The Art of Aligning Intention and Outcomes

Lately, I have been noticing how much intention shapes many of the choices I make – aware that sometimes I miss the mark, but most often, strong intention leads to manifesting the outcomes I envision.

Sometimes our best intentions get blocked or interrupted by inner fearful voices. When fear does crop up, it can be helpful to ask empowering questions: What supports my most potent intentions? What keeps me on track to realize this important goal, to create the outcomes I want? Here’s a few pearls of wisdom I uncovered after reviewing my experience of hosting a writing retreat in Bali in 2019, just before the global pandemic:

DESIRE: I believe the first building block to creating great outcomes is desire – knowing what you truly want to manifest in your life and feeling that deep longing to experience it fully. When I made the declaration that I would lead a writing retreat in Bali to my Business Mastermind group, it came from a heartfelt desire to create a very special experience for my clientele.  

CONFIDENCE: When I announced a writing retreat in Bali to my group, there was no doubt in my mind that it was going to happen. There are always obstacles, challenges, and old stories that get in the way of making anything meaningful happen in our lives! This time, however, I kept my focus on “making it happen” rather than expending energy on worry and anxiety. When others asked me, “What’s your minimum number for your retreat?” my response was: “I’m going. There is no minimum.” (Some might say that was foolish, but it cemented in my heart and soul that this was an experience of a lifetime, and it allowed me to create just that for myself and those who came with me.)

KNOW YOU’RE NOT ALONE: An essential ingredient to making my retreat intention come true was having a contact on the ground: Anne McCormick of Discover Your Bali. As a professional event and travel planner based in Bali, I trusted her to help me find a venue and organize all the logistics, from getting flight details, to accommodation before & after the retreat, to answering questions from participants. Having a great team makes so much more possible.

ACCOUNTABILITY: It helped me to have witnesses to my plan for hosting this retreat; my supportive dream enablers. I could not go back on my word once I had put my stake in the ground.

Intuition also plays a role in creating great outcomes. Looking back, it seems that Intuition whispered, “It would be really cool to host a writing retreat in Bali” and the next thing I knew, I was speaking the words out loud in my business group: “I’m leading a writing retreat in Bali”. Intuition probably knows more than my logical brain. It knows when I’m truly ready. I’m guided by intuition more as I get older, trusting that wise voice inside of me that has guided me to this moment, this wonderful life that I am living today.

Crafting your intention into great outcomes is all about balance and perspective; a healthy dose of pragmatism mixed in with intuitive visioning. Just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, navigating the energy of “Just Right”: not too big and not too small. Standing in right-sized power, offering the best of your gifts to the people you are meant to serve.

The same alignment of confidence and intention is necessary for completing a writing project. That’s why my programs include several ways for you to be supported:

• Bi-weekly group classes for sharing words-in-process and receiving support
• Individual consultations each month
• Creative Focus sessions
• Writing buddies
• Knowing your words matter, your voice matters.