Winter has long been considered as a time of reflection and a time to dream.
While our ancestors had little choice but to remain indoors during the cold and dark winter months, reflecting on the year that was and how to make the year to be the best one yet; we don’t have as many opportunities to do so.
Except for Christmas.
Christmas is the time of year when many of us are able to take some time away from our business. A time to reconnect with friends, family and more importantly, with ourselves. It’s also the perfect time to reflect on our business and make plans to ensure that next year is the greatest one yet!
Setting intentions during the Christmas and New Year break is a fantastic way to do this. What does that mean and how to do it I hear you ask?
What are “intentions”?
Put simply, an intention is a clear and positive statement of an outcome that you want for yourself and/or your business.
An intention is a vision of what you want to achieve.
In a way, it’s about the choice of language and how our subconscious mind responds to it. Try it out and see which one feels right for you, or make up your own.
“My goal is to make 4 figure months consistently next year”
“I hope to make 4 figure months consistently next year”
“I intend to make 4 figure months consistently next year”
I don’t know about you but “I intend” feels so much better than the others. It feels stronger, more positive, it’s an “I will” rather than an “I might” and that is what your subconscious mind can set about achieving for you.
Intentions use the Law of Attraction
Our minds are powerful things and all thoughts turn into things eventually. You’ve done it before, possibly without even realising it; you’ve thought about that friend you haven’t heard from in years and then they ring you out of the blue. That’s no coincidence.
The Law of Attraction is our innate ability to attract things into our lives that we think about and focus on. The good, the bad and the ugly. The stronger the emotion in your mind, the easier it will be for that intention to come to fruition. 
Setting intentions is all about creating strong, positive thoughts and emotions in our mind for the Law of Attraction to make a reality. For example – instead of thinking of your glass as half empty, think of it as half full. The same situation but with a positive thought instead of a negative one.
What’s the best way to set intentions?
Our minds can work differently from each other, which means some of us are more visual and imaginative than others, while others are more literal and might see thoughts as words.
That means there is no right or wrong way. Do what feels right for you. Here are some examples you might like to consider.
Create a vision or dream board
Getting creative can be a great way of creating powerful thoughts and emotions, especially if you take time and mental energy finding special images that you want to use. Then carefully arrange them into a fun and exciting vision board for you to reflect on each day.
Hang it somewhere close to you or save it as your screensaver/desktop background, so each time you see it you can focus on your intentions and boost your subconscious mind.
Visualise already having it
Your mind struggles to tell the difference between what is real and what you’re imagining, which is why professional athletes use visualisation techniques in their training. They imagine winning the race and collecting their medal and what it feels like.
Decide on your intention and focus on it. What does it feel like to have achieved that desire? What difference has it made to your business and personal life? What kind of opportunities have opened as a result?
The more detailed you can be in your visualisation and the deeper you can go, the more effective it will be.
Have an intention setting party
Sometimes speaking your intentions aloud to others can be a great way of making them feel more “real” in your mind and add a touch of accountability too. Why not get together with your friends and fellow business owners for a regular intention setting or accountability party and check-in?
Christmas is the perfect time for setting intentions because we tend to reflect inwards at this time of year, we use candles and have comforting aromas around us that help our minds feel calm, settled and ready to get to work.
What intentions are you going to set for next year?