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Day 10 — Mind: Intention

I looked earlier at intention and how to put it into action with intention, effort and divine grace. What is intention? Is it desire, need or just greed? I will do my part by putting effort into achieving it and I will let Divine Grace do its work.

My Life of Intention

I have spent my life wanting things in my life. What they are has changed over time. At any time how do I know what I want. Where do the thoughts come from? What am I trying to fulfil? What am I trying to change in my life?

I worked as a salesman for an electrical wholesale company in Bristol, England. I spent time designing lighting schemes for some of my clients. I wanted to work as an independent lighting designer. One day I read in a magazine about a new lighting design consultancy that had been set up in Edinburgh and London. I remarked to a colleague what a great idea that was.

Later I left that job and went to work for a lighting manufacturer as a salesman in Edinburgh. I became disenchanted with that job and looked for something better. I saw an advertisement for a designer position at the consultancy I had read about a long time earlier. I applied for the job and got it. After a few years I moved to their London office, became a director of the company and finished as Managing Director.

In my view I had set an intention for this back when I first read about the company. I brought it about through a combination of my effort and the actions of the Universe. I based my intention on a desire to develop and improve my life.

I have had an intention to make money with online business for many years. This has not come about not because I did not put in the effort to create it but because I based it on a perceived need in me.

Need in this sense is a negative. It is a desire to fill what I see as a void in my life. I need money because I do not have any. Having it will not advance my life, it will just make it easier—I think. It is not about doing something but about getting something.

Intention is about harnessing my mind to create something and be something positive in mind.

When I worked for the consultancy I joined an international association of lighting designers. and became its President. As I fulfilled my intention to be a designer I also contributed to the development of the profession.

Intention in Writing

Looking back to the last section on writing I realise that I have not set any clear intentions. I have wanted to fill a void and gain some kudos in publishing some books. I will now go beyond this and set my intentions for my career as a writer.

My intention is to put what I know and think into print—physical and electronic—to put it out in to the world. I have a desire to fulfil my purpose of inspiring other people through my life and experience. I do this without any need to complete it but with a desire to serve. I will do my part by putting effort into achieving it and I will let Divine Grace do its work.

Deepak Chopra said,

Inherent in every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment . . . intention and desire in the field of pure potentiality have infinite organizing power. And when we introduce an intention in the fertile ground of pure potentiality, we put this infinite organizing power to work for us.

Meditation