maintaining mindful intentionality
hola ♡︎ how are your hearts traveling? I hope you're all taking care of yourselves amidst the current commercialist chaos of yet another Valentine's Day.
don't get me wrong — Valentine's Day is a fun excuse to treat your sweetheart to something special. but quite often, we become so bombarded by advertisements and materialistic media messaging that we lose sight of our intentions; no matter what your attitudes are or how you choose to celebrate (or not), commercial holidays are an effective reminder of how messy (and costly) life can get if we fail to maintain mindful intentionality.
which brings me to today's topic of discussion; we should always try to be more introspective, discerning the true nature of our intentions so as to better safeguard and maintain their purity. we should always ask ourselves: are my desires pure or are they merely manifestations of the ego's penchant for indulgence, triggered by the external clamor surrounding my experience?
albeit I'm sure many of you already have your own effective strategies in this context, I hope the subsequent guide serves as a concise compendium, offering basic direction on how to better foster and maintain this effort:
meditate
to those of you who are indeed already committed to meditation, I encourage you to find ways to sharpen and challenge your practice. to those of you who have yet committed to a meditation practice, I encourage you to start meditating!
meditation serves as the most essential tool in awakening our pure intentions, allowing us to cultivate a more intricate understanding of ourselves and our experience; by becoming observers to the tendencies of our minds, we develop a higher capacity for overall awareness.
although any consistent practice of meditation is sure to have an immeasurably positive impact on us, my personal recommendation is to do so daily. even just five minutes before your first cup of coffee makes an incredible difference.
when we meditate, we engage with the most essential piece to being more mindfully intended: being more mindful.
self-reflect
pure intentions can only be awakened through self-reflection, which we can access in a variety of ways; we can reflect on ourselves during meditation or while journaling; we can process our emotions by talking to a trusted companion or in therapy. however we choose to do so, we must process the motivations behind our thoughts and reactions if we want to be more mindfully intended.
ask yourself: what drives my desires? find the source of these mental events and indulge its various edges. when we connect to and examine ourselves in this way, we can make more conscious choices that lead to greater fulfillment and align with our true values.
we can only begin painting a purer projection by first searching for its canvas.
become a parent to your inner child
becoming a parent to the inner child's emotional needs guides us in maintaining mindful intentionality. we should acknowledge and embrace the traumas from our childhood and create an environment that makes the inner child feel safe; we should explore the trauma wounds that fortified our sense of self and practice better self-care in response to our discoveries, engaging in habits that allow our inner child to heal and grow. by parenting our inner child in this way, we can approach our intentions with a gentle curiosity and compassion, helping us navigate them more mindfully.
set fair boundaries with yourself
setting fair boundaries with ourselves is a pivotal piece in keeping our intentions pure. when we establish and maintain fair boundaries with ourselves, we create a foundation for living with more genuine intentionality because we have done the work necessary to acknowledge our personal values, needs, and limits all in equal measure. moreover, setting fair boundaries prevents us from falling into toxic patterns influenced by the ego. boundaries help us prioritize what truly matters, naturally empowering a sense of purity.
practice more gratitude
gratitude is a powerful muscle when properly exercised and flexed, one that can prove immensely helpful in maintaining mindful intentionality. when we polish a headspace that occupies gratitude, we shift our focus from what is lacking to what is abundant, giving us a greater sense of appreciation for what we already have, redirecting our motivations onto a purer trajectory.
indeed, being more mindful in our intentions is a practice, one that can be challenged by certain societal expectations and the pitfalls accompanying these traditions (overpriced Teddy Bears and chocolates, for instance). but I believe we can all rise above these cultural blindspots to gaze at the cosmos of clarity if we simply take the time necessary to craft our telescope.
as the day before us unfolds, I hope everyone keeps what matters in mind. I hope you celebrate (or don't! whatever floats your boat) Valentine's Day in a way that is fulfilling and makes sense. and, as always, thanks a bunch for reading my little bulletin. I’m happy you’re here with me.
♥︎ Miranda
2024 February 14