Protecting Intentions

Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge - Day 12 Video (Tree of Intention)

At the end of December, we usually set our intentions for the coming year. One of my intentions for 2011 was to start a meditation practice. Another was to make a solid attempt at being a vegetarian. And yet another was to do my very best to live within my integrity by using the quote by the Dalai Lama, "Be the change you wish to see in the world" as my motto.

After listening to/watching today's meditation (link above), I feel my intentions slipping ever so slightly and am grateful to have this awareness so that I can protect these important intentions which I have set for myself. I believe this pattern of letting go of intentions happens because when I set an intention, I'm super excited about it and everything is new and fun and then, after a few weeks or months, I lose interest once the excitement wears off. You can see evidence of this with my blog posts. I also realize that this is generally what happens to most people when they set their New Year's Resolutions every year.

In an effort to help keep the excitement going I am going to be more intentional with my meditations and with how I am in the world. With regard to my attempt at being a vegetarian, it's not so much that I'm having a desire for meat or dairy (I'm not), it's more about my getting lazy with preparing meals and not always ensuring that I am getting all the nutrients I need. Therefore, I'm going to do my best to seek out new vegetarian recipes and continue to try new foods so that I can be certain that I'm a healthy vegetarian.