Segment Intending

Choice exists in every moment. Segment intending is a reminder to ask yourself what you want right here and now. It keeps you in the present and out of your diversions.

This idea was introduced to us by Ester and Jerry Hicks in their book The Law of Attraction. It is, all at once, an eye-opener and not rocket science. Here's the deal: one of the big challenges in keeping our intentions in front of us is that we are very easily distracted (oooh, it's sunny outside) and overwhelmed (big ideas=big action=big freak out). So, what do we do to do away with the diversions and get focused? Well, according to the Hicks', it's as simple as asking 'What do I want in this moment?' It's a practice of breaking your day into small segments and, you guessed it, setting intentions right then and there.

So, what do you want to create in the time of your commute to work? What do you want in the single interaction with a particular co-worker/friend/child? What do you want to make of the time in a very crowded grocery store? When you start something new, take a breath and ask the question: 'What do I want in this moment?'

Asking yourself what you want may seem a bit awkward or uncomfortable. That's OK...and get over it. We're guessing you fell down a couple of times on your way to walking or riding a bike. You didn't give up then, did you? And, just like riding a bike, once you've got it down, you'll never forget it.

Moment of truth: do we ask the question every time we start something new? Simply: no. We DO love the simplicity and elegance of the idea, though, and we're learning to incorporate it more and more. It's fun and it's helped us out on more occasions than we can count. We are becoming more practiced with it and, because we're not perfect practitioners, we've also have figured out little ways to remind ourselves to ask--sticky notes, cues before conversations, etc.

So, what do you want in this moment?  And, what will remind you to ask?