3. You aren’t taking action.
By now you’ve heard the story of how Jim Carrey once wrote a check for a million dollars when he was just starting out, put it into his wallet and then ended up becoming a millionaire many times over.
Yes, he had an intention.
Yes, he wrote it down (a good thing).
Yes, he looked at it frequently (an even better thing).
But you know what else Jim did?
He took action! Massive, aligned action.
That’s right. He got out there, went on gazillions of auditions, showed up for gigs that others might have shunned and got busy.
So often I see folks get into intention setting, create gorgeous vision boards, and then completely avoid or be paralyzed by taking action.
(And I know this because I’ve done it, too!)
Now from the perspective of the chakras this makes sense.
If you aren’t aware of what the chakras really are (and are frankly weirded out by them like I was for years) stay with me here.
In very simple terms, the chakras are simply energy centers throughout the body. They are like the software programming that affects our bodies, emotions, self-esteem, relationships, creativity, intuition and spirituality.
Most systems speak of 7 chakras that are each associated with physical organs and our emotional, physical and spiritual development. The lower chakras have to do with safety and security, the body, our sexuality, money and sense of self, while the upper chakras are more related to our sense of conscious connection, love, spirituality and union.
(For more on this, see the fantastic book Seane Corn suggested to me called Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith.)
Someone who loves to create intentions and vision boards but who doesn’t take any action may be someone who is highly intuitive and deeply spiritual (with developed 6th and 7th chakras) but may not have a strong enough ego-identity or sense of self in the 3rd chakra to make and keep her word to herself.
If this is you, don’t freak out.
It was me, too. And when I’m not fully practicing all of my practices, it’s a pattern I can still sometimes slip into.
The solution though isn’t to give up on setting intentions, it’s on healing the 3rd chakra and cultivating the self-esteem necessary to be able to make and keep your commitments to yourself.
The key to strengthening self-esteem is by taking risks and rising to the challenge. The single most effective way I’ve found this to happen? By keeping your word to yourself.
For one person, it might be having a talk with your alcoholic husband about what you will no longer tolerate. For another, it might be taking a leap of faith and signing a lease for your own office after spending years at the kitchen table. For another, it might be simply admitting you need some help to get stuff done and have a life.
(Read this blog post if that’s you).
Whatever it is, we must take radical, consistent, aligned action to bring our intentions into fruition. This isn’t a one-and-done thing. It’s a way of being in the world that helps you create the life you were meant to in this life-time.
Moral of the story?
If your intentions aren’t manifesting, it may be time to tweak them a little bit. Try these three tips and see what you can create.
Let us know in the comments below: Have you struggled with manifesting your intentions? Which of these 3 tips can you try to make your dreams come true?
