In the spirit of play lately, I invented a game. It’s really just for me to help refocus as I wade into another new year. I’m already finding it a little fun.
Inspired by this advice: ‘if you want to allow more, you need to have more intentions than opinions.’ Simple enough, right? Okay. Is this really the trick? It might be a good rule of thumb for me for plenty reasons, since I tend to have opinions…
Not to dis opinions. I love opinions. I find them eternally fascinating . I like trying to sort them from fact, I even love seeing them evolve. Strong opinions, weak opinions, positive, negative. Predictions and reflective, who doesn’t have or hear opinions constantly. Online, offline, they are so different and so common and sometimes so strange. Some are intelligenctual, some are not. Don’t we all have a little love for our own personal ones? Don’t we defend them? Don’t we KNOW we are right!? How could we even know who we are or who anyone is, if it weren’t for opinions!?
No dismissing or disrespecting opinions here. The advice was just to have more intentions. So here’s my game:
For every opinion that enters my airspace, whether it comes from inside my own head or out, I get to make two intentions. Or set them? Anyway, it’s like for every opinion, I get two wishes, but they aren’t wishes they are stronger and simpler but may require me to pause and think a bit before deciding what I want, and then for me to declare, (in my own head of course).
Here’s an example, because when I first started telling people about my game, I got this very helpful feedback: “But I like opinions, I don’t want to play that! Wouldn’t life be boring if no one had opinions?” Omg that’s three! I get to set SIX intentions! I was suddenly too distracted to respond or defend my game! As an added bonus, I didn’t have a chance to question whether my idea was lame or not because the moment had already passed and I had still only come up with four.
Another example is me in the passenger seat thinking we needed to stop for gas before we passed all the good towns. That’s two, which had me intentioning to get where we were going happily, with plenty of fuel and in good time. I added for it to be good timing for my sons family who we were visiting. Four. And there I was too busy in my head to panic, get upset or say a single thing and then there we were pulling off at the next exit. We easily found a gas station and all with no help whatsoever from me and my opinions!
For so many reason this game is fun AND helpful. even if I originally invented it just to have a two to one ratio of intentions to opinions, thus ensuring more allowing aka less resistance because if there’s one thing I know I need to cut out this year, it’s that.
Resistance
I’ve always managed to get in my own way. (This might be an opinion), I’m not sure, so to be safe, I’m setting two intentions. One is to stop worrying about it and two is to be the opposite of someone standing in my way. Maybe I’ll hold the door open for myself, or run ahead and part the crowd, metaphorically speaking, but yeah,this is the year that I help me. See! Way more potential fun!
My little game, or exercise has been interesting and fun already and I just thought of it…wait that’s three opinions, so six… you get the idea.
Peace Kit 