Relaxing Into Intention


I live for the moments when I realize that what I thought was true was in fact a story in my head.

This had previously happened for me with love.

I'd put love on a pedestal, saw it as this Big Serious Thing, Very Serious.

And so I'd gatekept it from myself.

I'd thought that if I didn't feel a Big Serious Feeling, then it wasn't love.

But then I relaxed about it and understood that love is simply a state of being.

It's in my thoughts and my words and my actions, big and small.

Love is a part of our nature, no effort needs to be made.

Love will be expressed.

I've had a similar realization recently around intention.

I'd thought that I needed to have a Big Legible Intention for my life, an elevator pitch, a thesis statement.

Something explicit that I could tell people so that they could decide to opt in or opt out.

But I've relaxed about intention, and I've found clarity.

I don't have to have a sexy thesis statement about my intentions when I express them so clearly through my actions.

I looked at what I do, and I assessed:

Clearly I care about the flourishing of art and creativity.

Clearly I care about understanding people.

Clearly I care about articulating frameworks for living well.

I did an exercise to understand my authentic code, a distillation of my core values and soul essence.

A compass to show me what is and is not in alignment with my authentic self.

The words I landed on were creativity, connection, freedom, and play.

And so while I don't have an explicit statement of intention, I know that I've remained true to myself through my actions that honor those core values.

I am an intentional person.

I live intentionally.

I trust that I will continue to do the actions that are aligned with my authentic code.

I'm thinking from the end: I have the job.

What did I do to get there?

How did I stay true to myself along the way?

As I keep moving forward, embracing uncertainty and loving the process, one thing remains clear:

Keep creating.

Keep giving.

Keep going.

Things I made:

  • Tweeter's Digest Episode 16: a conversation with my friend Sandra about the menstrual cycle, listening to the body, women's power, women's groups and circles, anger and emotions, obstacles to connection with women, and gender polarity.
  • Mantra: my eleventh portal! Portals are an interactive art gallery, and Mantra is one of the best things I've ever made.
  • Challenge: my twelfth portal! Receive a challenge and see if it resonates.
  • About: a revision of my website's about section, clarifying what I offer and what I desire.
  • Infinite Book Giveaway: a book giveaway I launched on twitter yesterday! You can get a book! For free!

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@strangestloop

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