January 1, 2024 • 35 mins
This year, Zaw and I guide you through setting goals with purpose and mindfulness. We're peeling back the layers to uncover the essence of true intention, distinguishing it from the often fleeting nature of New Year's resolutions. Tap into the power of efficient goal setting and learn how to align your values with your aspirations, transforming how you approach everything from sobriety to work and relationships.
This episode is about envisioning your dreams and equipping yourself with the resilience and tools necessary to achieve them. We'll share inspiring tales and introduce different ways to turn your goals into actionable plans. Whether you're overcoming a setback or seeking clarity in your path forward, we support your journey toward meaningful accomplishments.
As we wrap up, the importance of reflection is underscored, emphasizing how a simple STOP can shift your entire perspective. Join us as we offer the insights you need to navigate the year ahead with purpose and mindfulness, and from us both, a heartfelt wish for a Happy New Year filled with well-being and intentionality.
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Recovery Collective — Annapolis, MD (recoverycollectivemd.com)
Zaw Maw — Recovery Collective — Annapolis, MD (recoverycollectivemd.com)
Luke DeBoy — Recovery Collective — Annapolis, MD (recoverycollectivemd.com)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to another episode of A Therapist of
Buddhist.
In you.
We delve into topics thatchange our collective well-being
.
As we stand on the cusp of anew year, join us in exploring
the transformative power ofsetting intentions and goals for
2024.
If you like, please share withothers and leave a review in a
(00:27):
comment.
It does go a long wayIntentions, goal settings, all
2024.
It's now the second time thatI've said that.
Happy 2024.
It's a new year, wow.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
How did that happen?
2024.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
A couple of 24 hours at a time, and then it happened,
right.
Well, if you're seeking a freshstart, are you eager to align
your aspirations with yourwell-being?
In this episode, we unravel thesignificance of setting
intentions, offering a roadmapfor personal growth, fulfillment
and a meaningful journey ahead.
We're going to providepractical tips, insights and a
(01:07):
blend of therapeutic andBuddhist perspectives to guide
you into the new year.
That sounds lovely, zao.
I'm glad we can do this.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yeah, me too.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
I'm glad we can jump in the new year with setting
some intentions, becauseintentions can be powerful, can
it?
The power of intentions?
It's a weird word.
The more that I say it intentIntend.
I intend to make changes, Iintend to move forward with
(01:37):
purpose and intentionality.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Yeah, it's a really key word because that really
reveals the reality.
Right?
Everything comes from a thought, whether we know it or not.
Everything that I do today isas a result of what I've thought
about, either intentionally orunintentionally.
So that's why the power ofintention, as you mentioned, is
so powerful, because it's allabout the thought.
(02:00):
What am I directing towards?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
And the goal is to put that thought into action and
make forward progression in ourlives, all for your health and
wellness, my friends, how aboutthat?
Yeah.
Let's look at the differencebetween the reason why I think
there's a reason why we'resaying intentions and goals as
opposed to a resolution.
(02:25):
I think there's a difference.
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, because I don't know.
I've made a lot of resolutionsin my drinking years to stop
drinking, to stop smokingcigarettes, to run every day, to
be a vegetarian, all thesethings which we're looking back
more like expectations, likestandards or things like that.
I like the intention because,as you were talking, it makes me
, as a Buddhist, the word thatcomes to minus happiness or to
(02:51):
reduce suffering, to suffer lessthis year.
So in that way, it's more aboutthe theme.
It's not like a specific action, but that intention can guide.
If I have that intention, if Ihave that intention of I want to
create more happiness, that canbe a theme for all the actions
that I take throughout the day.
Wait, is it going to createmore happiness or is it going to
(03:12):
create more suffering?
That intention is moreinclusive.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, I think resolutions often set vague,
grandiose expectations, oftenleading to frustrations.
Yeah, I don't want to burn outon a resolution, I don't want to
do this vague attempt forchange and then, after a month
(03:37):
or that, gin membership, if youwill stare typically ironically
begins to fade.
So goals and tensions allow forincremental progress.
It's fostering a positivemindset in a sense, with action
(03:59):
for accomplishment, where I canhave resolve and resolution.
But we want to take that a stepwith more action, with
intentionality.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, I think it also sets up something really good,
especially with our previousepisode, because that's the
thing about setting goals orintention is that other people
want this this year, and I surewant that too.
But that, to me, is like alosing battle If we have a
reflection of these are thethings that I've done this year,
this past year.
These are the things that'simportant for me.
(04:34):
What's a reasonable goal that Ican set?
That's like a continuation.
It's more meaningful that way,like what is the goal that I'm
setting for myself and itmotivates me.
And these are the series ofactions that I will take
incrementally.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
I have yet to have someone come into one of my
therapy sessions and say, hey, Iwant to set intentions and
goals for the new year.
But that has happenedorganically with more than a
handful of my clients so far.
I think what we've doneorganically there's this
(05:12):
profound impact of themconsciously thinking about hey,
this is what last year was likeand this is what I want to do
with intentionality this year.
What I often wind up doing isgoing beyond the traditional
goal setting and I recommendusing have you ever heard of the
smart criteria?
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Specific yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
So it's an acronym for specific, measurable,
achievable, relevant and timely.
So this ensures your intentionsare not only inspiring but also
actionable and realistic,laying a solid foundation for
your journey.
If I can help someone, yes, itcan be not drinking, but it can
(05:59):
also be goals for work or inrelationships.
If they can truly be specific,where they can tell whether they
look at it every Sunday,whether they look at it monthly,
whether they look at it duringwhatever time when they go, am I
(06:19):
achieving this goal yet orthere's things I need to change
to reach this goal?
And they can measure it.
It's making it possible, it'smaking it realistic, yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I don't know if this is too much of a stretch, but
I'm going to bring it up anyway,since I do mindfulness coaching
and meditation stuff.
So there is a question abouthow do I know whether I'm
meditating correctly?
Speaker 1 (06:47):
You've been asked that before.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
What if I'm doing it wrong?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
It's just me thinking that.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
But the way you're describing it about specific is
really addressing that.
The measurement I meanmeditation is not measurable
specifically that way, but it'svery helpful to know whether I'm
successful or not is to look athow I'm responding to things.
Am I happier, Am I more calm?
