Embodiment and Inspiration
Intention is the foundation for creation and all creation begins with intent, and for this reason, the greatest figures in human history were typically clear on their intent. To intend something means to conceive it, plan for it and create a vision for how it will come about. Deepak Chopra beautifully articulates that ‘intention is a directed impulse of consciousness that contains the seed form of that which you aim to create. When they are released into the depths of your consciousness they grow and begin to flourish."
Arena of Life allows the setting of intentions to become a ritual and practice in an individual’s life. Central to the creation process, it is an active practice where you are encouraged to connect with your center and get clear about what you most want in a particular Arena. Consider what you most desire, explore your vision fully and choose intentions that resonates deeply for you as they foster positive emotions inside you. Feelings are a powerful component of setting intentions and the stronger the emotion you have, the greater the energy you'll experience.
- Meet possibility with intention!
This example shows how you can add intentions to cover the full spectrum of development - namely the physical, mental and emotional domains in the Arena of soccer. What makes this tool so unique is that YOU determine what is important and what your intentions are. Every aspect of your Arena of Life will reflect who you are, what you want to achieve and the things you currently value.
Setting an intention is an invitation for you to explore. It's not about getting it right or trying out someone else's formula. Its about self-discovery and learning from your own experience what you want, what's working, what needs to change and continually evolving and moving toward the best version of yourself.
As you envision your intention, allow it to come alive within you. Adding intentions to Arenas is like planting seeds and cultivating new ideas in your garden. Allow this intention to inspire you and connect to it deeply in preparation for adding initiatives. Support your intention setting ritual with practices like contemplation, meditation or journalling to connect with your deepest desires of what you want.
Examples of Intentions
Set a Target Score
A target score is a numerical representation of your vision and creates a mechanism for you to track your progress. Once you've chosen an Intention to focus on, contemplate and visualize what you want to experience and then set a score that reflects your internal vision for where you feel you want to be.
In choosing a target score consider how important this is to you, where it fits into your priorities and what energy expenditure will be required to achieve it in the next 1, 3, 6 months. As yourself: "What score reflects my vision and the time and energy I have to achieve it?"
Set an Initial Score
Set an Initial Score once you've named your Intention and have a vision and target for what you want to achieve. It may be helpful to ask yourself, "Where am I now in relationship to this intention?"
Understanding your initial position is an important step. It helps you honor and recognize where you are now and also tune more specifically into what is between you and your desire presently. This type of contemplation can help you identify what the gaps are and more precisely name the areas you want to shift and focus in your intentions and initiatives. In the initiatives section, you will be provided with an example of a roadmap to help you navigate identifying gaps.
As an example, for an intention of 'faster to the ball' you may recognize that you are currently at a level 3 for the skill, but you want to be at an 8. In acknowledging that you are at a 3 you can see that you do have a certain amount of skill in say, accelerating, and can be proud of that, and at the same time want to significantly increase your quickness to the balls on your left to get it to an overall 8.
Scores are an essential feature of the Arena of Life and viewable on Score View, Compare and Trends.
