How About Setting Intentions Instead of Resolutions?
I know New Years is the time for goals and resolutions, but how about this year we soften it a bit?
I mean, resolutions are fine—but how often do we actually follow through on them for the whole year ahead? And if your resolution is based on something you ‘should’ do or be, isn’t that a lot of pressure? Hasn’t 2020 been challenging enough?
If you’ve got a resolution going, you might ask yourself:
- Do you need to accomplish this goal to feel better about yourself because currently you don’t feel like you’re measuring up?
- Or does your desired goal fill you with inspiration and excitement?
If you can set a resolution lovingly, great! Go for it! I’ve just never been able to. That’s why I prefer setting intentions.
Intentions aren’t only about things you want to accomplish, an intention can also be about how you want to feel. Usually, we want the things we want because we think that having them will make us feel a certain way.
So, what if we focus more on the feelings we desire than the things we want? These intentions become light affirmations that uplift us and nourish our soul.
Okay, I’ll go first.
In 2021, I want to feel more alignment and joy. I want to smile more, play more, and have better boundaries. I want to feel in the flow and show up consistently for my daily practices.
I am intending to feel good.
That feels right to me. Not too pushy, and just the right amount of purpose and excitement about what’s ahead. I don’t know how this intending will show up in my life, but I’m starting to trust more and more that the better I feel, the more my life mirrors those good feelings back to me.
If this resonates with you, please let me know. And I hope you’ll share your intentions for the year ahead with us in the comments below.
Xo,
Dana
“It’s Not Your Money” Workshop
It’s not my money?! What?! I earned it! Of course it’s my money.
That’s the reaction that I often hear when I recommend Tosha Silver’s new book, It’s Not Your Money. But it’s a book I want you to read. It’s about opening up to the flow of the universe and receiving—and so much more.
The book takes you through eight weeks of deliberate practice around abundant giving and receiving, and I love it so much I’d like to be your guide so we can do it together.
Tosha Silver is a wonderful teacher and clearly, I love her work. If you join my “It’s Not Your Money” group, we’ll discuss each of the eight sections, support each other in the easy weekly tasks and add tapping to the mix. That’s where my expertise comes in. I think the teachings of Tosha Silver mixed with the awesomeness of tapping is a very powerful combination. We’ll take abundance and openness to the next level.
I’m offering this eight week get-together on Tuesday evenings from 8-9pm PST on Zoom. Get comfy in your pajamas and join us on the video chat. I’ll discuss the week’s chapter, and review what we did from the week before, then we’ll get into questions and tapping.
I’m very excited about this. Whether it’s five people or thirty who sign up, it doesn’t matter to me. It will be the perfect group. We’ll dig in together and have fun. And share the outrageous openness we’re creating.
My charge for leading this live workshop is only $85 for the entire eight weeks. It won’t be recorded because I want people to feel completely safe to share whatever they want to say. If you miss a session, you can just catch up on the next one. It’ll all work perfectly.
Also, if you sign up for this course, you’ll receive 25% off my individual sessions and 20% off my four-session packages for the rest of the year. That’s a big savings which I want to offer to those in my circle who are ready and willing to up-level their lives.
I know how challenging it can be to change and grow, so why not make it easier on ourselves? Why not invite in the divine in to help? I’m so looking forward to Tuesdays and I hope you’ll join me.
We start on Tuesday, June 25th at 8pm PST. Please click here to claim your spot. And please buy—or borrow!—the book ahead of time so that you’ll be ready.
See you soon!
Dana
P.S. This is a west coast based workshop, but any and all east coast night owls are more than welcome to attend. Or, if there’s enough interest from East Coasters/Central Timers, I’ll set up a workshop to start after the 4th of July holiday. Lmk!
Momentum — The Secret Sauce
The secret sauce is momentum! Momentum is a wondrous thing. When we consistently move forward, momentum starts to build. When it takes over, it speeds us along almost effortlessly.
Great, right? It sure is when you’re in a positive mindset, seeing the best of yourself and others, and committed to a happy vision and life. Momentum is the wind in our sails that speeds us across our sea of life. Once we get it started, it does most of the work for us. And people, there is nothing as cool and fun as flow. It’s amazing!