That's the measurement.
(07:15):
Being specific about.
Oh wait, I used to be angry atthis situation with my kids, but
now I'm responding differently,being specific with that or
even having a goal that way,Like okay, I'm going to start
meditating five minutes a dayand my goal is to be more calm
or to not rush, or to gain moreclarity, whatever it is.
So that kind of strike chordwith me too.
About that.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
So with meditation, hey, is my meditation working?
Well, there's a your example.
Oh, there seems to be a causeand effect.
The days that I meditate, orbecause I'm doing a meditation
for five minutes every day whenI wake up or before I go to
sleep, I've noticed that I ammore present in my life, or I am
(08:01):
not so impulsive, or I can notreact in anger, and people tend
to be able to correlate that asa measure for them.
I agree completely.
I agree completely.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Yeah, so that's a good framework.
I like that smart SM ART.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
So yeah, setting these clear intentions or goals
can contribute to our overallwell-being.
There's a wonderful example.
You're also saying that I canalign my goals with mindfulness.
At any goal that I set, we canalign it with mindfulness, don't
you think?
Yeah.
(08:39):
Mindfulness can be in its ownright and intention.
Practice can it.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Yeah, it can be, and I would even, in my personal
experience, I would even make itto be almost like a
prerequisite how am I going toknow what I want without any
kind of calmness and clarityfirst?
For me to come up with goalsthat are meaningful for me, I
need to sit down and be quietfirst.
Otherwise I'm still like kindof, oh yeah, this is probably
(09:04):
what I want or this is where Iwant to go.
But if I sit and pause, kind oflike we've done previously,
looking back to the year, itmakes me realize, oh okay, I'm
being mindful of what hashappened and what's important
for me, and then it gives me aclarity of these other things
that will be meaningful for meto achieve this year.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Do you think there's benefit, for example, each
morning reflecting on a specificintention for the day and then
relating that to a mindfulnesspractice before you start your
practice, before you start yourday, or do you think that's
limiting the mindfulness or themeditation practice setting?
(09:44):
Hey, this is my intention forthe meditation or mindfulness,
but now my mind's going to startgoing, so bear with me.
Can I set my intention for theday, which could be I don't want
to say patience, but I couldsay compassion, and then all of
a sudden, I do a meditation ormindfulness practice and I don't
(10:06):
necessarily have to relate itto the intention I have for the
day.
I can just be in this minute.
I'm thinking out loud peoplesay that's talking but what do
you think?
Speaker 3 (10:14):
about that.
Yeah, that sounds good.
And then I guess what's helpfulis to be open-minded.
I do have an intention, butalso something that is inclusive
.
So for me I think about anintention of may I grow, may
there be growth for me today, ormay there be growth for me this
year.
That to me is like anopen-ended field, but then with
(10:38):
that I can even specify that mayI grow to be more patient with
my kids today, having thatgeneral scope but also being
specific, but also at the sametime, not too rigid.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
And are you answering my first question?
Is that what you meditate on,like a mantra almost?
Speaker 3 (11:00):
No, there's more of the intention, but the actual
practice can be to your choosingof paying attention to the
breath or meditating on aparticular concept in Buddhism
the impermanence or lovingkindness.
Those can be the actualpractice.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Because you don't want to cling to what you might
not have.
Is that why?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
The letting go, yeah, the grasping, yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Oh, yeah, the grasper Good let's give.
We gave the smart acronym, butlet's give some more practical
tips for goal setting.
Yeah, let's look at practicalstrategies that individuals can
employ to set these intentionsand goals effectively.
We gave one example ofintegrating intentions into your
(11:49):
daily routine, like settingintention before you do a
mindfulness meditation practice.
But I think it's also importantto support this intention with
accountability measures, becausethis reinforces commitment.
We can certainly celebratesmall victories along the way,
(12:09):
as it sustains motivation.
But let me give you this onemodel, called the ABC model.
I'll try to keep it simple withthese acronyms right, A,
acknowledge, B, break down andsee choose.
We first acknowledge ouraspirations and intentions and
(12:30):
then we break them down intoaccountable steps.
We can do this at lunch.
We can do this at the end ofthe day, like an inventory.
We can do this as a tenth step,where we take a personal
inventory and go hey, was my?
I'm acknowledging my intentionthat I set in the morning and
(12:53):
let me break it down to see if Imet my initial goal with that.
Did I do as intentional as I'dlike to be?
And then see we choose.
We choose the most impactfulactions that worked and then, if
we need to, we can createtangible steps that align with
(13:15):
our intentions and make it moreachievable.
Thoughts on that.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Yeah, that's really good.
That kind of coincides withsomething that I've been
thinking, which is maybe itmight be a little bit of a
stretch, but I'll share itanyway is that this is not part
of my tradition, but I thinkthis is more of like Tibetan
Buddhism where, or likeVajrayana Buddhism, where
there's a concept of deities orthe unlike and being.
(13:44):
So their concept is that whenyou meditate, you imagine, you
visualize yourself as an unlikeand being already, and then you
reverse engineer it You'realready there, but what would
you do to get there?
So your ABC kind of reminds meof that, because I also first
somewhere that the secret tosuccess is vision.
(14:04):
So if you have a vision of whatyou want which coincides with
your value, you acknowledge thatand you visualize it and then
break it down into okay, theseare the series of steps that I
will take, and then that givesyou a framework to make a
decision each moment, choosingto gear towards that.
So those are my thoughts onthat.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I like that.
There's plenty of stories ofpeople having visions or
envision their goals and theycome true.
The one that seems so surrealthat comes to my mind was Jim
Carrey.
When he was much, much younger,Before he broke out in
Hollywood, he wrote himself afake check for, I think,
(14:47):
millions of dollars and it washis wild number.
And then when he did one of hisreally famous movies I don't
know if it was Jim Carrey, AceVentura or if it was the Mask,
but he got a check fromHollywood for that exact same
amount.
And then he had this vision andhe worked hard and he became
one of the biggest comediansduring that set time with the
(15:09):
dumb and dumber, but heliterally the exact same number
he wrote.
He had this intention andvision.
That was pretty wild, but wecan begin to look at this and we
can break it down and we canchoose to do an inventory at the
(15:30):
end of the day or at lunch togo hey, am I on my own track?
