If you've had people around you all your life as I have, who encourage you to be your best self, then you have surely heard the word intentionally used frequently. My mother always told us to be intentional each morning because it would set the day for us. Thats why you begin by thanking God that you woke up, then ask for protection and guidance throughout the day. What I didnt grasp until later as a young adult is that each morning when we awake and rise, we have an opportunity to create our day with what inspires us the most by establishing our intention or desired outcome.
Knowing that the moment during the day when we very first open our eyes and come into consciousness is a precious opportunity can change your life trajectory. What you do in the seconds after waking is critical. I recall as a child that I would always stay in bed and say the Lords Prayer before my feet touched the ground. This became a practice that I still do. It always made me feel in touch with God and protected. I felt covered. As I grew older, I began to ask God for specific things, from guidance to what you do in that specific moment to an A on a test or in a course.
Finally, as an adult, my asks grew and were ever so more specific, like, I want to land such and such position, or help me to forgive A.D. for his disrespect of me, etc. I ask for specific things, from guidance to seeking clarity about a conundrum I was facing. In that specific moment, our choice of what we do immediately after our waking hour sets the tone for all that comes after it, just like the opening scene in a film or novel. At this moment, our ability to create the day is at its most powerful, and we can offer ourselves fully to the creative process by filling this moment with whatever inspires us most. It may be that we want to be more generous, or it may be that we want to be more open to beauty in our daily lives. Maybe its just a prayer to get guidance for your marriage or a friendship. Whatever the case, if we bring the vision of possibility like anything is possible- that plants a vision into our minds at that very fertile moment. We empower it to be the guiding principle of our day.
You've awakened in a mood already seemingly in place; we all have, and its important to give that feeling what it demands. The time you take to face it can inform us and deepen our awareness, providing insight into what's occurring within, as well as around us. Dont take the power of choice for granted. As long as we are conscious, we can honor that feeling and also introduce a new perspective as an affirmation or vision to our conscious offering to the day. This is us taking responsibility for our lives, not leaving it to chance. The same goes for how we go to bed. Are you going to take that anger with you? You may want to decide before we go to sleep what we want to bring to the next day of our lives. That is what intentionality looks like when you accept responsibility for your life. Will you choose to determine how your life will flow?
Everything isnt always going to be perfect, but how you address it and deal with the confrontations you face will make all the difference in the world as to whether youre managing your life or allowing random instances and circumstances to impact your day, week, month, year or lifetime! It could be that we simply want to be more open to whatever comes our way. Or we may want to summon a particular quality such as confidence. Or, we may simply summon a feeling or emotion that perfectly captures the texture we want our day or special moment to have. And look if you lost it for a moment and allowed the energy to manage you instead of you managing it, you can reaffirm your vision or affirmation as you shower as a cleansing ritual, ridding you of the bad or negative energy.
This lack of energy management can make your breakfast turn on you, and suddenly you feel nauseous, as well as recalling it at various times throughout the day. So, what is the outcome you want? You can write it down and carry it with you on a little slip of paper or in your cell phone to refer to throughout the day. If this helps, do it. Dont downplay awareness, which is a form of sensitivity. Simply being aware of those first moments is critical, because we set the stage for a more conscious, enlivened experience, and we become active participants in the creation of our lives. Rather than being reactionary. Be your self-empowered source, like the sun is to all life. Know that we are all connected every living thing. And you always have a choice in the matter.
Visionary Kai EL´ Zabar has worked as CEO of arts organizations and as editor, writer and multimedia consultant accumulating a significant number of years in experience as an executive, journalist,publisher, public relations, media training, marketing, internal and external communications. Kai currently continues her life’s work as Editor-in-Chief Of Chicago News Weekly where she has resumed her column, “E NOTES.” She is ecstatic to be in the position to grace Chicago and the world with a publication that articulates the Black voice.