But momentum works both ways. If you’re beating the drum of shame or victimhood, look out, because momentum will roll that along, too. And once we get a head of steam going around something, it can take real effort to turn it around.
Can you relate? I hope more to the first example. But we’ve all dabbled in both sides of the momentum coin.
So today, on this rainy turned sunny day in Los Angeles, I encourage you to practice creating positive momentum. We do that by taking small consistent steps and actions in the direction that we consciously crave to go. You could do a ten minute meditation, take a walk (in the rain!), do some affirmative tapping (what, did I say tapping?), or just catch yourself when a negative thought comes up and let it pass.
Every thought, every action, every intention adds to momentum. So what is the momentum you are creating right now? See where your current actions and thoughts are taking you … today, next week, next month, next year and ask yourself, is this where I want to go?
A little regular attention to our momentum can create huge benefits to our lives. Just try and see!
Dealing with Fear – with audio tap
Recently, I had an experience that filled me with fear. Not tiger-chasing-me-down-the-street fear. But that other kind. The one that feels so familiar and so real, about something that hadn’t happened yet. And boy, I took the bait. I hadn’t felt that kind of fear and dread in my stomach for a long time. And for about a day I was capsized.
Day 2 started and I realized that I could go down the fear path (a compelling option at the time) or I could start to tap. Even though I am the tapping queen, I was resistant. It felt like too much. How was tapping going to help me with this?
But I started to tap anyway. That day I think I just tapped the words “all this fear” over and over again. “This fear in my stomach. This fear in my chest. This fear. This fear. This fear.” I did round after round but it didn’t do much to change how I felt. I still felt afraid. But I kept tapping.
Every day I tapped. Tapping on fear led me to tapping on dread which led me to tapping on childhood traumas that needed revisiting…but still, I didn’t feel much better. And that’s how it can go with tapping sometimes. It doesn’t feel much better … until it does.
Jump to Day 10. That was yesterday. And I woke up feeling myself again. The storm clouds had parted and I actually felt relief. I could breathe again. All that tapping had done something amazing. Not only did I finally feel better but I could tell I opened space for more possibility. So that the thing I was dreading might show up differently. Might dissolve. Might lead me through a new and unexpected door. Space. Sometimes that’s all we need. And I’m here to tell you that tapping can create that space.
So, if you’re dealing with fear, this tap is for you. (See audio tap at the beginning of this post). But please keep doing it (or some kind of tapping on your fear) every day, multiple times a day, until you have your Day 10 experience. It might not literally happen for you on Day 10. It might take longer (or shorter) for you, but it’s worth it. And once you find that empowerment through tapping, you’ll incorporate it into your energetic toolbox. You’ll give yourself a win that will lead to more empowerment. You’ll create space for the world to feel safer and more supportive. And you’ll be okay.
Let me know if this is helpful. Take care of yourself because sometimes life doesn’t feel so easy. But in those moments of discomfort, we might find divine opportunity.
Sending lots of love your way,
Dana
Intentional New Year – with audio tap
Have you made any goals for the new year? If so, that’s great. I’m all for it. To get where we want to go, we need a target. Even if we don’t hit that target, the act of having one means that we’re likely to get somewhere. Hopefully, somewhere good.
Let’s say you have a goal to lose 20 pounds. How are you going to do that? I’m not talking about — what are you going to eat? Or how much are you going to exercise? I’m talking about how are you going to treat yourself in the process of achieving this goal. Are you planning to be kind to yourself on the good days and bad? Which leads to a deeper question: Was the act of coming up with this goal self-loving in the first place? Hint: If your parent was critical about your weight or their own weight, chances are this goal may not be very loving.
That brings us to the idea of intention—which to me is the most important component of a goal. If our intention around losing 20 pounds is because we’re not acceptable at our current weight, that intention won’t ultimately support our journey and we’ll probably end up sabotaging ourselves. But if our intention for losing the 20 pounds is that we want to feel better, have more energy, feel better in our clothes and feel empowered, then we’re on. That seed of intention will pay off in self-love and kindness which will support us along the way.
So, as the new year begins, pay attention to the why behind your goals or resolutions. A clear and empowered intention will fuel your forward motion and bring empowerment to any endeavor.
Above is an audio tap that can help you get clear on your intentions.