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Yeah, that's inspiring and motivating.
I like that, and that's alsorelated to because you can
create as much visions as youwant, but it also has to be
aligned with who you are,because it's all about the
feelings I can have a vision of.
Oh, I don't want to do that,but I can have a vision.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
I'm like, oh, that's so cool, you know, and it
creates some feelings within youbecause it reflects your values
, and then it becomes achievablethat way To me, explaining
whether it's a mindfulness ormeditation practice, and feeling
that awareness of inner selfcreates this self-awareness of
how do we really feel about thisintention or this goal, moving
(16:11):
forward like man.
This feels really good and thatcan create motivation and
action when we use this practiceof awareness.
Right, yeah, good, good stuffNow, well, challenges are
inevitable, aren't they?
I don't know if I've hadanything in my life go exactly
(16:34):
as I planned it.
It's very humid of me, but it'snow so freeing and peaceful to
go.
Oh, it's okay, because justabout nothing in my life goes
exactly as planned.
I don't think I've ever been onRitchie Highway and I missed
every light.
You know, that's certainly inmy intention, but boy has it yet
(16:55):
to work for me.
I've yet to hit every light andhit a grain, you know.
So challenges are inevitable.
How can we, as individuals,navigate setbacks and stay
resilient in pursuing theseintentions?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
That's good, yeah, so my two intentions that I've
shared already.
One of them is may I grow, youknow.
The other one is may I alsolearn?
Like life has, for me, has beenabout learning and growing, you
know.
So when you ask about thatchallenge, my intention is like
may I learn how to deal withchallenges, you know, or may I
(17:37):
learn how to grow through thechallenges?
So those are the two intentionsthat come to mind.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
As a life coach?
Yeah, you get hit with thatwith clients, and how do you
help them with that?
Yes, okay, man, I have thissetback and right now I'm
feeling sluggish and I mightlack hope, I might lack
intentionality, I might lackpeace, I might have this fear
(18:07):
that is just dragging me downfrom being resilient.
How do you help them in yourcoaching?
Your Buddhist principle DitaVada inspired Buddhist coaching.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Yeah, I guess the short answer is the present
moment, right, like everythingis here right now.
So anything that helps to bringto this moment and we can have
access to everything from here,even the past, so that's like a
grounding touch point to startfrom there.
So first accept that.
Okay, this is how I'm feeling.
(18:42):
I'm disappointed about thischallenge, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
So you're certainly not telling them.
This is very Buddhist of youstop suffering, you don't need
to suffer.
You're saying, hey, this ispart of the experience of a
setback, this is part of theultimately part of the
resilience spectrum, isn't itthat there's this hurt, there's
(19:07):
this struggle Buddhist Englishlanguage there's this suffering
and that is part of the journeyto get to resilience, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Yeah, and the cool thing about the present moment
is like when you plant your feeton the ground.
It gives you that sense of like, literally the grounding
experience where, okay, righthere, right now, I'm safe, you
know.
But then that also creates roomfor clarity, and by that point,
that's when I would challengethe client has something like
this happened before in the past?
(19:38):
And the answer usually isalways is yes.
There's nobody who has nevergone through any challenges in
their life, like in differentdegrees, and then that creates
more of a trust that, oh wait,how did I get through that part?
And then it would have been aterrible story where I started
drinking more, or whatever it isLike if there is something
that's already happened, butthere's also some points where I
(20:00):
came out stronger on the otherside, you know.
So it's the same thing.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
You don't know what I'm about to say, but you just
walked everyone through it.
Resilience often involves adeveloping a coping strategy,
and you just gave copingstrategies.
You talked about a clarity, sopart of it is clarifying your
intention.
Ah, man, my intention is nothappening the way I want to do.
(20:27):
So this is called anotheracronym, the CARE plan, c-a-r-e,
c-clarify Get clarity with yourintention that you're
struggling with.
Then we A assess the potentialchallenges.
You stated everyone has gonethrough challenges that haven't
gone their way.
(20:47):
He said something similar tothat You're assessing the
challenge.
Oh, I've been in a challengebefore.
R reframe the setbacks asopportunities Because, man, I
can make it a game and I can tryto not hit every red light, or
(21:10):
I can take the back road toavoid two of the lights and see
if I can increase my odds.
And then there is E how do Iexecute a revised plan with that
new intentionality?
So there's another acronym, andyou gave your Buddhist spin on
another acronym that I'mthrowing out to the listeners.
(21:33):
How about that?
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Yeah, that's the free need.
I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
This empowers us to overcome obstacles with.
I don't know if it's aproactive mindset or a change in
mindset, or okay.
Here's the sting, here's thesuffering.
Now let me reframe it and seethe silver lining, and I can
(21:58):
once again take the C from theABCs and go okay, how can I
choose a most impactful actionsmoving forward?
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Pretty good, pretty good.
One additional thought, too,not to limit, and I know it is
true that we can learn from ourown experience, and you know,
when I'm depressed anddisappointed, I'm not really
interested in other people, allI'm interested in is just myself
.
So this might not be a veryuser-friendly approach, but the
other thing cool thing if youhave the willingness is also to
(22:31):
learn about other people,because there is a countless
numbers of examples where famouspeople or even people within
your community like reaching outto other people, give you that
boost of energy too, becausethere are just so many inspiring
successful stories.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
This is why people see you for your coaching
practice and they see me fortherapy.
Whether it's I wanted this formy life and it's not happening,
or I set a goal and I didn'treach it, or how do I change
with this change in my life,they get coaching and therapy to
help reframe and proactivelymake the changes that they can
(23:12):
make in a healthy way, withwhatever setbacks, resistance,
before the resilience happens.
That's a huge reason peoplecome to see you and I Question
how can regular reflectionenhance the effectiveness of
intentions?
How can individuals integratethis into their daily lives?
(23:34):
I think we're hitting that, butlet's hit it again how can
regular reflection enhance theeffectiveness of these intention
settings?
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Yeah.
So that got me thinking aboutlife is a lot more meaningful
when there is continuity.
Otherwise it's differentfragmentation all over the place
.
So reflection is like that,weaving in between events.
Reflection can be right in yourjournal for three minutes about
what happened today, or it canbe a five-minute silent
(24:08):
meditation where you just watchyour mind, or it can be a walk
where you just take like a10-minute walk around your
neighborhood.
