Intention 11 - Live Below My Means

Live Below My Means. Don’t buy stuff I don’t need. Always sleep on big purchases.

This intention is new to my world and will be a "sacrifice". Husband and I don't live beyond our means, but we most certainly never deprive ourselves of anything nor do we deny ourselves much. The basic point of this intention is three-fold:

1) Save more money: Save for a rainy day and save for retirement. We work like crazy; we should have a good nest egg to show for it so that we can retire comfortably and travel the world. Preferably the sooner the better!

2) Buy less: Remove the clutter from our lives. More stuff means more clutter. More clutter just means more to get rid of. Why buy it in the first place if you're just going to get rid of it?

3) Give back: There is a Rule of Tithing in churches. Although we don't attend an organized church, I believe that a rule of giving 10% of your income to those in need is a good one.

Andy Dooley - Awesome!

Intention 10 - Learn to Unitask

Learn to Unitask


This one sounds absolutely koo-koo-for-co-co-puffs, I know. I used to be so proud of my amazing multi-tasking abilities. Right now, I am not even following my intention. I am on the phone on hold; I am listening to the radio, typing this blog and I have my email up, three phones next to me, 12 tabs open on my computer and two IM programs flashing at me. That is insane. 

How to Stop Multitasking and Start Unitasking | eHow.com

Intention 9

Maintain optimism, even in the face of negativity

I have been working on this intention pretty actively for about three years now, but sometimes all it takes is one incident or one bad day or even one sideways glance or comment to throw me off my stride. When this happens, I tell my husband that someone has crushed my groove, but really my energy balance gets bumped a bit. My intention is to not allow these incidents to keep my energy in the negative for longer than it takes me to realize it has shifted, which should be only a few seconds to a few minutes. My groove should never be crushed for longer than it takes to stand up, stretch and take a deep breath, as opposed to the days, weeks or even months it could have taken before.

The glass is half full. I will find the positive in any situation. If there was a negative, there must be a positive. Yin and yang. Everything happens for a reason, although I may never know what the reason is. If a negative thought finds its way in --- I will replace it with a positive thought!!!

Your worst enemy cannot harm you

As much as your own thoughts, unguarded.

But once mastered,

No one can help you as much,

Not even your father or your mother.

Buddha

Intention 8

Seriously, I want to learn how to play my harmonica! 


There seems to be no one holding me back on this one but myself. I have plenty of support (hubby and friends) and there is even someone at work who will teach me! Is the fact that I am not doing this fear based? Do I secretly feel like it is a waste of time?  I need some serious encouragement here!


And I want to play harmonica like Ryan Adams...you have to go to minute 4.30 or so to hear that, but for us Ryan fans, starting from the beginning is more fun....

Intention 7

Make up my own mind on everything. Don't let other people influence my decisions. 

This sounds so easy and obvious, but it's not! All day, every day we are bombarded with the opinions of other people on social media sites, in emails, on TV, in the news, at the dinner table, in meetings and on the radio just to name a few places off the top of my head! After a while it becomes hard to remember if an idea, thought or opinion was really yours or if it actually originated somewhere else. This is a blendy intention with "meditation" time -- finding time to quiet my mind and pull my thoughts back to me instead of having them out there flying around the Universe willy- nilly all the time, cluttering up someone personal brain space! 

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. -Buddha. 

Intention 6

Stop eating like someone is going to take away my food! 


Below, Lilian Cheung, editorial director of the Nutrition Source website, talks about her new book, Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life. Co-written with world-renowned Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, the book offers advice about using Buddhist techniques to control overeating and maintain a healthy diet.