The Intentional Practice of Imaginary Emails

The Naysayers

Some people think that the practice of setting positive intentions is nothing but a big hoax. Something that the Happy Police are greedily cashing in on by taking advantage of others’ gullibility and unhappy lifestyle choices.

I remember being at a family reunion and my niece was just ripping people for “believing” in the power of positive thinking. Her outspoken and all-knowing diatribe reminded me of the type of person who would meanly heckle a sweating stand-up comedian’s first time on the stage, just because she could. Not good karma, just saying.

She couldn’t say enough about how foolish anyone was for engaging in such an idiotic behavior. I wanted to say, “Okay, Sadie. Tell us how you really feel” but I withheld any commentary. She then went on to make fun of “all those looney weirdos that read The Secret” and waved her hands in the air, trying to imitate the notion of cosmic “woo woo.”

She awaited a vote of assent once she was done expelling her opinion on the topic. My sisters (her aunties), being of similar mindset as me when it comes to metaphysical interests and beliefs, were relatively silent in response, murmuring that everyone is on a different journey. It wasn’t until someone bumped the jigsaw puzzle table, upsetting some border pieces, that we broke the silence with some sibling-style razzing about the offender being such a klutz. We moved on to safer topics after that: who had seen Auntie Anne in the hospital and who had gone through with microblading her eyebrows.

Sadie’s behavior seemed to be a bit over the top to me. I wouldn’t go so far as to say absurd, but she did seem to be entirely too young to be such a negative naysayer about a practice that has helped many people overcome black thoughts and a habit of negativity. I wanted to say to Sadie that if she just tried it out for herself, she might actually receive a harbinger of happiness or joy or serenity in her life. It was worth a try.

But no. Proselytizing of any kind, when mixed with a few open bottles of wine and a jigsaw puzzle, is sure to only create hard feelings and maybe even sever relationships. There are three things I will not talk about in a family setting: sex, religion, and politics. When I see any of these topics swinging toward me, it is time to go refill my wine glass or do some dishes in the kitchen. Call me a pacifist, a wimp, or a dodger, but no thanks. I leave these topics for those who can assure the rest of us that they are absolutely in the know. I nod, smile, and leave it at that.

The Hopeful Maybe Intenders

Others of a more moderate persuasion look at setting positive intentions as a way to trick your feelings into believing something fantastic has already happened. They are not entirely sure about the validity of the practice of the intending, but they really want to believe that you can “think” good stuff into your life. Their “want to believe” certainly does not disqualify any intending. After all, who am I to decide? The Queen of the Universe? Still, they themselves say that they aren’t quite sure. They want to try some intending out, and they hope that they will be pleasantly rewarded. I admire their adventurous spirit and willingness to try something new.

They tend to think of it more as luck or chance or as a combination of prayer, magic, and coincidence. I guess the best way to put it is the chicken-or-the-egg debate: is it a matter of destiny over fate: your personal choices over the wildly generous cosmos? Maybe that good thing at work would have happened anyway. Maybe I would have found that $20 bill on the sidewalk without intending. Maybe I would have been chosen to play solo because I played and practiced so much.

Again, I don't know. I dearly wish I could ask Albert Einstein myself.

Surely, the Maybe Intenders’ maybes are equally valid and powerful and heroic. I think it is very possible. And then, I don’t know; we are dealing with quantum physics here. I respect the Maybe Intenders’ hopefulness. I’d rather see someone investing in her life as an optimist over a pessimist. And I’d rather witness behavior reflecting a happy belief over a sour certainty.

The Knowing Believers

And still others just believe. They just know. They have empirical evidence based on their experiences that positive intending is a real thing. That intentions are manifested in curious ways – ways that defy logic or reason. Good stuff lines up and just happens and there is no explanation.

The good stuff arrives as gifts. Surprises. Blessings. It is called kismet, serendipity, coincidence, gifts from the Universe. Knowing Believers encounter those unexpected you wouldn’t believe what just happened! moments that fill them with warm fuzzies and that give them pause to raise their eyes toward the stars while whispering thank you thank you.

I happen to fall in this category.

A New Way to Practice

I have recently redefined my daily practice of positive intending in a new way. This idea occurred to me when I checked my email and saw a message from Vocal.

I scanned the message and two words popped out at me: challenge and entered! I’m not sure how my brain made such a vast leap, but my mind translated the words from this message into me, yes me!!, winning a challenge.