Whatever it is.
But if there is like somethinggrounding, it creates that touch
point for different events thathappen and it really gives you
because life is all aboutnarration, right, I mean the
actual life.
There is no story, but since weare living, there is a
(24:31):
narration and we create meaningout of it and when we reflect,
it really sets the tone that oh,this is what happened and this
is what's meaningful for me andthis is my value, and now I hope
for tomorrow.
So that's my take on thatreflection.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
This might not initially seem like a direct
correlation, but I try to helppeople be more in tune with
their physical sensations, moreaware and conscious of their
emotions, and often people feeldiscomfort and their emotions
(25:16):
are trying to tell themsomething.
And there's a lot of peoplethat have clinical, diagnosable
depression and anxiety.
And I help them and empowerthem to identify, okay, what is
their anxiety, trying to tellthem why is their mood lower,
(25:38):
for whatever reason?
Why is it lower than they wantit?
And they don't want to feelthat depressed mood or sadness
or hopelessness or apathy.
And it's really neat for peopleto be in tune to what they're
actually feeling and processwhat they're feeling and then
(26:01):
create an intentionality tochange their actions in their
life and, as a direct result, alot of times affecting how
they're feeling.
And it's amazing how peoplehave Now this isn't a black or
white statement, an all ornothing statement that have
(26:22):
lived with lifelong depressionand anxiety that come here and
then all of a sudden, they feelthat they have intentionality to
change their second emotion,their third emotion, their
second thought, their thirdthought, with intentionally
(26:43):
doing changes to their thoughtsand their actions and their
emotions.
Am I making a connection?
Yeah, I'm following yeah.
Good and having this reflectionand having more awareness, often
on a daily basis, andprocessing it, whether it's you
(27:08):
and your life coaching,mindfulness coaching and
recovery coaching and me andtherapy that a lot of times,
even with meditation andmedication and other aspects,
that they get better, thatthey're not so they almost break
(27:35):
this resilient plateau thatpeople have been suffering with
mood and internal critic thatthey felt like, oh, I'm never
going to break this cycle.
Then I'm always going to havethis very mean internal critic
that's going to be more negativethan kind.
(27:56):
Then I'm always going to feelthis low mood to the level of
depression, to apathy, and weoften help people break that.
They never thought it waspossible.
I think it's important to bringto bring up and sometimes it
(28:18):
takes integrating action.
It takes supports outside ofrecovery coaching, sober
coaching and therapy and ittakes different elements outside
of the recovery collective tohelp these new intentions and
this new lifestyle.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Yeah, the power really is in the sharing.
That's also the beauty ofreflection, even if you're not
sharing with someone else likeyour shiny light on it.
That, I think, really is thebeauty of life, where even with
the universe it's like afeedback.
You put something out there, itgets responded and you respond
again, going back and forth.
That's how, because at the endof the day, that's what we're
(29:02):
looking for.
When somebody's depressed,Nobody cares about me, life is
meaningless.
But that's not true.
When you put yourself out there, it gets responded, and then
that's also how you get out ofthose dark days.
And I had another thought aboutthat.
I'll try to come back to thatlater.
(29:24):
I think I lost it, but that'sokay, that happens, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
I'll give my last acronym and then I've acronymed
out the acronym for stop.
When we're feeding the problem,when we're feeding negativity,
when that internal critic ispreventing us from positivity
(29:51):
and light, when our darkness isjust crowding us, Well, we can
incorporate stop.
We can literally stop whatwe're doing.
And when we stop what we'redoing, we can take a breath, tea
, take a breath, and when wetake a breath we can potentially
(30:14):
transform our mood and think oflove and light and positivity.
And during these three deepbreaths and we think of love and
light and positivity, and justthat mindful intention of that
gives us the ability to oh, weget to observe.
We get to observe what ourbody's doing when it's not
(30:37):
filled with fear and anger andresentment, and it's just the
opposite.
We're fueling it with an inhaleof love and light.
Our body begins to changephysiologically, chemically.
Our mind stops thinking.
When I think of love, I can'tthink of anger, fear and
resentment If I truly think oflove.
(30:57):
It's impossible scientificallyChemical changes when we think
love and we observe our thoughtsand feelings and then we pee,
we proceed.
We can proceed with love,compassion for ourselves and say
F you critic, you don't serveme anymore, You're not
(31:19):
intentional, you're just meanand I don't need meanness and we
can proceed with mindfulnessand be mindful and love and
compassion and that's a greatimmediate game changer for it.
And then we can all of a suddenset other intentions when we're
in this state, this part ofwellness.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
Yeah, that's powerful , and remembering that we do
have that ability, but supportthat we can pause and do that.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Yeah it certainly is nice to foster a harmonious
balance between aspirations andthat present moment, especially
when it's filled with compassion, love and light.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
The thought that I had came back.
We have brains and our brainsare powerful, but more
importantly, that spiritualnature in the brain is even more
powerful If we think about AI.
Ai can like, detect and makesense out of like I think about
things, spiritual and nature.
I'm not a got oriented personlike religious sense, but like
(32:31):
I've heard it that sometimes youask something, you pray for
something, and the prayer doesnot get answered.
But then if you truly listen,that prayer can be answered
during the day through aconversation or through an event
.
But the most powerful answer toyour prayer is your life and I
(32:52):
like thinking about that interms of this is we're already
in the second, I mean in theJanuary of the new year, but I
kind of think about that for theprevious year, like if you
think about that year or thinkabout your life, if you use your
spiritual part of your mind,there's a question that got
answered through your life andthat is like a good way to
(33:15):
connect with that intention orcreate more harmonious intention
for the continuation of thislife.
You know.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
I'm just realizing, as this episode focuses on
future and intentions and goalplanning, but to do so, we
really focused in on the presentmoment, to be able to do so in
a healthy way.
So whatever our goals orintentions, that might not be
(33:45):
happening.
We really gave a bunch ofexamples of what we can do in
the present moment to make thatmore achievable, more realistic.
So here as our future is goingto come, oh, what a gift, what a
gift the start of 2024 is inthis present moment, isn't it?
Yes, absolutely Very good.
