How to Set an Intention

Now that we’ve been doing more and more forever jewelry at the shop, I’ve been thinking about the importance and power of setting intentions. Of course, some people come in to get matching bracelets or even just a nice accessory that they don’t have to think about putting on every day. But “getting zapped” can also serve as a permanent reminder of a goal. Every time you look down at your wrist, you remember what the bracelet symbolizes. 

For some people, their permanent jewelry may be a reminder to exercise every day, eat more veggies, practice mindfulness, or even just take five minutes to breathe every now and then. Whatever the case may be, the powerful thing about setting an intention with your bracelet is that you’re making an agreement with yourself. 

Setting an intention is more than just writing a goal in a journal that you’ll forget about later. It’s more than just self-care dressed up in face masks and drinking lemon water; it’s work. It’s about making a commitment and showing up for yourself. It’s a promise to yourself that you’re going to do the thing you set out to do, no matter how hard it may be. And I may be biased, but I like the idea of having a cute piece of jewelry to gently remind me of my goal. 

If you google “how to set an intention,” you see a lot of articles for “how to manifest the life you want” and “how to manifest an intention.” And to be blunt, I’m not quite sure that I like the word “manifest” connected to setting intentions. I know that truly manifesting something is technically the same thing as setting an intention, but I feel social media has hyped up “manifesting” to mean that if you think about something you want to get or do, it will automatically happen for you.  

But “setting an intention” and sticking to that intention isn’t something that happens passively. You have actively set your intention and actively work on it every day. For example, a couple of years ago, I set an intention to improve my social media presence with the shop. And yes, there have been rough times when I’ve gone MIA on Instagram due to a lot of other stuff that happened in life. But when I made the commitment to think about my social media engagement every day and create more content, I saw my presence and views grow. It’s still a work in progress, and I’m now getting the hang of Instagram reels. However, setting the intention and acting on has resulted in me growing my team of girls and actually achieving what I set out to do. 

So how do you set an intention? Well, at face value it is an easy process, but it’s the everyday act of sticking to your intention that counts. So to start, you first need to identify something that you would like to work on or improve in your life. Write it down, and then write down what you think it will take to achieve that intention. Come up with a plan with small, actionable steps. For me, that consisted of things like: posting every day, spending 1 hour every week researching Instagram trends, and creating content of the shop and new items every Thursday. 

After you have your plan, maybe you want to get a physical symbol of your intention. This can be as simple as a piece of ribbon tied around your wrist, a sticky note on your laptop, or something more elaborate like forever jewelry. 

Next, you actually want to carry out your intention. This part is all about taking a small part out of your day to get you closer to your end goal. Over time all of those small actions add up, and you’re that much closer to your goal. 

It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding. And I can promise the payout of following your intention is so worth it.