What Is Intention Setting & How Does It Work?

As you may have seen, I have an Intention & Gratitude Doll class next Friday 25th at 7pm in Winmalee. I wanted to talk more about this as some people think it is just doll making but it is WAY more than that!

I will be walking you through how to make these as I talk you you about the practice of Intention setting & gratitude.

Read on to find out more...

What is Intention setting?

The life you live today is the culmination of thousands of small choices.

An intention is something you decide to do which then motivates you to take action. Intention setting is being in the present moment and deciding what you want in life. It could be the way you want to feel, something you want to experience, a material thing you want, who you want to be or what you want to do.

So, what are benefits of setting intentions?

It helps you get out of your head. Writing it down and putting it out there into the Universe gets wheels turning.

You take ownership now that you have acknowledged your desires and written them down. It becomes part of your identity.

It helps clear your mind of perceived limitations. There are no limits. Dream big!

It is a fast way to achieve success because your mind has acknowledged it. You will think about it all the time and work out how to get what you want.

It gives you purpose. You don’t have to wait for things to happen to you. You can take charge and make things happen.

It can change your life. The more you repeat your intentions, the more likely your brain is to reorganise its neurons in your favour.

What is the difference between goal setting and setting intentions?

Intentions are about being in the present.

They are always written in the present tense as though you already have them. Eg I am or I have…

The more you reaffirm what you want, your mind believes you have achieved your intention.

Goals are written in the future and sometimes feel unattainable.

Intentions are not always set in stone, some may change week to week. Some may no longer feel relevant which is perfectly fine.

Goals are a short or long term thing you are striving for and often feelings of failure are attached to them if not achieved. They are more about the end product and not the process of getting there.

Does this stuff work or is it all mumbo jumbo?

There is actually a lot of science to back this.

According to Dr Bruce Lipton, when we set intentions “the beliefs we hold in our minds are converted into electromagnetic fields by nerve cells and the brain ‘broadcasts’ this information to all of the cells within our body. Cells respond to the information in these energy fields and use it to control their behaviour and gene activity.”

“Cells, tissues, and organs do not question information sent by the nervous system. Rather they respond with equal fervour to accurate life-affirming perceptions and to self-destructive misperceptions.”

What do I need to be able to do this?

If you want to know more about how to do this, read my previous blog on

How To Manifest Your Desires

It is super simple and you will be amazed at how the Universe puts things into place to happen.

thank you picture
The practice of showing gratitude

How Does Showing Gratitude Help?

Showing your gratitude for small and large things alike, can add to your happiness, improving your mental health, reducing your stress and helping you to be more resilient.

You observe the little wonders in life you may otherwise miss.

It can help you shift your perspective on life, making you realise the wonderful things you have in your life already. It could be people, something in nature, a smile you received, a person you connected with, material things, your job, your passion.

Studies have shown that people who keep a gratitude journal or who show gratitude often in their daily lives have:

· better sleep quality,

· improved exercise habits,

· Increased levels of determination, attention and energy

Why does this work?

UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center found that regularly expressing gratitude changes the molecular structure of your brain, keeps your gray matter functioning, and makes you healthier and happier.

People who show their gratitude have high levels of hypothalamus activity in their brains. The hypothalamus, among other things, controls your metabolism and stress levels. Feelings of gratitude activate brain regions associated with dopamine, a feel good chemical, gives you a natural high. It is like receiving a reward and makes you want to do it again. Once you start seeing things to be grateful for, you will want to find more. It is a continuous cycle.

I have just discovered Jim Kwik , The CEO of Kwik Learning who has a great article here https://jimkwik.com/kwik-brain-047/. His podcasts are next on my list to listen to!

So how do you do it?

Grab a journal, notepad or piece of paper and write down 3 or more things you are grateful for each day. Try doing this for 2 or more weeks and notice how this significantly raises your optimism.

Now keep going! Don’t stop! You won’t want to!

It is a practice.


Here are some dolls I have made for myself and some I have sold.

The dolls are a small part of it. I use mine as a reminder each day to set my intentions and again at the end of the day to show my gratitude.

Come an join us in a fun class. Make your own or make on as a gift.


If you are on Facebook you can book through the event and keep up to date.

Otherwise you can book directly through my website.

I would love to know what you are grateful for today.

Have you tried Intention setting before?

Are you going to give it a go now?

Tag #creativeabyssgrateful or #creativeabyssintentions to share.

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