Albert Einstein, that master of the underpinnings of physical life, observed that the significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.
Along that line, all of us who have been through the School of Sesame Street can see that there’s something wrong with this to-do list:
Renew car registration
Take the dog to the vet
Get teeth cleaned
Pay the bills
Lose 15 pounds
An intention—to lose 15 pounds, to be less driven, to be more patient with our children—cannot be enacted from the usual way of thinking about our ‘to-dos’. It instead requires a framework constructed of deep values consciously fused to commitment.
What’s so important about losing 15 pounds? Why does patience with your children matter? Who cares if you’re driven or not? Keep peeling away at these questions and somewhere down deep you will find the spark for your intention. Once contacted and given words, this spark blossoms into the matrix of positive thoughts and feelings and clarity that energize the intention, and provide leadership to the subordinate characters within who are responsible to carry out the its necessities. Pass up that chocolate cake? Right away, Boss! Take a deep breath before speaking harshly to your child? Yes, M’am! Take a quiet moment before tackling your email inbox? If you say so…
Prepare to get present to what is most alive in you asking for change, or improvement, or shedding. Then plan to revisit often. Then be surprised by the gradual change in your orientation.
