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  • Written by Eric North aka “The Happiness Warrior”


Intention is the most powerful force in the Universe and when properly applied can propel your life in directions you never imagined possible.

"Intention is not something you do, but something you connect to. When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. A truly scientific fact." – Dr. Wayne Dyer

I believe that all humans have innate and often unseen superpowers that are universal for everyone. The degree and scope of our powers may be different but there’s always something great within in each of us just waiting to be discovered. 

We may spend a lifetime never finding or attempting to discover these gifts much to our regret and unhappiness. When we give ourselves permission to be happy and look deep within our conscious thoughts and aspirations we can begin to find out how incredible we really are. We can create the lives we’ve only ever dreamed about. We can live in the power that comes when we live in our intention. We can live each day in a state of self-awareness and clarity when we know we’re doing our best and manifesting our dreams through our mindset.

As The Happiness Warrior, I believe that all humans have the right to be happy and it’s my mission in life to keep this intention going forward. This provides me with a worthy purpose and expands my capacity to share my empathy and understanding. It creates connection and opens my mind to learning and acquiring wisdom. It helps me to inspire trust and sharing our connection. Intention is our superpower to create the life we’ve always wanted.

The innate power of intention is always there within our reach. It’s the guiding force that creates our journey while keeping us aligned with our purpose and values. It’s a superpower that’s always hidden beneath the surface for all of us waiting to be discovered. It’s a life changing force that activates when we connect with our authentic selves. Intention is true self-identification. It’s the essence of who we are as humans. Why is it so hard for so many of us to experience this amazing connection?

Almost two decades ago I left a long and very abusive relationship. There was sometimes love and some sort of bond, but there was always an underlying simmering feeling of violence and ego-driven destruction. As the years went by I felt more broken and lost. I continued to retreat into myself. The future was something I feared to understand, and each day was a triumph of survival. My life was tenuous and very dark at times. I knew that I needed to do something. I had lost the connection with my spirit, happiness, and intention.

After a great deal of struggle and self-awareness, I found my way out and began life again on my own. Solitude and reflection recreated my reinvention.

Through the kindness of a friend, I moved to a houseboat on an isolated part of the Chesapeake Bay. My once visually glamorous life and too fast life was barely a memory. Cargo shorts and Walmart became my reality.

My solitude filled me with both loneliness and joy. I found strength in the glorious sunsets and sunrises from the decks of my floating home. I began to take care of my body and mind once again. I began to experience moments of peace and happiness that I had almost forgotten.

This brought me a pure feeling of happiness that comes from within. It restored my faith in myself. Self-forgiveness is a beautiful feeling. I began to reinvent my purpose.

The enforced slower pace of life had changed me, and I had changed with it. In the quiet of my days and gentle rocking of the boat at night I found myself and began to see my life clearly again. I learned to become happy once again and share my intention with others. The light had entered my spirit once again and I began to focus on the gift of my rediscovered gifts. The universe is always there when we need guidance. That summer, I read Your Erroneous Zones by Dr. Wayne Dyer and felt a newfound sense of connection and understanding.

The lessons I learned that year were the turning point in my reinvention. I experienced a sense of clarity and felt a surge of power and inspiration. I began to listen to the wisdom of the universe and trusted it to guide me. Life became better beyond my imagination. I yearned to help others find their way. Intention had changed my purpose and set me free. I knew in my heart that I could do anything. I had gratitude beyond measure for making it through the fire of my life.

INTENTION IS ENERGY

The most common feeling when we learn to unharness our intention is a sense of energy, almost as if our brain is sparking. This is a chemical reaction that is caused when we are in alignment with our true purpose. It’s purely intention at its essence and meaning. Intention is the root of everything.

 AVOID THE DEFAULT BUTTON

It’s easy to feel disconnected and alone in our chaotic, confusing, and rapidly changing world. Almost before we know we can feel ourselves drifting and separated. We can feel untethered and lose touch with our true selves. We can forever be searching without intention and purpose. We see this in so many of the lives around us. It’s time to change the dialogue and rewrite our stories. It’s time to believe in our right to be happy again.

There’s a default life for all of us. A story that is written by others for us to live our lives. We are praised for being compliant and submissive, and rarely encouraged to be ourselves.

A safe life is never as safe as we can imagine. The safe path is always lined with heartbreak and meaningless frustration. Try as we might, we can never hide from our truth and authenticity.

There’s another way and it can start very small. Test the waters by giving yourself permission. Ask yourself to let go of your ego and be honest with your answers. Look deep and trust yourself. Who do we really want the world to see when we finally reveal our truths? Listen to your inner voice and gain the wisdom that comes from your intuition.

WE ALL HAVE SUPERPOWERS

It’s often hard for most of us to be able to take a deep look inside ourselves with self-awareness and clarity, but it’s the most empowering and life-affirming act that we can make. It can be difficult and cause us some emotional pain and bring back long suppressed memories of failures, simmering hurts, and lingering shame. It’s cathartic and helps clear unnecessary suffering from our brains. It’s the start to becoming the authentic version of ourselves and developing greater feelings of happiness and contentment. It’s when we discover the best of ourselves and unleash our strongest powers and intentions.

Self-awareness is just the beginning of living a magical life that’s filled with intention.

FIND INTENTION ANYWHERE

Much like happiness, intention comes from within. We can use these easy steps to guide and help us find it:

1.       Finding pure awareness is the first step in harnessing intention. It takes self-discipline but we can soon learn to find clarity in our thinking when we can silence the noisy hubris of the world around us. We can stop destroying our spirit with self-created negative thoughts and emotions.

2.       Releasing intention starts as soon as we clear our consciousness of self-created doubts and fears. It’s the start of a new beginning and the path to a life where our dreams come true. This is a moment when the universe's energy is truly shining. It’s a feeling of great power and true happiness.

3.       Everything we need to know is found within ourselves. Our purpose is always there even if we haven’t felt it. All that matters is that we live in the present and think in the now. Know that the future we so fear and wish for can be serendipitous beyond our imagination.

4.       The beauty of intention is found in its detachment from the outcome. What we fear most in life will never happen and what we dream of is often divergent from our truths. Intention is the guide that will bring us to our most authentic destination. Intention lets us believe in ourselves!

5.       Trust in the universe is easy to say and not always easy for most of us to follow. When we focus on being truthful, intention is the way to fulfill our desires and find contentment.

Every human has the power of intention from the moment we are born. We all want to live and thrive and soon learn the powers that come from knowing our truths. Intention is the way to solve life’s great mysteries. When we know we are and believe in ourselves we will always be happier.

Intention is the way to create our best lives. Take a moment now and be proud that you care about your life. Dream big and be true to yourself. Intention is everything we need to get there!

Eric North The Happiness Warrior

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