Hello and welcome to Day Four of your Thrive in 2025 Adventure! 

This is the holy grail. 

Below is a short video to say hello and explain why today's theme of an attitude of gratitude is so important.  

“It’s not about ‘what can I accomplish?’ but ‘what do I want to accomplish? Paradigm shift.”

Brené Brown.

Day 4 - Intention 

Today’s theme is the holt grail. This is the golden egg. The holy grail. This is the difference between living on default, and living with awareness and direction. This is the difference between your wired brain running amok, and you being proactive about what it means to thrive in this pressure cooker time when we were told we could have it all, but often just feel we are doing it all.  This is all about being in charge of the GPS on your adventure of life.

Today is all about intention.

Intention is where you set the tone, where you get to choose between reacting and responding.   Where you get in front on your energy, in front of the demands and lead from a place of strength rather than be dragged along from a place of reaction and depletion.

It’s about connecting to self and living with awareness, curiosity and intention.

In default mode, you are led by your primal brain, outdated survival modes, unconscious reactions. You think your are conscious.. you are having thoughts and taking actions, but actually it is your unconscious brain flying the plane.  And I hate to tell you, but that pilot is not in full possession of their senses!

With intention, you live by your values, towards your goals and the way you want your life to feel, you get to choose and respond in a way that ultimately is in your best interest. You get to fly the plane using your own GPS, therefore constantly course correcting, adapting the route, deciding new ways to behave that bring about what you need and want in life. That is how we thrive. 

Default mode - reactive

Intentional mode - responsive.

Here’s what we sometimes get wrong.

We think the goal in life is to be happy 100% of the time. If we aren’t then there’s something wrong, or we have somehow failed.

But that’s not the goal in life.  The goal in life is not to be happy 100% of the time; the goal in life is to be able to survive and thrive through a wide range of experiences and emotions and stay connected to yourself. 

You can’t control everything that will happen, so no matter how amazing your life looks on paper, there will inevitably be hard times, loss, challenges, growing pains, disappointment, frustrations.  The key to happiness in the broader sense and thriving as a person is understanding you have agency even during those times: checking in with how you are each day and then deciding what you need to manage it the way you need.

Setting your intention each day is NOT a To-Do list. It is not a New Year Resolution. It is a daily revolution that will change your year. It is a way for you to decide how you want or need to act or feel. It allows you to then use that intention to make choices. Rather than be hijacked by the day, you get to choose how you want to behave and feel. The more you realise you have this power, the more empowered you become!

It can be one word, it can be a mantra, it can be a manifesto or a woman warrior cry!   It is the simply switching off default mode, and switching on your own GPS and deciding how to direct your energy, filter your brain towards and be responsive to your needs rather than reactive to all the external.

Thought for the day: How do you need today to play out?  Check back on your mood and then give yourself a direction for the day. Need to bring high energy to something?… set that intention. Need to go easy on yourself while you get things done?… set that intention.  Desire a day where you don’t get side-swiped into a bad mood?  Set the intention to invest in your mood and let waves of emotion go and reset yourself. 

Task: Continue with growing your glimmer list and then being intentional about having more of them. Continue with the gratitude practise and list 3 things you are grateful for today / in general / about yourself.

Keep building awareness around your slicks, and how you can apply it to an ick.

Now set your intention for today. This can be a word, a phrase, a mantra, a prayer. Or simply a direction for the day - go gently, prioritise lightness, focus, be energised, strive for peace.. whatever you choose... the point is, YOU choose.