The Intents that people post here remind me of a recent article in Yoga Journal: "The Heart’s Intention".

Many posted Intents are really goals – desired future outcomes. Goals have valuable uses described in the article. But goals should not be confused with Intents.

"She is intent upon reaching her goal" illustrates the difference and relationship between Intent and goal.

She is intent here and now upon what she is doing here and now:  reaching. Her reaching exists, it is being done here and now.

What she is reaching for – the goal – is not here and not now. It is in the future, it does not exist.

Focusing one’s energy upon that which does not exist wastes energy. You can shove all day against empty space and it will not move. Likewise, focusing one’s energy upon a goal is futile because the goal does not exist. It cannot be affected by your energy.

To focus energy upon what one is doing here and now is to be intent upon what one is doing. What you are doing exists, and your energy can affect its doing.

Intention is the character of the energy that you focus upon what you are doing. What is your attitude as you apply energy to what you are doing? That is your intention.

Take eating as an example. While you are eating, is it your intention to give honor to that which was killed to provide your food? Or is it your intention to satisfy your palate’s craving for the taste of bacon? How do these different intentions affect the goal of losing 20 pounds?

One way to honor what died so that you might eat is to eat only what is necessary to maintain your vitality. Minimize the killing that keeps you alive. That restraint shows reverence for Life.

The intention of honoring one’s food leads to realization of one’s goal to lose 20 pounds. The intention of satisfying one’s craving for bacon does not. The craving for bacon can never be satisfied, so one eats far too much of it.

So, when you choose an Intent(ion) to post, make it the attitude that you are assuming towards what you are doing right here and right now. Right Intent will lead to attainment of goals.

For more on Right Intent from Kahlil Gibran and me, see my blog post, "On Vegetarianism, With Ribs Recipe".

Finally, here’s a chuckle from Ralph Waldo Emerson regarding his Intent;

"I am not a vegetarian because I love animals. I am a vegetarian because I hate plants."