“You see, it’s all about intent,” said the Mushroom man.
I may have dreamed this conversation. Maybe it was a podcast. Point is, he was a guy that did a lot of mushrooms, and he was giving advice on life.
“You only get something out of it, if you come into it with intent.” Intent to answer a question, explore an idea, dig deeper into himself. A specific intent that he set before setting sail, and it acted as the guiding star.
Then when he was sober, something unusual happened. He went on vacation with his wife. (That wasn’t the unusual part) For the first time in years, they managed a vacation without a fight. Vacations can be a surprisingly stressful time for relationships, and our psychonaut protagonist tried a trick from his psychedelic arsenal: he set intent before his vacation.
The intent was to have a restful trip. That was it. A re-frame, a focus that he and his wife agreed on. With that, the bickering and airport arguments became unnecessary, they got in the way of the intent of the trip. “Will this make sure a restful trip?” Asked the Mushroom Man?
With the wise words of the mushroom man, a new challenge was born.
If intent really is a powerful focus tool, good enough to save a vacation or drive a meaningful trip, why can’t it help create a more meaningful life? What if we started our week with intent?
Every Sunday night, just before bed, sit down and think or meditate or write about our intent for the week. “This week I intend to listen.” Or, “this week, I intend to stay calm.” Or something specific like, “this week I intend to apply to 4 jobs.”
Would that intent act as a frame for a better week? And would the cumulative effect of these well-intentioned weeks build up to a better life?
I’m on week two of the challenge, and it’s been effective and rewarding. Thank you, Mushroom Man.
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