This post is part of The Declaration of You’s Blog Lovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers.

I joined because I listened, trusted and acted on my intuition. I felt like writing about Intention and here I am… having no idea what to write about!!

My blog posts are usually base on photos and pictures that guides me and support what I am writing about. This time it is different! No photos to lead me. I just have to let my fingers type and trust that it will be interesting enough to read for you. Words are for me a bit scary and English is my second language… but what the heck… let’s type and see what happens. What is the worst that can happen?… you will stop half way… and I will not even know that you did:-)

The first thing that comes into my mind when thinking about intention is a question: What is the difference between goal and intention?

For me, to set up goals are to vision potential future results that can be measured by success or failure. An intention, for me, is a path of how to be. What matters to me and how to live based on my inner values. 

Focusing on goals makes me focus on the future and deflects me from the present. Will I reach my goals and will I be happier by doing it?  To keep my focus here and now and live based on my inner values are curial for me. I want rewards along the way!

I have been working in the corporate world for almost 20 years. Striving to reach goals has been a big part of my life. The corporate world is built around goals and plans of how to reach them as well as measuring the success rate of reached goals. I have always enjoyed my jobs and loved the journey they have taken me on and I have been successful. But the rewards when reaching goals has most often not been interesting enough to be the driver for me.

I have never had personal goals for my career (My bosses have but I have not, LOL). I have always had strong intentions to be compassionate and to build strong relationships with colleagues and customers. My intentions has also been to challenge my self, to work hard, to learn new things and to enjoy the journey. My reward has always been in the interaction with people.

I think I have been lost between goals and intentions many times. I have been focusing on being perceived as an effective and successful person driven by goals, instead of focusing on integrity and inner harmony which are driven by intention.

The last two years I have been on maternity leave (3rd kid and yes, in Sweden we have 18 months of paid maternity leave!!) and at the moment I have a leave of absence from my job (a fun and challenging job, by the way!). During these two years I have not had specific goals that have dictated my life. I have been focusing on my family and my art and it has been an awakening for me. I have still challenged my self in many ways, I have learnt heaps of new things and I have enjoyed the journey! I have not been focusing on the future and do you know what?… I am moving towards inner harmony… slowly but steady I am!

“Our intentions creates our reality”
– Wayne Dyer

Your intentions effect how you interpret the world around you. In the space between a thought and your reaction to that thought lays your freedom. You choose your reaction! Whatever is happening in your mind at this moment is affected by how you receive and interpret the thoughts, which depends upon your intention!

How do we know what our true intentions are? They are inside us! Be quite and listen. I have the last couple of years been activily practising to listen to my  intuition, my inner voice, and take decision based on what I hear. By listening to my heart in this moment I hear that my true intentions are; to be compassionate to myself and others, to challenge my self, to learn new things and to enjoy the journey. Maybe they change tomorrow... to listen to my intuition is an ever-renewing process. My intetions are not set in stone. I live my intentions and we grow and change together!

When writing this blog post I have had to be compassionate to myself, I have challenged myself, I have learnt new things and I have enjoyed the journey. So by listening, trusting and acting on my intuition to join this Blog Lovin’ Tour I have "lived" my  intentions!

But life is confusing, competitive and emotionally complex. It is hard to hear the inner voice through all the noise and it is hard to be brave enough to act on what you hear. But we can practice to listen to our intuition, practice to be brave and practice to trust it and to act on what we hear! Start small! Practice gives perfect!

I practice it in my art. I let my intuition guide me through the painting process. It is not easy but the result when I do, is incredible! And the more I practice the more I learn and the more confident I get. I learn what to listen for and what the voice sounds and feels like.

So start practicing! Be brave! …and enjoy the journey!!

 Love
Jenny

PS. WOW, thank you!! You read it all! I hope you got something out of it. I sure did!! If you have anything to add or reflect upon, please do not hesitate to add a comment below… I love reading them! 

Finished these three paintings yesterday:-) It is such a fantastic kick to finish a painting. I feel very peacful and energetic at the same time. I walk around with a big smile on my face!

The top one I love, the second on I like and the third one bothers me but I know it is finshed... 

See the progress photos below!