Words and Deeds

How many of us have a lifetime intention? Think about that for a minute. Many of us may have a daily intention (e.g., go shopping, clean the house, hit the gym) and some even a stage of life intention (e.g., I need to get more sleep, land that new job, go back to school and earn a degree or get advanced training). But how many truly have a lifetime intention?

This question came to me when I took a meditation workshop late last year. A class to focus on a particular type of meditation, but as part of this class the instructor asked us to listen to brief meditation recordings (about five minutes long) that led one to set daily, stage-of-life, and lifetime intentions. Daily and stage of life intentions were not a problem for me, but what is a “lifetime” intention I wondered?

The way to view this is as a pyramid in three stages. Daily intentions are at the apex and can change, well, daily. Stage-of-life intentions occupy the middle stage of the pyramid, and they can change over months or years ideally. The lifetime intention is the base. It does not change. It is immovable. It is something you do for others, for all beings.

After meditating on this for some time, I realized that my son, Alex, has given me my lifetime intention. To not only help him progress, but to “provide help and inspiration for those facing challenges with my words and deeds.” I mention all this as I feel it has helped me view my life in a positive way and acts as a grounding base when things sometimes get tough or distracting.

I encourage all to ponder this and set intentions (weather in meditation of just as you commute to work or get ready for bed, or anywhere) on a weekly basis. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how transformative five minutes of quiet time in contemplative thought about one’s purpose can be!