The Intentionalist RELAUNCHED!

Your bimonthly rebellion against gloom

Happy Friday, Intentionalists!

And welcome back!

As you know, we took a break for a few weeks because we wanted to rethink and redesign the newsletter.

From the positive feedback we received from you, we knew that you found our content helpful, encouraging and - in some instances - even life-changing.

But we thought we could do even better.

So we gave ourselves the brief of a ‘dopamine newsletter’: One where, before we published it, we would ask ourselves: Will this make people feel good? Are they going to have fun with this and be left smiling?

So without further ado, let’s get into our relaunched The Intentionalist for this week!

LOVE IS THE DRUG

It’s spring in Australia. As soon as September came around, I began to feel just a little ‘high on life’. The intoxication happens every year. There I am one minute, enjoying the cosy contemplativeness of winter, tucked up inside with throw blankets, three black cats and a book in my hand. Then spring arrives all pink and perfumed and blowing gentle breezes like kisses, and I am swept off my feet.

I experience the season with all the emotions of someone who has fallen madly in love. I feel more expansive, joyful, playful and forgiving of people’s foibles. I walk around with a big smile on my face for no reason other than the sky is blue and the air is scented with jasmine blossoms.

There is no doubt that this is a highly elevated state that brings with it enhanced well-being, greater energy and creativity.

Love makes us feel amazing!

This is why nearly everyone is enamoured with the idea of romance. When our hearts are brimming with love, the future seems full of enticing possibilities. We feel renewed.

The emotion sets off a chain of physical and chemical reactions. Blood travels to the heart and it expands. (That feeling is real!). The brain, sensing that the world is a good place, releases neurochemicals like dopamine and endorphins. A cascade of positive physiological responses follows, including:

• Lowering of the stress hormone cortisol

• Improved immune function, and;

• Enhanced mental clarity

Our creativity skyrockets, and we positively glow.

In this state, we emanate kindness, caring and compassion – and doesn’t the world need more of that!

But here is the interesting thing: The love we feel is produced by our own thoughts and responses, not necessarily the object of our affection.

That is not to imply that spring isn’t a fabulous season or that your companion is not an extraordinary individual. But another person could walk right past the beauties of spring, grumbling about the economy or political situation and ignoring the abundance around them. Someone else may not value the qualities of your beloved the way you do.

The sparkle we feel is generated somewhere within ourselves. And that’s good news for intentionalists. It means we can generate as much love in our lives as we want, regardless of the environment and well before Mr or Ms Right comes along.

We can all be madly in love – and reaping all the benefits - right now.

Today, we’re sharing two very simple exercises for you to put into practice first thing every morning to generate more love in your life. You can choose one of them, or do both of them, but continue the exercises daily for at least 14 days.

• When you wake up in the morning, before you doom scroll or read the news, listen to this affirmation script. (We recommend you keep using it until you have memorised the affirmations and can say them fluently yourself). We’ve posted it on our Instagram so it will be easy to find each morning.

• Before you get out of bed, clasp your hands over your heart and take slow, deep breaths in and out. As you inhale, imagine you are breathing in the warm, sparkly glow of love. When you exhale, visualise sending that light out into the world. Start with your partner, your family members and pets. Then send love out further afield to your friends and co-workers, to humanity and all the animals of the earth. When you have finished, end with this simple statement: ‘I am grateful for all the good in my life. I am at peace with all.’

If you do these exercises with dedication and intention, you are going to experience a much greater sense of love and well-being. You are also going to attract more love into your life and maybe even some miracles.

We look forward to hearing about your adventures!

Thank you for all the lovely feedback Kelly and I have received on THE FEEL GOOD NOW JOURNAL. One question we’ve been asked is whether users need to set goals for each of the areas we listed in the journal, eg, Mindset, career, relationships, health, etc. You certainly can. But if this feels overwhelming, then pick just one or two and focus on those.

The journal is a 90-day conditioning program designed to help you build a positive mindset, achieve goals, change habits and feel better than you ever have in a short amount of time. Achieving one or two goals in that time is fantastic - and will help you feel motivated to tackle other areas in your life.

You can repeat the process as many times as you like.

The journal is designed to be fun and easy to use. If you haven’t tried it yet, check it out at:

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KELLY’S SILLY BIT

I can’t start without letting you know that over our break, I lost my best mate, Mikey.

But this isn’t about the heartbreak of losing him; it’s about the joy of loving him nearly his whole life.

I want to remember and love the silliness, resilience and joy he brought.

So I hope you don’t mind indulging me, I’d like to remember things about him that make me smile. And I ask you to do the same with your own pets or loved ones past.

• The time he got caught in my door’s blind and patiently waited for me to find and untangle him

• The way he would tap you, like slapping a pokie machine, when sitting and waiting for treats

• The little wiggly tail (and bum) he would get when half asleep, but spotted me. I used to do very silly walks past to get reactions out of him

• The way he would stand on his front two legs and eat from his bowl when he was a puppy

• The trit trit noise of his tappy little feet following me from room to room

• His eating noises and snoring

• The way he would sneeze to show me he wasn’t trying to scare me, only playing. Thank GOODNESS! So scary and tough

• That time, I was running a bath for myself, and I heard a splash and found him in there, too late, too, as he had also eaten my fancy soap from Lush!

• The happy noises at the door when I got home

• His love for small spaces and the way he would jump onto shelves, into open cupboards and suitcases, etc

• Trying to put furniture together with him sitting on the instructions

• The way he liked to be close by. If he could rest his head, a leg or his back on you, even better

• His love for walkies! Even just two weeks before he passed, he was out trit trotting about

• The way he lay with his back legs like little frog’s legs

• The way people knew him everywhere we went

• The zoomies he got after his bath. He would pelt around so fast

• The pat thief! He would bound up to people waiting at the bus stop, lick their legs and then wait for the expected pats

15 years is a long time to share your life with someone, animal or human. I am SO lucky to share that time with him. I love you, Mikey.

I would love it if you shared some of your silly stories about your beloved pets in the comments.

Be an intentionalist.

Belinda & Kelly XX

PS: Come and say hello, and let us know what you think in the comments. If you enjoyed it, please tap the heart button on this post or share it with a friend! It helps people discover us on Substack.

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The Intentionalist is a work of nonfiction, intended by the authors as a general guide to wellbeing. The authors do not prescribe the use of any technique, either directly or indirectly, as treatment for physical, psychological or medical issues, without the consent of a medical doctor. The authors cannot be made liable for any misuse of the information provided.

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