The Power of Intention

As I connect the dots spread across fifty years of life and my quest for higher purpose, joy and meaning - one powerful construct that stands out as life's lesson is -- the power of intention

Every day I come across the powerful link that connects an Image with Thought; Thought with

Action; and Action with Outcome. It isn’t just me, but have seen many people achieve peak accomplishments just as they had intended. The power of intention being such that all the universe conspires[1] to help one fulfill that intention. Teaching Appreciative Inquiry and coaching executives, the past few years have further enhanced my belief. My last blog(story of marathon -- http://www.celebratetheright.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-first-attempt-at-full-marathon.html) is an example of my intent that saw me at the start line and the finish line.

Wayne Dyer, celebrated author and motivational speaker, in his book “The Power of Intention” explains that this is a connecting link to an infinite energy; where, all you have to do in a state of intent is to tap into that universal energy that will propel you to actualize your dreams. While this universal energy is at the dispensation of each of us… What is it that keeps everyone from living her/ his intent? Why sometimes one is unable to sync with this source energy? Perhaps, the answer lies in clearing or unclogging this link.

The three factors that could clog this link and take the shine off your power to intent are:

1. Your Inner Speech: Our thoughts about self or the conversations one holds with oneself resulting in self-fulfilling prophecies. The true story of Morris Goodman captured as a short film ‘The Miracle Man’ (http://www.themiracleman.org/w_movie.htm) is a powerful example of the power of inner speech. Psychology and business research of past few decades provide innumerable similar examples confirming Henry Ford quote, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” Therefore, until one aligns his thoughts with intention one cannot progress on that path.
2. Your level of energy: Wayne Dyer says every thought has energy that can strengthen or weaken you. Many a times we are oblivious to the energy we hold. A friend of mine is perennially caught with downward spiral of energy drain, caught in it and unaware about it; notwithstanding the enormous competence and skills, for several years I have seen him struggle unsuccessfully and envy others.
3. Your Ego: The thoughts and feelings of our self-importance. It’s ego that allows us to be offended or makes us feel ‘superior’/ ‘inferior’. It reduces us to being a body, a possession or an achievement. Paulo Cohelo’s book “The Alchemist”, describes a mythical character Narcissus. How Narcissus, loved his own image so much that he spent days looking at his own reflection in a lake. One day, infatuated with himself he slipped and drowned in the lake.

In ego-centricity one gets obsessed with a sense of personal identity that every story, idea and belief feeds into that identity. When the self becomes the focal point of our existence, we completely separate ourselves from the power of intention.

There are people though who have transcended the above factors with ease and live life at their own terms. My friend Sreepathy’s father Swaminathan was one such soul. Mr Swaminathan breathed his last six weeks ago. My friend celebrated the fact that this 86 year old veteran never needed any prescription drug. Recounting his father’s life he shared that though his father did not believe much in conventional prayers, he believed in mantra-shakti (the power of mantras) and one of his favourite shlokas was

अनायासेन मरणं, विनादैन्येन जीवनं
देहि मे क्रिपय शम्भो त्वयि भक्तिं अचन्चलं

anAyAsena maraNaM, vinAdainyena jIvanaM
dehi me kripayA shambho tvayi bhaktiM achanchalaM


This shloka in honor of Lord Shiva, the source of happiness by a devotee connotes ‘seeking life (until eventual death) without trouble, stress, fatigue or pain and abject poverty…’; the unwavering belief did indeed result in his wish being fulfilled. Further, what was uncanny was an hour before he passed away Mr Swaminathan shared with his daughter ‘these days when I perform surya-namaskara, I feel little pain; perhaps one day while performing asanaa, I will leave this world’. One hour later while performing his daily routine of three surya-namaskaras, he left this world.
Exemplary and simple yet profound… reaffirming my faith in -- where the intent goes, the energy flows and outcome is just waiting to unfold. Therein lies the alchemy – the belief that each one of us holds the power to convert our wants into outcomes – The power of your intent.

To be continued... in part-2 of this blog I will attempt to cover how can we sync with this powerful energy source



  P.S. à This blogpost was made possible with support from Vidya Sanjay. Formerly, my partner at ‘Potentia’- that has always been her third child, this joyous woman now lives in Trichur; far away from Hyderabad that was her home once.
She volunteered to steer me into a better discipline of writing regularly. Also she has been very generous in sharing her own insights on this theme and provided well researched thoughts. Publishing this with much gratitude to her.

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[1] “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist