A year of intention...

Each year, I pick a theme.  For me, 2012 is a year of intention. In the strictest definition, intention is a determination to act in a certain way (resolve) or what one intends to do or bring about.

Typically, when I choose a theme it is a bit intuitive. I never really know exactly what it means until I am in the middle of it. This year of intention has brought about changes I didn't expect--changes I've chosen.

If I were asked to summarize, I'd have to say that it has brought about greater alignment between what is important to me--the things I truly believe in and value--and the way I live my life. 

I'm currently in the middle of a book by yoga guru, Rod Stryker.  He relates the story of how in yoga classes, people walk into a class for the first time and look for the best spot to place their mat.  But every time after that, they simply default to the same spot.  We see that behavior duplicated everywhere.  In churches. At conferences. In what we watch on television. We make a choice once...then we never think about it again. 

Until this year, I was unaware of how many choices I was living by default. Things that had been the same for so long that it didn't occur to me I had options. How I get to work. The things I own. How I do my quiet time. My role at work, home and church. My relationships. The activities I'm involved in.

Focusing on intention on both macro and micro scales has been transformative. And I suppose that by giving myself a year to focus on it...that was intentional too.