(34:07):
Well, as we conclude thisexploration into setting
intentions for 2024, may youcarry with you the tools,
insights and inspiration neededfor a purposeful journey ahead.
Whether you're a well versed ingoal setting or just starting,
this episode is crafted toresonate with you on your path
to well-being.
Thank you for joining us as westep into the possibilities of a
(34:29):
new year.
Remember that your intentionsare the compass guiding your
journey Until next time.
Take a moment for reflection,set your intentions with clarity
and embark on a transformativeyear ahead.
Stay well and stay intentional,and happy new year, everyone.
Happy new year.
My name is Luke, this is Zal.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
See you next time, see ya.
Welcome to another episode of A Therapist of
Buddhist.
In you.
We delve into topics thatchange our collective well-being
.
As we stand on the cusp of anew year, join us in exploring
the transformative power ofsetting intentions and goals for
2024.
If you like, please share withothers and leave a review in a
(00:27):
comment.
It does go a long wayIntentions, goal settings, all
2024.
It's now the second time thatI've said that.
Happy 2024.
It's a new year, wow.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
How did that happen?
2024.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
A couple of 24 hours at a time, and then it happened,
right.
Well, if you're seeking a freshstart, are you eager to align
your aspirations with yourwell-being?
In this episode, we unravel thesignificance of setting
intentions, offering a roadmapfor personal growth, fulfillment
and a meaningful journey ahead.
We're going to providepractical tips, insights and a
(01:07):
blend of therapeutic andBuddhist perspectives to guide
you into the new year.
That sounds lovely, zao.
I'm glad we can do this.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yeah, me too.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
I'm glad we can jump in the new year with setting
some intentions, becauseintentions can be powerful, can
it?
The power of intentions?
It's a weird word.
The more that I say it intentIntend.
I intend to make changes, Iintend to move forward with
(01:37):
purpose and intentionality.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Yeah, it's a really key word because that really
reveals the reality.
Right?
Everything comes from a thought, whether we know it or not.
Everything that I do today isas a result of what I've thought
about, either intentionally orunintentionally.
So that's why the power ofintention, as you mentioned, is
so powerful, because it's allabout the thought.
(02:00):
What am I directing towards?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
And the goal is to put that thought into action and
make forward progression in ourlives, all for your health and
wellness, my friends, how aboutthat?
Yeah.
Let's look at the differencebetween the reason why I think
there's a reason why we'resaying intentions and goals as
opposed to a resolution.
(02:25):
I think there's a difference.
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, because I don't know.
I've made a lot of resolutionsin my drinking years to stop
drinking, to stop smokingcigarettes, to run every day, to
be a vegetarian, all thesethings which we're looking back
more like expectations, likestandards or things like that.
I like the intention because,as you were talking, it makes me
, as a Buddhist, the word thatcomes to minus happiness or to
(02:51):
reduce suffering, to suffer lessthis year.
So in that way, it's more aboutthe theme.
It's not like a specific action, but that intention can guide.
If I have that intention, if Ihave that intention of I want to
create more happiness, that canbe a theme for all the actions
that I take throughout the day.
Wait, is it going to createmore happiness or is it going to
(03:12):
create more suffering?
That intention is moreinclusive.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, I think resolutions often set vague,
grandiose expectations, oftenleading to frustrations.
Yeah, I don't want to burn outon a resolution, I don't want to
do this vague attempt forchange and then, after a month
(03:37):
or that, gin membership, if youwill stare typically ironically
begins to fade.
So goals and tensions allow forincremental progress.
It's fostering a positivemindset in a sense, with action
(03:59):
for accomplishment, where I canhave resolve and resolution.
But we want to take that a stepwith more action, with
intentionality.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, I think it also sets up something really good,
especially with our previousepisode, because that's the
thing about setting goals orintention is that other people
want this this year, and I surewant that too.
But that, to me, is like alosing battle If we have a
reflection of these are thethings that I've done this year,
this past year.
These are the things that'simportant for me.
(04:34):
What's a reasonable goal that Ican set?
That's like a continuation.
It's more meaningful that way,like what is the goal that I'm
setting for myself and itmotivates me.
And these are the series ofactions that I will take
incrementally.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
I have yet to have someone come into one of my
therapy sessions and say, hey, Iwant to set intentions and
goals for the new year.
But that has happenedorganically with more than a
handful of my clients so far.
I think what we've doneorganically there's this
(05:12):
profound impact of themconsciously thinking about hey,
this is what last year was likeand this is what I want to do
with intentionality this year.
What I often wind up doing isgoing beyond the traditional
goal setting and I recommendusing have you ever heard of the
smart criteria?
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Specific yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
So it's an acronym for specific, measurable,
achievable, relevant and timely.
So this ensures your intentionsare not only inspiring but also
actionable and realistic,laying a solid foundation for
your journey.
If I can help someone, yes, itcan be not drinking, but it can
(05:59):
also be goals for work or inrelationships.
If they can truly be specific,where they can tell whether they
look at it every Sunday,whether they look at it monthly,
whether they look at it duringwhatever time when they go, am I
(06:19):
achieving this goal yet orthere's things I need to change
to reach this goal?
And they can measure it.
It's making it possible, it'smaking it realistic, yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I don't know if this is too much of a stretch, but
I'm going to bring it up anyway,since I do mindfulness coaching
and meditation stuff.
So there is a question abouthow do I know whether I'm
meditating correctly?
Speaker 1 (06:47):
You've been asked that before.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
What if I'm doing it wrong?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
It's just me thinking that.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
But the way you're describing it about specific is
really addressing that.
The measurement I meanmeditation is not measurable
specifically that way, but it'svery helpful to know whether I'm
successful or not is to look athow I'm responding to things.
Am I happier, Am I more calm?
That's the measurement.
(07:15):
Being specific about.
Oh wait, I used to be angry atthis situation with my kids, but
now I'm responding differently,being specific with that or
even having a goal that way,Like okay, I'm going to start
meditating five minutes a dayand my goal is to be more calm
or to not rush, or to gain moreclarity, whatever it is.
So that kind of strike chordwith me too.
About that.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
So with meditation, hey, is my meditation working?
Well, there's a your example.
Oh, there seems to be a causeand effect.
The days that I meditate, orbecause I'm doing a meditation
for five minutes every day whenI wake up or before I go to
sleep, I've noticed that I ammore present in my life, or I am
(08:01):
not so impulsive, or I can notreact in anger, and people tend
to be able to correlate that asa measure for them.
I agree completely.
I agree completely.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Yeah, so that's a good framework.
I like that smart SM ART.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
So yeah, setting these clear intentions or goals
can contribute to our overallwell-being.
There's a wonderful example.
You're also saying that I canalign my goals with mindfulness.
At any goal that I set, we canalign it with mindfulness, don't
you think?
Yeah.
(08:39):
Mindfulness can be in its ownright and intention.
Practice can it.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Yeah, it can be, and I would even, in my personal
experience, I would even make itto be almost like a
prerequisite how am I going toknow what I want without any
kind of calmness and clarityfirst?
For me to come up with goalsthat are meaningful for me, I
need to sit down and be quietfirst.
Otherwise I'm still like kindof, oh yeah, this is probably
(09:04):
what I want or this is where Iwant to go.
But if I sit and pause, kind oflike we've done previously,
looking back to the year, itmakes me realize, oh okay, I'm
being mindful of what hashappened and what's important
for me, and then it gives me aclarity of these other things
that will be meaningful for meto achieve this year.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Do you think there's benefit, for example, each
morning reflecting on a specificintention for the day and then
relating that to a mindfulnesspractice before you start your
practice, before you start yourday, or do you think that's
limiting the mindfulness or themeditation practice setting?
(09:44):
Hey, this is my intention forthe meditation or mindfulness,
but now my mind's going to startgoing, so bear with me.
Can I set my intention for theday, which could be I don't want
to say patience, but I couldsay compassion, and then all of
a sudden, I do a meditation ormindfulness practice and I don't
(10:06):
necessarily have to relate itto the intention I have for the
day.
I can just be in this minute.
I'm thinking out loud peoplesay that's talking but what do
you think?
Speaker 3 (10:14):
about that.
Yeah, that sounds good.
And then I guess what's helpfulis to be open-minded.
I do have an intention, butalso something that is inclusive
.
So for me I think about anintention of may I grow, may
there be growth for me today, ormay there be growth for me this
year.
That to me is like anopen-ended field, but then with
(10:38):
that I can even specify that mayI grow to be more patient with
my kids today, having thatgeneral scope but also being
specific, but also at the sametime, not too rigid.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
And are you answering my first question?
Is that what you meditate on,like a mantra almost?
Speaker 3 (11:00):
No, there's more of the intention, but the actual
practice can be to your choosingof paying attention to the
breath or meditating on aparticular concept in Buddhism
the impermanence or lovingkindness.
Those can be the actualpractice.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Because you don't want to cling to what you might
not have.
Is that why?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
The letting go, yeah, the grasping, yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Oh, yeah, the grasper Good let's give.
We gave the smart acronym, butlet's give some more practical
tips for goal setting.
Yeah, let's look at practicalstrategies that individuals can
employ to set these intentionsand goals effectively.
We gave one example ofintegrating intentions into your
(11:49):
daily routine, like settingintention before you do a
mindfulness meditation practice.
But I think it's also importantto support this intention with
accountability measures, becausethis reinforces commitment.
We can certainly celebratesmall victories along the way,
(12:09):
as it sustains motivation.
But let me give you this onemodel, called the ABC model.
I'll try to keep it simple withthese acronyms right, A,
acknowledge, B, break down andsee choose.
We first acknowledge ouraspirations and intentions and
(12:30):
then we break them down intoaccountable steps.
We can do this at lunch.
We can do this at the end ofthe day, like an inventory.
We can do this as a tenth step,where we take a personal
inventory and go hey, was my?
I'm acknowledging my intentionthat I set in the morning and
(12:53):
let me break it down to see if Imet my initial goal with that.
Did I do as intentional as I'dlike to be?
And then see we choose.
We choose the most impactfulactions that worked and then, if
we need to, we can createtangible steps that align with
(13:15):
our intentions and make it moreachievable.
Thoughts on that.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Yeah, that's really good.
That kind of coincides withsomething that I've been
thinking, which is maybe itmight be a little bit of a
stretch, but I'll share itanyway is that this is not part
of my tradition, but I thinkthis is more of like Tibetan
Buddhism where, or likeVajrayana Buddhism, where
there's a concept of deities orthe unlike and being.
(13:44):
So their concept is that whenyou meditate, you imagine, you
visualize yourself as an unlikeand being already, and then you
reverse engineer it You'realready there, but what would
you do to get there?
So your ABC kind of reminds meof that, because I also first
somewhere that the secret tosuccess is vision.
(14:04):
So if you have a vision of whatyou want which coincides with
your value, you acknowledge thatand you visualize it and then
break it down into okay, theseare the series of steps that I
will take, and then that givesyou a framework to make a
decision each moment, choosingto gear towards that.
So those are my thoughts onthat.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I like that.
There's plenty of stories ofpeople having visions or
envision their goals and theycome true.
The one that seems so surrealthat comes to my mind was Jim
Carrey.
When he was much, much younger,Before he broke out in
Hollywood, he wrote himself afake check for, I think,
(14:47):
millions of dollars and it washis wild number.
And then when he did one of hisreally famous movies I don't
know if it was Jim Carrey, AceVentura or if it was the Mask,
but he got a check fromHollywood for that exact same
amount.
And then he had this vision andhe worked hard and he became
one of the biggest comediansduring that set time with the
(15:09):
dumb and dumber, but heliterally the exact same number
he wrote.
He had this intention andvision.
That was pretty wild, but wecan begin to look at this and we
can break it down and we canchoose to do an inventory at the
(15:30):
end of the day or at lunch togo hey, am I on my own track?
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Yeah, that's inspiring and motivating.
I like that, and that's alsorelated to because you can
create as much visions as youwant, but it also has to be
aligned with who you are,because it's all about the
feelings I can have a vision of.
Oh, I don't want to do that,but I can have a vision.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
I'm like, oh, that's so cool, you know, and it
creates some feelings within youbecause it reflects your values
, and then it becomes achievablethat way To me, explaining
whether it's a mindfulness ormeditation practice, and feeling
that awareness of inner selfcreates this self-awareness of
how do we really feel about thisintention or this goal, moving
(16:11):
forward like man.