I felt jubilant. I jumped up and down. I yelled, “Yes!” as loudly as I could. The dog started to bark as I fist pumped the air. I was a winner!

I then went back to reading the message to find out when the prize money would be added to my wallet, only to discover that my story had only been accepted to the challenge – not declared a winner.

“Oh.”

That’s exactly what I said. If one little word contained the power to burst a bubble of bliss, it would have been my “Oh.” I recalibrated and I dialed back my “Yes!” to “Well, okay, this is good. I am glad that my story was accepted. And I beat the deadline. And I now have a chance to potentially win. Yay, yay, yay.” [Notice that my yays did not include exclamation marks.]

This exercise in reality was not wasted though, as it did bring about an interesting turn in my daily intending practice. What I realized after mis-reading my email message from Vocal is that I now knew what it is that I really want to focus on with my intentions: my writing and how I want to earn money, win challenges, submit works that are printed, and get my book project back on skates and rolling. I don’t think that I would be as laser focused as I am now, had I not fooled myself with that email.

Regardless of the outcome, it felt good to imagine what it felt like to experience what I define as success with my writing. The feeling is still real, even if the tangible reward ($$) is still ethereal. And who doesn’t love feeling ecstatic? I do!

I now start my day by asking: What news do I want to receive in my email today?

The answers vary. While I still very very very much want to make Top Stories or win a Challenge or be selected for Creators We’re Loving, other intentions surface. I want to eat super organic and healthy today so I can grow good health. Or I want to pay down some of my credit cards that weigh me down each month.

These intentions’ email titles and messages would read as something like this:

Imperfect Foods Winner!!!!

Congratulations! You just won a one-year supply to an Imperfect Foods subscription. You will never have to shop the produce aisle again – at least not for one whole year! And all the produce you will be receiving for the next year will be 100% organic! You healthy eater, you!!

Hey maxed out credit card user! Guess what?

Your balance is now at $0.00 and will remain at $0.00 for the next year. Your name was selected as our Annual Great Big Zero winner. You will not have to pay another penny in principal or interest for one year and your limit has just been raised to $25,000. Spend this money with glee and wild abandon. Anything you purchase will not affect your grocery, gas, or rent budget. Sit back and enjoy being a Great Big Zero!!!

What is life if you’re not having fun?

I really started to have some fun with this. The point of all this wildly imaginative intending isn’t about expecting some magical beans to show up in the mail or a well-muscled, bare-chested genie to come wafting out of an antiquated bottle. It is about discovering that which I know is a top priority for me in my intending.

It is an exercise in curating my dreams, hopes, and goals.

I tend to wobble all over the place in my daily practice. I get distracted and, as strange as it sounds, I don’t know what to even intend sometimes. There are so many things, issues, conflicts, bills, and challenges that have the power to bog me down. My overwhelm leads to me not knowing where to begin when it comes to dialing in to my daily intentions.

Now? I just imagine what message I would like to see in my inbox. This process clarifies and allows me to target and fine tune that which adds meaning and color to my life.

I’ve asked my friends what some of their email messages would say. One friend said that she got a message inviting her to hang a show with her amazing artwork at a gallery downtown. Another friend said that she heard from an old colleague, whom she respects and enjoys working with, to join her in a new venture that would not only revolutionize medicine but would pay handsomely for all her currently tireless hours of research.

In that my friends’ email messages were so radically diverse from my own messages, I can see how this Imaginary Practice of Email Intending digs deep and unearths hidden dreams and goals. The messages aren’t about amassing a large amount of money or easing debt (well, some are), but I noticed that they are more about realizing or discovering or contributing. This distinction is not only remarkable but uplifting – it’s like the perfect boost to infuse my day.

Today?

Well, I’m not giving up on the Vocal email, the one announcing that I have won a challenge or been chosen as a Top Pick! These dreams/intentions/aspirations are healthy, fun, and motivating. After all, how am I going to be chosen as a Creator We’re Loving if I don’t put my fingers on the keyboard and keep on writing.

And thanks to all of you Vocal-ites who write and contribute and share your knowledge, imagination, and dreams with the rest of us. It keeps us going, and it keeps us imagining and visualizing and intending positive thoughts.

Today? I am paying attention. I am listening for that email alert that will launch me into the career of my dreams. I am intending good things for me, and I am intending good things for you, gentle reader. Thank you for showing up and for sharing in my practice.