Crafting Your Destiny through Focus and Intention

This episode explores the powerful interplay between intention and attention. Our discussion emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, pruning distractions, and intentionally directing energy toward personal growth and opportunities. 
• Exploring the relationship between attention and intention 
• Understanding how focused attention impacts life experiences 
• The metaphor of pruning for personal growth and clarity 
• The importance of self-awareness in shaping our paths 
• Discussing distractions and their impact on our goals 
• Practical strategies for tracking and directing attention 
• Affirmation of self-love and personal empowerment

Chapters

• 0:33 The Power of Intention and Attention
• 9:11 Mastering Your Attention for Success

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:33

Intention without attention leads nowhere. You can set the best goals, have the strongest will and even pray for guidance, but if your attention is scattered, nothing will move forward. Last week, I shared my story about the power of radical intention, and that same story is a powerful lesson about attention. Instead of letting my mind wander between maybe I should and maybe I shouldn't, I focused my attention entirely on an inner knowing. Each time I got in the car to go to work, I would see those two uniforms folded neatly, untouched tags still on the garments and in the bags in which they were given to me. Instead of scattered thoughts about making it work, I would always think one more day closer. And you already know what happened constant listener. Within that same month, my focused attention led me to a new position within my organization. That's the power of directed attention. When you consciously choose where to focus your energy, the universe responds. I'm your hostess with the mostest Nelita Hollis, and you're tuned in to Ways to Win, wednesday on One Degree to Victory, the only podcast that supports women through family trauma. Using my experiences to offer hope, practical strategies and the mindset shifts needed to rise. It's time to lock in, load up and lean in. That means clear away your distractions, focusing your mental and emotional energy and channeling it fully into today's message. I always say make it more than a topic, constant listener. I always say make it more than a topic, constant listener, I hope you make it a breakthrough.

Speaker 1: 2:29

Today we're talking about the connection between radical intention and attention, because the truth is where we place our focus, our intention, our attention determines the life we create. And speaking of intention, where is your attention right now? Constant listener, what's been occupying your mind? Are you focused on your desired outcome or are you being pulled in every direction? I remember a time when my attention was divided, when I kept trying to juggle possibilities instead of committing to a path, and it wasn't until I fully directed my focus that doors started opening. Attention is the energy we give to something. It's where we direct our focus, our thoughts and our emotions. Think of attention as a flashlight. Whatever you shine it on is illuminated. If your attention is on problems, those problems will become illuminated in your life. If your attention is on growth, then solutions will start to emerge, and sometimes that solution is the one we don't like, but that's a conversation for another time. Actually, it might be today. What do you think would happen if you pointed the flashlight toward you when I was focused on just making things work right, my reality stayed the same because I was constantly shifting that flashlight. But when I shifted my attention, when I started wanting the better I believed I deserve after the trauma, I started acting accordingly and then opportunity showed up. Do you know why opportunities began showing up? Constant listener, because the flashlight I shine on myself shows the areas where I need the most work. The light you shine on yourself, sister girl, will show the areas where you need the most work. It'll show you where you need to heal. It'll show you where you need to be silent. If you want to experience the juicy life you deserve, you have to cultivate the tree that bears the fruit, and you are that tree. Sister girl, you've got to prune your tree.

Speaker 1: 5:08

A skilled gardener knows that pruning is an act of intentional care. We learn to trim away what doesn't serve our growth. The trained gardener approaches a fruit tree with their pruning shears. Their trained eye knows exactly what branches need to go. They don't hesitate, they don't second guess. They understand that removing certain branches allows the tree to direct its energy toward producing the sweetest, most abundant fruit and that flashlight of self-awareness we shine on ourselves. It is like those pruning shears in the gardener's hand. When we illuminate our habits, our thoughts and our behaviors, we can clearly see which ones are sapping our energy. Those are the dead branches that need to be cut away. Let's shift into talking about how that creates opportunities. When we remove what's not serving us, we create space for new growth, and new growth creates new opportunities.

Speaker 1: 6:15

The growth on a tree when those old branches are cut, that new growth space creates branches that shoot up and out. Old dead branches shoot up and out. Old dead branches sag, constant listener. And that's what, exactly what happens. When we shine the light of attention on ourselves, we create the space for our best selves to emerge. Where we place our attention determines our experience of life.

Speaker 1: 6:47

And the gardener's intention is clear. She knows with unwavering certainty which branches need to be removed for the tree to reach its fullest potential. She understands that each cut is an investment in future abundance, that that temporary loss, that cut branch, is going to lead to lasting growth. When she proves away the dead weight, she knows that that something more vibrant and life-giving will emerge in its place. She doesn't second guess the necessity of removal. Listen, that toxic relationship, that gossiping mouth. You have right, it's necessary to stop doing those things. It's necessary to stop seeing that person. It's necessary to stop doom scrolling and I am a witness to that. It's necessary to stop spending your money on those little, those games. Y'all. I have to stop. Don't second guess the necessity of the removal. See beyond the present moment to the flourishing future that awaits the hundreds of dollars you're going to save, that energy that that's draining you.

Speaker 1: 8:08

The gardener embodies the perfect balance of intention and attention, fully present in each precise cut, while holding the vision of the trees. Abundance, constant listener, where do you feel your attention is being scattered the most? Social media worry other people's opinions. When I was stuck between choosing one uniform or three, it wasn't about the clothes. It was about how I was approaching and envisioning my future. You can't produce juicy fruit if you're constantly looking at what everybody else is growing. This is why attention and intention go hand in hand. You can have all the intention in the world to change your life, but if your attention is constantly being pulled toward distractions, you won't make progress.

Speaker 1: 9:11

Imagine, beautiful soul, if your attention was fully aligned with your intention. What would shift in your life. You need to understand the value that your attention holds. Companies, apps and social media platforms fight for it. They know that if they can capture your attention, they control your focus, your time and even your emotions. So, sister girl, stop letting them steal your attention, because it's robbing you of the juiciness of the life you deserve. This week, I want you to track where your attention goes. I want you to track where your attention goes. Notice when you get distracted, observe what pulls you away from your desired outcome. I don't care if your goal is landing a dream job or just getting through a load of laundry. Where you place your attention determines what grows in your life. If you want to live with radical intention, you have to protect and direct your attention. Until next time, this is Nelida Hollis, reminding you to love yourself a little more than you did yesterday. I love y'all and remember you are the designer of your destiny.