This feels really good and thatcan create motivation and
action when we use this practiceof awareness.
Right, yeah, good, good stuffNow, well, challenges are
inevitable, aren't they?
I don't know if I've hadanything in my life go exactly
(16:34):
as I planned it.
It's very humid of me, but it'snow so freeing and peaceful to
go.
Oh, it's okay, because justabout nothing in my life goes
exactly as planned.
I don't think I've ever been onRitchie Highway and I missed
every light.
You know, that's certainly inmy intention, but boy has it yet
(16:55):
to work for me.
I've yet to hit every light andhit a grain, you know.
So challenges are inevitable.
How can we, as individuals,navigate setbacks and stay
resilient in pursuing theseintentions?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
That's good, yeah, so my two intentions that I've
shared already.
One of them is may I grow, youknow.
The other one is may I alsolearn?
Like life has, for me, has beenabout learning and growing, you
know.
So when you ask about thatchallenge, my intention is like
may I learn how to deal withchallenges, you know, or may I
(17:37):
learn how to grow through thechallenges?
So those are the two intentionsthat come to mind.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
As a life coach?
Yeah, you get hit with thatwith clients, and how do you
help them with that?
Yes, okay, man, I have thissetback and right now I'm
feeling sluggish and I mightlack hope, I might lack
intentionality, I might lackpeace, I might have this fear
(18:07):
that is just dragging me downfrom being resilient.
How do you help them in yourcoaching?
Your Buddhist principle DitaVada inspired Buddhist coaching.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
Yeah, I guess the short answer is the present
moment, right, like everythingis here right now.
So anything that helps to bringto this moment and we can have
access to everything from here,even the past, so that's like a
grounding touch point to startfrom there.
So first accept that.
Okay, this is how I'm feeling.
(18:42):
I'm disappointed about thischallenge, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
So you're certainly not telling them.
This is very Buddhist of youstop suffering, you don't need
to suffer.
You're saying, hey, this ispart of the experience of a
setback, this is part of theultimately part of the
resilience spectrum, isn't itthat there's this hurt, there's
(19:07):
this struggle Buddhist Englishlanguage there's this suffering
and that is part of the journeyto get to resilience, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (19:18):
Yeah, and the cool thing about the present moment
is like when you plant your feeton the ground.
It gives you that sense of like, literally the grounding
experience where, okay, righthere, right now, I'm safe, you
know.
But then that also creates roomfor clarity, and by that point,
that's when I would challengethe client has something like
this happened before in the past?
(19:38):
And the answer usually isalways is yes.
There's nobody who has nevergone through any challenges in
their life, like in differentdegrees, and then that creates
more of a trust that, oh wait,how did I get through that part?
And then it would have been aterrible story where I started
drinking more, or whatever it isLike if there is something
that's already happened, butthere's also some points where I
(20:00):
came out stronger on the otherside, you know.
So it's the same thing.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
You don't know what I'm about to say, but you just
walked everyone through it.
Resilience often involves adeveloping a coping strategy,
and you just gave copingstrategies.
You talked about a clarity, sopart of it is clarifying your
intention.
Ah, man, my intention is nothappening the way I want to do.
(20:27):
So this is called anotheracronym, the CARE plan, c-a-r-e,
c-clarify Get clarity with yourintention that you're
struggling with.
Then we A assess the potentialchallenges.
You stated everyone has gonethrough challenges that haven't
gone their way.
(20:47):
He said something similar tothat You're assessing the
challenge.
Oh, I've been in a challengebefore.
R reframe the setbacks asopportunities Because, man, I
can make it a game and I can tryto not hit every red light, or
(21:10):
I can take the back road toavoid two of the lights and see
if I can increase my odds.
And then there is E how do Iexecute a revised plan with that
new intentionality?
So there's another acronym, andyou gave your Buddhist spin on
another acronym that I'mthrowing out to the listeners.
(21:33):
How about that?
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Yeah, that's the free need.
I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
This empowers us to overcome obstacles with.
I don't know if it's aproactive mindset or a change in
mindset, or okay.
Here's the sting, here's thesuffering.
Now let me reframe it and seethe silver lining, and I can
(21:58):
once again take the C from theABCs and go okay, how can I
choose a most impactful actionsmoving forward?
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Pretty good, pretty good.
One additional thought, too,not to limit, and I know it is
true that we can learn from ourown experience, and you know,
when I'm depressed anddisappointed, I'm not really
interested in other people, allI'm interested in is just myself
.
So this might not be a veryuser-friendly approach, but the
other thing cool thing if youhave the willingness is also to
(22:31):
learn about other people,because there is a countless
numbers of examples where famouspeople or even people within
your community like reaching outto other people, give you that
boost of energy too, becausethere are just so many inspiring
successful stories.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
This is why people see you for your coaching
practice and they see me fortherapy.
Whether it's I wanted this formy life and it's not happening,
or I set a goal and I didn'treach it, or how do I change
with this change in my life,they get coaching and therapy to
help reframe and proactivelymake the changes that they can
(23:12):
make in a healthy way, withwhatever setbacks, resistance,
before the resilience happens.
That's a huge reason peoplecome to see you and I Question
how can regular reflectionenhance the effectiveness of
intentions?
How can individuals integratethis into their daily lives?
(23:34):
I think we're hitting that, butlet's hit it again how can
regular reflection enhance theeffectiveness of these intention
settings?
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Yeah.
So that got me thinking aboutlife is a lot more meaningful
when there is continuity.
Otherwise it's differentfragmentation all over the place
.
So reflection is like that,weaving in between events.
Reflection can be right in yourjournal for three minutes about
what happened today, or it canbe a five-minute silent
(24:08):
meditation where you just watchyour mind, or it can be a walk
where you just take like a10-minute walk around your
neighborhood.
Whatever it is.
But if there is like somethinggrounding, it creates that touch
point for different events thathappen and it really gives you
because life is all aboutnarration, right, I mean the
actual life.
There is no story, but since weare living, there is a
(24:31):
narration and we create meaningout of it and when we reflect,
it really sets the tone that oh,this is what happened and this
is what's meaningful for me andthis is my value, and now I hope
for tomorrow.
