Setting Our Intentions For Fall

Sometimes, the things that seem so simple—or perhaps even, silly—are those we need most to do in life. Brush your teeth. Make your bed. Drink plenty of water. Wash your hands. All of these examples have become obvious necessities in our culture. Yet, with some of them we still struggle.

Maybe it’s because we don’t like being told what to do. Maybe it’s that life is too busy to pull the covers over our bed in the morning. Or, who has the time to make sure they’re drinking sixty-four ounces of water a day?

Only deep down, we all know we’re better off when we do these things. There is something about them that grounds us. In the same way, today I want to talk about an action we can do to help set us up for fall. Something—I used to think was rather silly:

I want us to set our intentions for this coming season.

For over a year now, I have been streaming videos online to workout.* Often, at the beginning of these videos, the instructor will have her students get into Child’s Pose. Then, after a few deep breaths, she will ask us to set our intentions for our work out.

The first time I heard this, my thoughts were “Um, workout?” It seemed silly, and obvious. But then I realized that by setting our intentions, we were taking the time to focus in on where we were at that day.

By setting our intentions, we were taking the time to focus in on where we were at that day.

Some days we can go into a workout feeling good and ready to kick some butt. While other days, we could be nursing an injury or struggling to focus on anything other than a stress we’re experiencing with family or at work. We’re different people each time we come to a work out—so our expectations for ourselves should be different.

When we begin a new season, it is good to take stock of where we are, before determining where we want to go.

In the same way, when we begin a new season, it is good to take stock of where we are, before determining where we want to go. We need to name the things in our lives that aren’t going the way we want them to, to celebrate the things that are, and to remember the dreams, callings, or desires we are working toward. We need to assess if and why they are still important to us. Only then, will we have a better sense of how we want to approach the next few months.

One of the best ways to do this, is to begin by creating some headspace using my Five Steps to Declutter Your Mind resource. Then, with a notebook, sit down and answer these questions: