Episode 41: The Power of Intention with Kim Stanwood Terranova

Jay DePaolo talks with Kim Stanwood Terranova about using intention as a powerful tool for personal growth, healing, and conscious creation. Kim shares insights from her book Technology of Intention and explains how intention shapes every part of life. Learn how to align with a higher power and create with purpose every day.

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Hello everyone and welcome to Choices Books and Gifts. My name is Jay DePaolo and I'm the owner of Choices Books and Gifts in New York City, a store dedicated to the health wellness, and recovery community for over 30 years. I am the host of our podcast You Always Have Choices, where we dive deep into stories of transformation, healing, and personal growth, We can be found at 220 E 28th Street between Second and Third Avenues in New York City, as well as online at choicesgifts.com.

So I am very, very pleased to announce we have Kim Stanwood Terranova as our guest today. And I'm just going to read a little bit about her so you know who we're going to be interviewing today. So today we are pleased to welcome Tim Stanwood Terranova, who for 25 years has been an impactful spiritual figure who was a powerhouse speaker, spiritual leader and counselor.

She is the author of the bestselling book Technology of Intention. She received the high honor of master practitioner and master teacher at the Agape University of Transformational Studies. She is a speaker and lead teacher at the Elite Rhythmic Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica. Kim is the founder of World As1, a nonprofit organization committed to bringing the principles of peace to children all over the world.

Welcome, Kim, and thanks for being with us today. Thank you, Jay. It's always an interesting thing to sit and listen to like, wow, this is what I do. All that that's like, whoa, thank you for having me. I'm so happy to be here. Thanks for all that you do. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It is really, my pleasure.

So since everybody now has a little understanding of who you are and what you do, we're going to dive into some questions for you. Is that okay? Perfect I love questions. Oh all right. Good. So you're the right one to answer these questions. So what inspired you to write The Technology of Intention, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

Wow. What inspired me to write this book was the awareness and observation of everyone in my life, clients and family members and myself that lives were changing dramatically when the technology of intention was implemented. Nobody called it that. But I started noticing that in our yoga classes, all different spiritual classes people would say years ago, set your intention, set your intention.

But no one was really saying, what does that mean? And when I was using intention for years and watching the power of it's me, intention is the path to co-creation. Without it, we're still creating. We're just creating unconsciously. So applying it in my life, teaching other people I'm watching people manifested a much higher vibration. Co-create what they desire in life because they're using intention, which truly is a spiritual technology.

So an inspired me to know, if all of our lives are changing, then are my close proximity. And people are saying to me, what does that mean? I want the world to know that here's a pathway to create your life so consciously that you are absolutely on track with creating your destiny, not just sitting by and watching it happen.

That is, very interesting and we need to learn more about it. So my next question is the title suggests that intention is a kind of technology. How do you define intention and why do you view it in that way?

So intentions are lasered statements that are in the present moment, always positive and based in qualities.

Laser statement is that we are propelling activity action into motion with spirit so different than a goal which goal has a specific outcome and has to be just like this nothings wrong with goals. Intentions are the qualities of that outcome. So we're allowing spirit to bring us more than a goal can even bring us.

Because the goal is so specific intention. Say I desire all the qualities of that. So that spirit is working with us to create even more. I know that's a lot. I'll keep going into that. So but they're very clear statements that we state and let go of and then move with inspired action. From that moment onward. Because we're co-creative beings.

We're not here just to say, I did this, I did this. It's like spirit and I the universe and I whatever you wish to call it, right? Right Its creating through us, but without an intention, we still think we're doing it all by ourselves. Our intention lines us up with source to create. We place on the alter. This is what I wish to create was.

And then we let go and. But we're still in motion. We are absolutely moving, inspired action. When spirit directs, go here, call that person. Practice this for that intention to be fulfilled. Now it's a technology because I believe that we have in our world the most powerful technology which is spiritual technology, where we're activating the technology of screens of our phones.

I have everything that's brilliant. Yet along that expansion humanity, of looking outside of ourselves for technology, asking Siri all the questions we forgot that we have the most powerful technology right here which is spiritual technology, which is the relationship with source in ourselves, a universe in ourselves and honoring

when we cultivate the technology within by using intention, prayers, spiritual tools.

Then we're creating an a pathway that is direct, myself and source. I'm not looking at Siri and saying, answer this for me. Do you feel the difference? Yeah, yeah. Can I also call it a higher power? That in you that. You bet.

Whatever. It's like Jay there's so many. If we could honor everyone's word, is it God's spirit, higher power, universal force, love. It's the. Every single one of us are connected to it. Source energy. Everyone. Us. And yet we're not always tapping into that energy because we're looking out into the world at everything else to give us something versus let me go to source and create versus let me go out here and look for you.

See what I'm saying?

Yeah, it's right here. It's not out there.

Right? We if we cross and then it comes out there. But sometimes in the world we get it backwards. If I get that versus now, I have to cultivate this relationship with myself and source to know I'm a creator, your creator. Everyone on this planet has the opportunity to create. We just forgot. So the technology is remembering. We're creators and activating  intention to create.

Okay, I like it. I know for me it's that way if I, you know, years before I found my own little spiritual journey, I always thought give me this and I'll be happy I got that and I wasn't happy. Yeah. I think it's, you know, it's that cultivating that relationship. Yes. And you explain it so very nicely. All right. Question three can you share how intention has shaped your own life and spiritual journey?

Okay. I'm giggling because I just had a lot of family here this week. And very dear friends and my dearest friend, he always reminds me because he's been on this path with me for a lifetime.

He always says, look around you. Life, like every single thing in your life, is by intention. And it's true. It's true that I would be very grateful that a young age I learned the power of this tool. And so I started to consciously create. My intention is to be of service. Had no idea in all the work that I'm doing now in the world of how that would unfold, my intention was to heal from I live in the Melbourne mountains and lost my home in the fires, in the Woolsey fires in California.

So in that point, my intention was to absolutely co-create with spirit a home that honors who I am to heal, to create a home again. Now that I'm in this home again, every detail of it was very intentional. So somebody said, how did you create that? And went well. I told spirit I wanted to have an office that had these qualities in it. Did I know it would look like this? No, but I knew the qualities. So every detail of my life, whether it's health, whether it's relationship, there's I will tell people there is no place in your life that doesn't deserve to be honored by intention, because that's how we create. So relationships. If somebody comes to me and says, I want a relationship, Kim, and I'm not meeting the right person, then we start to right, tell me about that person.

Tell me who you want to be in that relationship. And we create an intention. The second you create an intention. My Intention is to call forth loving, divine, harmonious relationship that honors who I am in my spiritual growth. So it's that the second you have that and you are holding the space of that intention, you've slipped into a conscious creation with universal force higher. So your art movement of creating without it. We sit and look around like I wish I had. Why can't I have? What's wrong with me that I don't have one? So it's, there's I could go from every detail of my life. My favorite question Jay, I ask everyone, hey, what's your intention? What's your intention? What's your intention in this meeting?

What's your intention in that relationship? What's your intention in your marriage? If you don't want to be awake?

Yeah, I think that's great because how do you know really? You can say, I want this, but there needs to be intent. You need to understand what is it exactly you want? Yes. Where? How do you get there? I need to have an intention or order even to discover how to get there.

Yes. Wonderful. Absolutely. So every single corner of my life is one of intention, right? That's terrific. And you said you were blessed enough to get that at an early age.

 

Well, it was in college and I noticed, in my growing up years, I was having mystical experience for couldn't figure out what was happening, and I had no one to talk to about it. And yet I was seeing things create, like the thought, the power of my thought and creation. But it was settled by a desire and a feeling and it would happen. And that's so interesting. I was desiring that. And then when I was realizing that, I felt like I was alone, like, who do I talk to about this?

I bumped into, not bumped into was brought to a beautiful spiritual center. That nurtured spiritual tools within me. And when that happened at a very like, very early 20s, I started activating this path. What's my intention? set my intentions. And I watched when I set them wrong, when I wanted a thing, well, I got it, but it wasn't really.

I wanted the qualities of it. And I got the thing and I would, So I started to fine tune. It's not about as you just said, I watch that. It's like if somebody says to me, Kim, I my company has to make, you know, $5 million or whatever it is. And I've had businessmen and women say, yeah, this is great, but you can't do it in business.

Kim, I have to have this amount. And so I'll ask them to tell me about that. Tell me what you really desire. What's it going to feel like to have that? And when they describe the vibrational feeling tone of the freedom of that wealth that my company runs smoothly, my employees are paid well. They're all invoices are paid with ease and effortlessness.

Product is moving well. See, none of that says it only happens at 5 million. Those are all qualities of being. States of being. So when you put that in the intention, my intention is to call forth success in my business at a profound level. Everything is functioning at a high profitability. I accept financial abundance. Now. Spirit would have wanted to bring that business.

Woman. Man 1020 million. But if we say five, we just kept ourselves instead of like, we really want the freedom, the joy, the expansion, the everything that goes with it, right? I want this success. I don't necessarily know it's $5 million, but right. Just like you said, I want to be able to pay my staff easily to play.

Yeah. So yes, I love them. Cool. Many people struggle with the focus and clarity. How could someone begin to identify that set clear, powerful intentions?  Great question. So I have a three step process in my book, The Technology of Intention. So you can follow that. And I've got tens of samples. Right.

You have the book there, got the book.

I want you to put it right in front of you. Technology of intention. Absolutely. So I'm sure you can get that on Amazon. Absolutely. Get it in my store.. Yes.  You guys know what it looks like. I'm sorry I interrupted. Continue.

No worries. So there's three steps of the process. The first one is you're always in the present moment.

We write intentions in the present moment. And I'll go into depth book. The second one is there always in positive language. People always look at me go, well, of course, very positive language. Sometimes we don't realize. Someone may say, my intention is to not eat bad food so I lose weight. Well, you just said what you didn't want, right? Marty? Patrick, instead of you want, you must be positive language. Be. My intention is to make healthy choices that honor my body. So she just got subtle difference. Spirit is creating on what we're using the words and the vibration. So you put your desire. And then the third step is they must be in qualities, not desire the outcome.

So it's the quality of the desired outcome. What's the quality of that 5 million financial abundance, freedom, flow, expansion. What's the quality of the relationship you want? Harmony. Balance. Clear communication. So those qualities are packed in the intention which raises our vibration to call forth a match.

So first and foremost people can use that framework. And there's samples in the book. Second thing is to step when we can catch ourselves in expectation, we must interrupt the expectation and get right to an intention. Most of us, I don't say most a large percentage  of us live and unconscious expectation meaning expect that people are going to come into my business today because I know they are.

We expect somebody is going to answer my texts in milliseconds that I just sent them one. Or we expect that our partner should do a certain thing for me to be happy. We don't even know we have. These expectations are so subtle. Yeah, but if we if we if we hear ourselves, we like. Well, they should have done that.

I can't believe they did that. Those are all expectations. If you could hear yourself slip into an expectation which is going to lead you to disappointment, the fastest way out is to go, whoa whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute. If I said an intention, I will not be an expectation. And then we get about the business of what is my intention today to connect.

I can see that targets can work to do because I think we're all so set on, you know, that's my expectation. That's what I want. If I do this, this and that, I'll have this. But that's what you're saying. It doesn't work that way. Especially, you know, because you should understand what it is exactly and not have an expectation towards it.

Well, Jay, we don't even realize, I believe, how often we slip into them. And when I've had me right, they'll say, oh, no, I'm not an expectation. I'll say, well, have you walked in the house lately and been unhappy that your partner didn't do a certain thing you thought they should do? And they go, yeah, that's an expectation.

Like if you knew, if you pull into the driveway and think, my happiness is not based on whether my partner did that or not, then you ask, what's my intention before I walk in the door to connect, to stay authentic, to be open to all conversation? If something is right, we'll have a conversation. You're going to absolutely have deeper communication and deeper levels of connection.

If you're out of expectation, understanding and your intention.

Excellent. Yeah, there's there like a game changer in relationship when we have an intentional relationship. there are exercises in the book to learn how to, you know, do this type of thinking and not fall into expectation. Yes. When I'll tell people I if you could please remove from your vocabulary the word should just try for a while because.

Right, you should, I should. There's judgment and expectation in there. Just move it to could. I could have done better. You could speak to me a little. kinder, please. Can I ask my intent to ask you to please be kinder to me? Anything of the sort is better than a reaction from a disappointed expectation. Yeah, language is honorable if we honor it. But if we don't, we could chop it up and cause harm with our words in two seconds. So if we really give ourselves time to think, wait, what is my intention in talking to use it to connect and be loving? Or is it to react and tell you you're wrong? That's an expectation, not an intention.

Yeah. That says, I mean you always have to. I love the way you express it because, you know, the first go to is the expectation. And why she should have done that. Or I know if I was that person, I could have done this. You know, it's compare and despair all of that stuff. Yeah. All right. In your book, you describe intention as a transformative tool. What makes it so powerful compared to other soft development practices?

Brilliant. It's transformative because it transforms relationships, situations and your opportunity to create. Now, let me be clear I love all spiritual practices, right? Love them all. Now, when I meditate, it's equally as powerful when I said an intention. Yet my meditation is cultivating a consciousness of quietness to listen.

Correct. So nothing's wrong with that brilliance. I'm a huge practitioner of meditation intention is a statement that I am actively creating. So it's transformative because many practices cultivate the consciousness to create. Intention is the tool to activate creation. So my meditation is still activating my deep listening. So I'm inspired by spirit and really building a field of acceptance and receptivity brilliance. When I come out of meditation, if I know what is my intention today, I look, I have a full day at work instead of fear building up. Just. That means living my entire peaceful meditation, right? I look at that full day and go, what is my intention? To be connected? To become, to be clear and to absolutely create miracles and all that can be for me. Set that intention. It doesn't matter how busy my day is, I just set in motion. I'm transformed by what I just stated to the universe. Let's go. This is what we're creating today.

Yeah, yeah. Same thing. I mean that, yep. Go ahead there. It's fine because I love us virtual tools. I believe that we all get to have a spiritual tool bag.

And our opportunity as beings is to keep filling up that tool bag. And one person may like affirmations better. Another person may like prayer, someone else may like breathwork. Great. No? Which tool you use at any time. When you grab your intention, you are in the midst of co-creation. So do it consciously because you're about we're creating anyway.

If we say we're going, this is going to be a hard day. You create our day. Yeah. If you know, yeah, this is going to be a full day. My intention is to become clear, smooth, powerful. And to this day you still create.

Yeah. Yeah I love the whole idea of, you know, like intentions. You said your spiritual toolkit. And I'm a very big meditator. I even like to sit, okay, and try to empty my mind to the best of my ability and then go across the day with, you know, these types of intentions. Yeah. You know, years ago it was something else. And each time I learn more by speaking to people like yourselves and authors like yourselves, I get another little tool and little known little tool for that toolkit.

Yes, and that's why I'm open to it as well. And I think, yes, you need to be open  to. And me too. I'm just I'm exactly like you that I don't ever want to stop growing. I want to keep collecting tools and someone else to say, oh, I find peace when I practice this. I mean, oh my gosh, let me practice that so that we're all here to evolve together, too. And me too. I'm just I'm exactly like you that I don't ever want to stop growing. I want to keep collecting tools and someone else to say, oh, I find peace when I practice this. I mean, oh my gosh, let me practice that so that we're all here to evolve together, You know? And there's not one way to do it. It's that we each are beautiful, individualized spiritual beings. And when we start tuned into I have a spiritual toolbox right here, what activates mine with this situation? What activates yours with the aim that we're awakened beings to make conscious choices.

Cool, cool. How can people use intention to navigate difficult emotions, setbacks or challenges in life?

In every way possible. I agree. You pretty much explained a lot of it. Go ahead. I just, right before you, I have a wonderful integration call with hundreds of people, that have gone through at Rhythmia, there's in Costa Rica where I teach there. They've gone through the program and I have this integration call. And today somebody asked me, what do I do when fear and change is in front of me and I'm terrified?. And today somebody asked me, what do I do?

You know, when fear and change is in front of me and I'm terrified. And I said, and that's exactly where our intention must be, is that change is as you just asked me. Change is always in front of us. Fear is always, I want to say always can often be very close by we are living in a circumstance, a universal field, that each of us are going to bump into Stances that we don't know are happening. I didn't know my house was going to burn down and one day I was thriving. Business retreat center. The next day everything's gone. No place to live,

No clothes to wear. Nobody to take my client's circumstances. If I didn't have the tools that I practice every day, I'd still be in the ash right this second. So to me, I call it spiritual muscle.

We build spiritual muscle so that when circumstances come to us, we greet those circumstances with spiritual wisdom doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean I wasn't crying curses, doesn't mean I didn't feel lost. But in the midst of loss, I had a tool to know. Okay, I got to pray. Now I got to pray for a place to live.

Divine solution. Strength. What's my intention? I got to find my intention. What is my where is where am I going to meditate? I need to find places on the earth to be still like those tools. Without them, we stay stuck. If we do not activate our spiritual toolbox in times of change, then change takes us down. Which is why I love what I teach, because I know the opportunity for people to live awake when they're activating their spiritual tools.

You know, there's I must tell you this, there is no mistake that the fire that took my house was six years ago. Now I'm still in the middle of the mountains, just rebuilt to almost six years to get back in my home. And now the second this fire just came in, many of my friends and neighbors lost theirs in this last fire.

I get to assist them to know these tools that I used. I absolutely going to assist you to use because they carried me through because it's dark, it's scary. It's unknown. Everything's falling underneath our feet. And that's exactly when we must lean into those we love and care about and help us. So I'm going to walk you through this just as I had people say, I'm going to walk you through this.

Yeah, yeah. So, things happen for a reason in life. I'm so grateful that you have these tools that helped you get through that because, you know that's unfathomable to me that that losing everything like that. Yeah. Now you're helping others reach. Yes. They're homes in lives bringing them back together again. And I think as I said, you know, you never know why things happen.

Yes. And God knows how many people you're going to be helping with their situation. Thank goodness. All right. You write about aligning with a greater universe energy through intention. Can you explain how that connection works?

So one of my core intentions is always to be listening to Source God, higher Power, whatever we want to call it. So I'm clearly aware that each and every one of us are connected. As I mentioned earlier to this, no one's lived out on this planet. All of us spiritual beings connected, we all have a choice, whether we're listening or not, to that connection. So our my intention to be present, to presents keeps the door open within me to activate the technology. I know I came in within this body temple and I know you did. And I am aware that we could live a lifetime in a human existence and not access the power we have within us. My intention is to assist people, humanity, the world, to access their power. Not mine, not yours, their own power. Now that power of oneness, not a power to harm anyone else, a power of oneness which is really spiritual truth, spiritual beings.

We make spiritually conscious decisions that we're all connected to, source into each other. And if we remember that we're not going to harm each other because we remember we're connected to each other. So that alignment is a wake up call. I want to remember always, my intention is to allow the presence to guide me, to be so present to the presence that my listening is activated in every choice and every decision I make.

Does that make sense? It does, it does. And I love that. Well, I feel a lot of your intention is getting up each day in how you can improve other people's lives. You know what I'm saying? Through the things that you do, the things you talk about, the books that you write. And I think when you sort of take care of other people, I mean, we always have to take care of ourselves. We get so much more back in return. I know I found that will help others.

It's an honor, isn't it? It is it's an honor. Like if and I say this when I'm teaching, sometimes people come up to me afterwards and go, oh my God, you changed my life. And I look and go, wait, wait, wait. It's an honor that you allow me, right? And that's what made you choose to be with you.

Because I'm not like, we're each reflecting back. My prayer is that we each create safety to reflect back your magnificence, that you create safety to reflect mine. Like that's an honor to know that we're not living in judgment, that we could hold space for someone to know.

Yes, I could assist you with the tools. I feel that I've really cultivated deeply because they're important to me. But you're the one that's activating them. I can't do it for you. But it's an honor. If you allow me to walk with you and help you go. Wait. Let's try this way. Let's do that. Wait, wait, wait. what do you, what did, what was that?

And people who work with me ongoing, they know at a certain point, if I hear certain words, I'm like, whoa, whoa, hold on, hold on. We gotta get under that because there is something, right? There's a resentment under there. We gotta clean up, and we gotta get back to really knowing. What is your intention Truly? But that's it's. Yeah, I, I'm honored to the people let me in.

That's. God bless you. God bless you. how does the technology of intention differ from other books or approaches to manifesting and goal setting?

So My belief is I believe it's a really clear, laid out path. The acknowledging intention is because intention.

If you follow those three portals and write them in the present positive in qualities, it's clear that this is my path to co-create with spirit. Unlimited. Power unlimited. There's nothing too big for spirit to create, sometimes with a goal. As I mentioned earlier, we kind of think, well, I'll ask for that. That's my goal because I think I could do that. Whereas intentions like I'm aiming for the qualities, so I'm not limited. It could be that and so much more. Right? So when I said to the universe spirit, my intention to call for the home that has this, this qualities, all the qualities are in here. But it was the designer that moved the roof. So I'll make it look like the cathedral that I when I didn't. What was that? And he said, you said you like a magic and your spiritual teacher we need you to have. And I went. I wouldn't have thought of that. You see what I'm saying? Yeah, so it's more unlimited. It's clear and open intentions keep. It's clear aim. But I'm open to the miraculous. Walking in the door.

Yeah. I mean, I love that whole idea about, you know, don't limit yourself with the intentions. There is no limit. I contract as much in as I can and more instead. Yes, having this idea of this is what I have to have or I need to get what I want, know, be open and have the intention and understand what the intention is and what will be will be. I love that, yes, that explanation of that. Cool, cool. What role does gratitude play in harnessing the power of intention?

Gratitude is, I want to say everything is prejudiced. The foundational piece of life, right, is that gratitude creates the vibration of appreciation which tracks fulfilled intention. So when we're grateful, our attention and energy is on what we appreciate. So that magnifies wherever our intention is, going to grow. So when we are looking at things to I'm grateful it's sunny outside today. I'm grateful for my cozy chair. I'm grateful for the softness in my dog's ears. I'm grateful for the roses I just planted. It could be that. Then right there, the vibration of love appreciation starts to expand. Well that expands. We're more in alignment to be a receiver of what we're asking for. Because what if we didn't see things that we're working, that we're grateful for? Then we we're a little constricted and limited. So then we're going, well, I don't know if I could really fulfill that intention, but gratitude is a foundational piece of I'd live a grateful life because I have one.

Yeah, right. So it attracts more good if we could all catch where your energy is, that's going to grow. So we'll build our energy on what we're grateful for. You know, New Year's. I'll tell you this. I ask everyone in my life because I ask everyone to write a gratitude journal, acknowledgment journal. But on New Year's, I say new Year's Day. Please write at least 100 things you're grateful for. And I used to have people say to me, Kim, that is so many. Now I have people send me like they've been doing it for years. They're like, I'm 120. I'm going to just keep going. Because what if we start every New Year's Day with not what do I have to get this year?

But I'm going to look at everything. I am so grateful for what I already have. Yeah, yeah. Fantastic. Yes. Great question. For those new to the concept of intention, what practical steps can they take to start using it effectively in their own daily lives?

They start asking themselves every day, what's my intention as I start this day? So the first is, as I said, I ask everyone that question. Ask yourself, what's my intention today? What's my intention before I walk into this meeting? What's my intention before I get on the zoom call? So first is bring your attention to your intention.

Now, my, I'm sorry, I've just flashed my teacher, Michael Beckwith, who I've had the joy. He wrote the forward in my book, and he said it beautifully in the foreword. He said, in our society right now, we have an intention deficit disorder because our attention is not on our intention. But if we daily start asking, what's my intention everywhere? What's my intention as I cook this meal for my family? What's my intention is I go to my child's event today because guess what? If we don't ask it, we can walk into our child's event worried about the call I didn't make, but oh, I'm going to be late.

We're not present. Just that question gets us present. So first ask a question. If someone thinks about it and goes, well, my intention is to be present and to complete all the tasks at hand today with each write it down, post it somewhere. So all day long, you know. Oh yeah, that's my intention. Now third thing is, and these are just a few tips, is then start listening to the inner guidance system.

Because if you write down that intention, Spirit's going to be working with you from that moment onward to guide you. Whether it is take a breath right here, get this test and move in this direction. Let go of that one. You'll have an inner guidance system guiding that intention to be fulfilled. So ask the question, write your intention and then move into inspired action, where spirit is guiding you every step of the way and that may seem like a lot to people.

Just take a step at a step. Doesn't seem like a lot to me. I think that's perfect and even one that I love. I love the idea that I write like it's sort of like for me, I'll, it'll be a to do list. I'll do lists. Now I can say what is my intention for this part of it, that part of it and that part that's where it was just a to do list to get through. I'm going to look at it differently tomorrow. My to do list. You know, I really am. All right. How does intention affect relationships whether with others or with oneself?

Wow. It affects every relationship because it brings us conscious in the relationships. So say with ourselves, if we catch our own expectations of ourselves, if we're here, I should have done this. I'm not very good at that right there. Those things keep us stuck right? So if we can catch it and interrupt and go, whoa, whoa that was judgmental. And ask the question, what's my intention? My intention is to be loving with myself today. My intention is to be gentle as I learn this new activity today. So the intention if we can interrupt the judgment, the intention gets us back to the core of being kind to ourselves again.

Okay. In relationship, intention is everything. When I have couples in front of me, I do not start any session with that saying, what is your intention in this, in this meeting? What is your intention in this meeting? Because when they get clear, one could be my intention is to be heard. Another one can be my intention is to get clarity in what we were talking about last night were right there.

They got off of my intention to say, you need to listen to me, because that's not an intention. That's an expectation. Right. So you see the it cleans it up so that relationships have an harmonious place to begin. Doesn't mean they're all perfect. But if we follow the intention to connect, to be loving, to be kind, to be clear, authentic, honest of integrity, all those shift every relationship brand.

If someone parent is having trouble with their child and they're walking in the room and they know they're mad at them, I ask them, take a deep breath. Get yourself centered. Set an intention. My intention is to connect with my child, to open the door, to have safe conversation right there leads you down a different path. And walking in.

I'm here. Coming in here to tell you what you did wrong. Different leads, Completely different mindset. Completely. What is healing? What is attacking? It's like, why do we choose right? And I think most people in without the knowledge that you're providing go in with that attitude. So it needs to be explained taught. Yes. That's why we have you.

That's my intention. All right. Let me ask you this. Can you share a story or an example of someone whose life was transformed by implementing the principles in your book? Do you have anybody specific in mind thousands? I have thousands and millions of stories. They're so good. So businesses transforms, you know, people calling me later and I didn't realize my whole life would change. Right.

Everything Jay I could spend, we could sit and have coffee, lunch, breakfast, lunch, dinner for weeks to explain the different stories. Well jay, there's so many bubbling up right now. A business is double triple and financial  I have I have clients that I love this that have called me and said, Kim, I want I want a relationship desperately.

And I've been dating. It's not working. And then we'd refine the intention based on qualities, not on when, where and how, you know. And that's not an intention. That's control. Right. So when they base it on qualities of loving, partnership, harmony, balance, and then all of a sudden they'd still show up and oh, it's not that one, it's not that one.

And then the next, you know, she calls me and says, you know, I can't believe this. I met the most amazing guy, not where I thought I would. And he and she wanted kids. He has kids and oh my God, we're madly in love. And then the next call, Kim, we're getting married. I've heard I'm like, because she kept the intention.

Yeah. And now she works that intention. She didn't give up. So it wasn't like a miracle pill, right? It was often, often I need to mention this. Very often we set an intention and then things opposing that that have to be healed within us come rising to the surface to gain that intention.

So in other words, if somebody says, I want a loving, kind relationship, okay, right. And then something comes up that they have a relationship in their lives that doesn't feel loving and kind, but maybe there's something within them that they have to heal, either that they get more communicative of what they accept in their lives as loving and kind, or whether they have to clean up any past belief systems that they're not worthy to receive a loving, kind. Things come up to be healed for that intention to be fulfilled. And so sometimes when that happens, we must stay the course and keep checking in. My intention is this is there anything is being, that. You may have to say it a lot for a while  you might until you understand it and get it Anything that doesn't match it.

As get things to come up that sort of set you on a different trail, but you need to bring it back. Am I correct?

Yes. Because what if someone asks for this line coming relationship. But up until that moment they've accepted verbal abuse. Say they have. And all of a sudden now what they want a loving, kind relationship, somebody, they're like, no, that's not what I want. Well, maybe they get to hear within them to say that is not okay.

Yeah. So please don't. If you're going to interact with me, please find another way to do it, because that there may be a muscle that has to grow in them to see them saying, yes, yes, yes, I do it. Stay the course and keep

reviewing. Is there something in me to grow for this intention to be fulfilled?

So I have to tell you this please, when I was a, you know, standing on rubble and thinking, oh my gosh, the automatic human existence is how am I going to get through this. How it's one thing I ask people to put the hell out side because that's Spirit's job, not mine. But it's a natural human. I could have said, how am I going to do this? This is too much for me, right? I knew from my practice to ask question, what's my intention? What's my growing edge spirit? What am I to grow? I heard spirits say, you got to grow in flexibility, grow. And at the time, crying in the rubble, I went, you got to be kidding. I'm so flexible. And I got to grow in flexibility.

But I know my relationship to listening to that small voice inside that I went, okay, so I'm taking that on my intention. I needed a home, but what I took on was my intention is to stay flexible and fluid, and in faith is I call forth a home that is, if the vibration for my children and I have a warm, cozy place to live again.

But I took on the qualities of flexibility, fluidity and faith. Do you see that? I do, I do. A year later, Jay, I looked back. I had moved seven times in that one year. I had not one year shifted offices four times, received clothes from people I never even knew was wearing clothes from people I never even knew. If I had not been flexible,

I couldn't have fulfilled the intention. Do you see that? Yep. So I had to grow for that intention to be fulfilled. If I would have just not grown. That's what I'm talking about. We have to grow with the intention.

Yeah. If you just sat there and said for me, and how am I going to get through this and that, you know, with the intention at least a day at a time, different things presented themselves, I'm sure.

Yes. How you got through a day at a time. That's just wonderful. In the book, you speak about co-creating with the universe. What does co-creating mean and how can people embrace this idea?

Co-creating is creating with spirit, so we create the spirit. So instead of a I got this attitude, I can do it, I can do it. It's like we can because I'm working with an unlimited presence.

Whether that person wants to call it God, spirit, universe, source, Universal presence, higher power, it's unlimited. So co-creation is I'm leaning into the unlimited source, cultivating the relationship within myself and source higher power. So that is your place of co-creation. It moves from I got this to okay spirit. We got this. I'm not doing this alone because I'm this human spiritual being, having human experience with an unlimited.

Yeah, yeah, I'm grateful for that too, because I try I used to be the you know, I got to do all this on my own. I'm a manly man. And now I don't, you know, I don't want to. I give it up right away. I give it right off immediately. It’s great. And it's like a you sleep more than you like you could . Much more, much more. And the whole idea of not having to, to do it myself is trusting and believing.

And as you say, the spirit. You know, when I have that God I call it is it helps me I depend on that, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Me too.

What are the most common obstacles people face when working with intention, and how can they overcome them? I would imagine negative thinking, but you tell me.

Right. Yeah. I say the most common one is they just don't start practicing. So in other words, I've. I'm aware that professional athletes always practice. They never stop practicing. They tune and body practice life. And very often people say to me, I am busy. I do not have time to write an intention and go meditate. And I look at them and go, do you brush your teeth? Do you take a shower? Because if you do, then you know, like, what are you cultivating? Is your life worthy of having a 15 minute meditation? If you can't do an hour of having a 3o second intention or gratitude, this will take you one minute. So really, Jay, what I've noticed  the, part where people stumble and so they're good at it is the consistency of practice

And when I have a quote in my book, it says, you practice your practice until your life is your practice when you know. So that means first the first week much someone may go, oh, shoot, Kim, I was doing good. And then I moved to change careers and I forgot I I've stopped doing my practices and I say so targeted, right.

Just begin again. So it's really it's just the consistency of practice. And so pretty soon it's the norm now. Yeah. Yeah. I remember years ago I was in AA and they said fake it to you. Make it like, you know, tell you practice, practice. And then the even as they used to say, the truth and, and you don't go to a meeting when you feel like it, you just go, right.

Right, right. Exactly. So. Right. And to you go to learn to live that way of life, to understand it. So if you don't go, like you said, you sort of get lost and you don't, you know, my, my first thing I do every morning is I pray and meditate and that's. And you said it. It's like just like brushing your teeth, washing your face.

What other things do you do? You start your day. Yeah. And that's it. Because you could be someone could be brushing their teeth and thinking, I'm so grateful for this. I could look at I am so grateful for that tree. We could be doing it in the midst of lights as well as, oh, and I've got 30 minutes.

I could sit, you know, I've got five books behind me right here that every day, every day my practice a meditation prayer, reading out of each one of those books, setting my intentions before I ever begin my day. To some people, they're like, Kim, that must take hours. No, it doesn't really. But it's I can with the daily reader, can do it all in 25 minutes. It’s so important because that's the foundation of everything else for the rest of the day, to like you, once you start down that train, it's what foundation do you start now instead of having a cup of coffee, can we sit for five extra minutes or instead of, you know, it's just we get to get creative. So I could put your podcast on while they're, you know, going down the road. They can listen to my, an audio version of my book while they're driving to work. That's a practice. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And that's something you can do that's good for yourself instead of some of these things that we don't do that are good. You practice this, practice these principles, have all our affairs. All right. I have one more question for you. If you could leave listeners with one actionable piece of advice to start living with intention today, what would the person say? I might be the other one was, wait a minute is I want you to post. What is your intention? Start asking the question. You know it would be that. What is your intention? So my I have two children. They're in their 20s. From the second they got out of the car at preschool until college. So they moved out every single day of their lives. That was what I asked them before they got out of the car. They're getting out of their car in second grade, fifth grade, 10th grade was hey, what's your intention today? Not that I wanted to tell them what their intention was.

I wanted them to remember. You're creating your life. So get present to what you wish to create today. So really, the actionable item is begin to get alerts that you are a co-creator and ask yourself, what's my intention today? And activate that again. Again, I'll bet you they're wonderful practitioners of this, if you I mean, because you just instilled it in them, you instill which is what you need to do. You know, I'm a slow learner. I gotta be told in practice each and every day. And when they stumble or when I stumble, we lean into each other and go, oh, I forgot that. That just hold me while I remember again. And then we again. You know this together. There's not a race to it. It's a consistency of self-love which leads to love of everyone else.

We say consistent. Loving. Oh, great. Great I love it, I love it. I just really enjoyed this whole podcast talking to you. I got enlightened, it was things that I really needed to hear and know. Especially I told you a little something earlier that happened to us. So yeah, yeah, this was very good for me. Thank you, thank you.

With that, we will wrap up this episode of choices podcast. I hope our time together was inspiring and motivating. Stay empowered, stay well, always ask yourself, what's my intention? yes. You can watch this episode on all episodes on our website at choices gifts.com. Peace and blessings and we'll see you in a week or two from now. Thank you so much!