So that's my take on thatreflection.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
This might not initially seem like a direct
correlation, but I try to helppeople be more in tune with
their physical sensations, moreaware and conscious of their
emotions, and often people feeldiscomfort and their emotions
(25:16):
are trying to tell themsomething.
And there's a lot of peoplethat have clinical, diagnosable
depression and anxiety.
And I help them and empowerthem to identify, okay, what is
their anxiety, trying to tellthem why is their mood lower,
(25:38):
for whatever reason?
Why is it lower than they wantit?
And they don't want to feelthat depressed mood or sadness
or hopelessness or apathy.
And it's really neat for peopleto be in tune to what they're
actually feeling and processwhat they're feeling and then
(26:01):
create an intentionality tochange their actions in their
life and, as a direct result, alot of times affecting how
they're feeling.
And it's amazing how peoplehave Now this isn't a black or
white statement, an all ornothing statement that have
(26:22):
lived with lifelong depressionand anxiety that come here and
then all of a sudden, they feelthat they have intentionality to
change their second emotion,their third emotion, their
second thought, their thirdthought, with intentionally
(26:43):
doing changes to their thoughtsand their actions and their
emotions.
Am I making a connection?
Yeah, I'm following yeah.
Good and having this reflectionand having more awareness, often
on a daily basis, andprocessing it, whether it's you
(27:08):
and your life coaching,mindfulness coaching and
recovery coaching and me andtherapy that a lot of times,
even with meditation andmedication and other aspects,
that they get better, thatthey're not so they almost break
(27:35):
this resilient plateau thatpeople have been suffering with
mood and internal critic thatthey felt like, oh, I'm never
going to break this cycle.
Then I'm always going to havethis very mean internal critic
that's going to be more negativethan kind.
(27:56):
Then I'm always going to feelthis low mood to the level of
depression, to apathy, and weoften help people break that.
They never thought it waspossible.
I think it's important to bringto bring up and sometimes it
(28:18):
takes integrating action.
It takes supports outside ofrecovery coaching, sober
coaching and therapy and ittakes different elements outside
of the recovery collective tohelp these new intentions and
this new lifestyle.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Yeah, the power really is in the sharing.
That's also the beauty ofreflection, even if you're not
sharing with someone else likeyour shiny light on it.
That, I think, really is thebeauty of life, where even with
the universe it's like afeedback.
You put something out there, itgets responded and you respond
again, going back and forth.
That's how, because at the endof the day, that's what we're
(29:02):
looking for.
When somebody's depressed,Nobody cares about me, life is
meaningless.
But that's not true.
When you put yourself out there, it gets responded, and then
that's also how you get out ofthose dark days.
And I had another thought aboutthat.
I'll try to come back to thatlater.
(29:24):
I think I lost it, but that'sokay, that happens, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
I'll give my last acronym and then I've acronymed
out the acronym for stop.
When we're feeding the problem,when we're feeding negativity,
when that internal critic ispreventing us from positivity
(29:51):
and light, when our darkness isjust crowding us, Well, we can
incorporate stop.
We can literally stop whatwe're doing.
And when we stop what we'redoing, we can take a breath, tea
, take a breath, and when wetake a breath we can potentially
(30:14):
transform our mood and think oflove and light and positivity.
And during these three deepbreaths and we think of love and
light and positivity, and justthat mindful intention of that
gives us the ability to oh, weget to observe.
We get to observe what ourbody's doing when it's not
(30:37):
filled with fear and anger andresentment, and it's just the
opposite.
We're fueling it with an inhaleof love and light.
Our body begins to changephysiologically, chemically.
Our mind stops thinking.
When I think of love, I can'tthink of anger, fear and
resentment If I truly think oflove.
(30:57):
It's impossible scientificallyChemical changes when we think
love and we observe our thoughtsand feelings and then we pee,
we proceed.
We can proceed with love,compassion for ourselves and say
F you critic, you don't serveme anymore, You're not
(31:19):
intentional, you're just meanand I don't need meanness and we
can proceed with mindfulnessand be mindful and love and
compassion and that's a greatimmediate game changer for it.
And then we can all of a suddenset other intentions when we're
in this state, this part ofwellness.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
Yeah, that's powerful , and remembering that we do
have that ability, but supportthat we can pause and do that.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Yeah it certainly is nice to foster a harmonious
balance between aspirations andthat present moment, especially
when it's filled with compassion, love and light.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
The thought that I had came back.
We have brains and our brainsare powerful, but more
importantly, that spiritualnature in the brain is even more
powerful If we think about AI.
Ai can like, detect and makesense out of like I think about
things, spiritual and nature.
I'm not a got oriented personlike religious sense, but like
(32:31):
I've heard it that sometimes youask something, you pray for
something, and the prayer doesnot get answered.
But then if you truly listen,that prayer can be answered
during the day through aconversation or through an event
.
But the most powerful answer toyour prayer is your life and I
(32:52):
like thinking about that interms of this is we're already
in the second, I mean in theJanuary of the new year, but I
kind of think about that for theprevious year, like if you
think about that year or thinkabout your life, if you use your
spiritual part of your mind,there's a question that got
answered through your life andthat is like a good way to
(33:15):
connect with that intention orcreate more harmonious intention
for the continuation of thislife.
You know.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
I'm just realizing, as this episode focuses on
future and intentions and goalplanning, but to do so, we
really focused in on the presentmoment, to be able to do so in
a healthy way.
So whatever our goals orintentions, that might not be
(33:45):
happening.
We really gave a bunch ofexamples of what we can do in
the present moment to make thatmore achievable, more realistic.
So here as our future is goingto come, oh, what a gift, what a
gift the start of 2024 is inthis present moment, isn't it?
Yes, absolutely Very good.
(34:07):
Well, as we conclude thisexploration into setting
intentions for 2024, may youcarry with you the tools,
insights and inspiration neededfor a purposeful journey ahead.
Whether you're a well versed ingoal setting or just starting,
this episode is crafted toresonate with you on your path
to well-being.
Thank you for joining us as westep into the possibilities of a
(34:29):
new year.
Remember that your intentionsare the compass guiding your
journey Until next time.
Take a moment for reflection,set your intentions with clarity
and embark on a transformativeyear ahead.
Stay well and stay intentional,and happy new year, everyone.
Happy new year.
My name is Luke, this is Zal.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
See you next time, see ya.
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