
Let’s try out an example. You set a monthly intention to be more productive during the workday. From there, you set a weekly intention of responding to emails within the hour they’re received. Your daily intention might be waking earlier by setting your alarm ten minutes ahead and not hitting snooze. The more you succeed at repeating the daily and weekly intentions, the faster your brain will rewire according to these habits and more efficiently move you toward your monthly productivity intention. The more you’re able to positively rewire the brain, the more synaptic connections are formed, making it easier to retain new information and adapt to new situations.
Small, positive steps in the right direction make a large impact on your life, and the same is true of intentions. It doesn’t matter how minimal your intention is, the important part is to start making them. The resulting benefits — optimism, efficiency, confidence, etc. — are only possible once you start.
Take a moment right now: what are some intentions you can set for yourself?