If you would like further assistance about your New Years’ goals and the intentions behind them, I’m offering a special Intention Setting Session with me. If I’ve learned anything about myself, it’s that I like a deal. If you do, too, how’s this? A 90 minute session with me is usually $250 but if you book in January, I’m offering a special rate of $150. I’ll help you get energetically aligned with the goal that you’ve set for yourself and release any blocks you may have in your way.
Happy New Year!
Dana
Open for Business – with audio tap
How’s your energy? Right now. Today. Are you super focused on what’s important to you or are you lost somewhere in the weeds confused as to what to do next?
I just became aware that I have been in the weeds for a while and didn’t even realize it. The minutiae of life had taken over (sound familiar) and I suddenly found myself on a becalmed sea wondering what happened to the wind.
Ahhh… the wind … that external force that moves us forward. BUT… What if the wind is actually created by the power of our intentions? What if our focus whips up the wind in our sails?
I had momentarily forgotten this, bouncing along semi-directed for no particular reason except laziness … and life.
So today, I am OPEN FOR BUSINESS again. I pull my shoulders back and say to the universe, bring it on. I’m re-engaging with what’s important to me. I am shouting it from the rooftop. I am willing to double down on my powerful intentions. I am willing to receive that wind in my sails.
Can you relate? Is it the time to re-engage with what’s important to you? At the top of this post is a recorded tap to help you do that. Just follow along with the tapping points and repeat after me.
Hope it’s helpful. And let me know if you have any questions.
Happy Tapping!
Dana
How About Setting Intentions Instead of Resolutions?
I know New Years is the time for goals and resolutions, but how about this year we soften it a bit? I mean, resolutions are fine—but how often do we actually follow through on them for the whole year ahead? And if your resolution is based on something you ‘should’ do or be, isn’t that a lot of pressure? Hasn’t 2020 been challenging enough? If you’ve got a resolution going, you might ask yourself: Do you need to accomplish this goal to feel better about yourself because currently you don’t feel like you’re measuring up? Or [...]
“It’s Not Your Money” Workshop
It’s not my money?! What?! I earned it! Of course it’s my money. That’s the reaction that I often hear when I recommend Tosha Silver’s new book, It’s Not Your Money. But it’s a book I want you to read. It’s about opening up to the flow of the universe and receiving—and so much more. The book takes you through eight weeks of deliberate practice around abundant giving and receiving, and I love it so much I’d like to be your guide so we can do it together. Tosha Silver is a wonderful teacher and clearly, I love her work. [...]
Momentum — The Secret Sauce
The secret sauce is momentum! Momentum is a wondrous thing. When we consistently move forward, momentum starts to build. When it takes over, it speeds us along almost effortlessly. Great, right? It sure is when you’re in a positive mindset, seeing the best of yourself and others, and committed to a happy vision and life. Momentum is the wind in our sails that speeds us across our sea of life. Once we get it started, it does most of the work for us. And people, there is nothing as cool and fun as flow. It’s amazing! But momentum works both [...]
Dealing with Fear – with audio tap
Recently, I had an experience that filled me with fear. Not tiger-chasing-me-down-the-street fear. But that other kind. The one that feels so familiar and so real, about something that hadn’t happened yet. And boy, I took the bait. I hadn’t felt that kind of fear and dread in my stomach for a long time. And for about a day I was capsized. Day 2 started and I realized that I could go down the fear path (a compelling option at the time) or I could start to tap. Even though I am the [...]
Intentional New Year – with audio tap
Have you made any goals for the new year? If so, that’s great. I’m all for it. To get where we want to go, we need a target. Even if we don’t hit that target, the act of having one means that we’re likely to get somewhere. Hopefully, somewhere good. Let’s say you have a goal to lose 20 pounds. How are you going to do that? I’m not talking about -- what are you going to eat? Or how much are you going to exercise? I’m talking about how are you going to treat [...]
Open for Business – with audio tap
How’s your energy? Right now. Today. Are you super focused on what’s important to you or are you lost somewhere in the weeds confused as to what to do next? I just became aware that I have been in the weeds for a while and didn’t even realize it. The minutiae of life had taken over (sound familiar) and I suddenly found myself on a becalmed sea wondering what happened to the wind. Ahhh… the wind … that external force that moves us forward. BUT… What if the wind is actually created by the [...]