Judith Klemos

Let’s talk about ‘intentions’ and ‘manifesting’ for a minute.

There are a lot of forums, posts, books, movies, affirmations, classes, master classes, workshops and retreats all about manifesting everything from the love of your life, to abundance, to weight loss, to employment and the list goes on.

I myself designed a 30 day release program to make room for manifesting your desires. It wasn’t a bad thing, but since then I’ve learned a thing or two. It is important to release what no longer serves you, in fact, it is imperative, but there was one component missing.

Joy.

There is a saying, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I have followed this most of my career. When I stopped loving what I was doing, I moved on. I also followed it in my marriage…though, maybe not as soon as I could’ve. I also followed it when considering purchases; if I didn’t LOVE it then I didn’t buy it. If I loved it once and then stopped? I gave it a new home.

So, tell me why I didn’t realize this applied to EVERYTHING in life?

I had an epiphany this week. A little backstory, a few weeks ago I discovered something called Body Groove. If you haven’t heard of it, I HIGHLY recommend looking into it if you are looking for something to change your fitness (physical and emotional) routines. I have tried many things over the years, aerobics, Tae Bo, Tai Chi, Chi Gong, weightlifting, yoga etc. All with the intention to lose weight, or the euphemism, ‘get healthy’. This Body Groove on Demand app comes with a Facebook (support) group. I have never found such a large collective of genuinely supportive women EVER.

As I’ve been Grooving something clicked.

I realized that I have spent the last 30+ years intending and attempting to lose weight. I have done different ways of eating with the intention to lose weight-at least 10. I have done certain exercise programs with the intention to lose weight – at least 10. Nothing EVER helped me lose the weight. I lost weight ONLY when i had to take a medicine who’s side effect was appetite suppressant. THAT is not weight loss success in my opinion.

With each new “intention” was the underlying premise, “This is broken. I’m broken. This will fix me. I’ll be happy then.” Even though I was extremely happy with who I was. I was not extremely happy with what I looked like.

I ‘tried to love my body’ as it was, but because I was so dedicated to clean eating and exercise I confess I was a little pissed off at my body for not responding as I thought/intended it should. The truth is my body may be broken. I took a medication at the age of 24 that seems to have destroyed my endocrine system only no one identified that until decades later. Decades of running on fumes. The damage may be irreparable. I can’t be pissed at my body for being broken if it had nothing to do with it! My body isn’t frail, it was betrayed.

The last few weeks I’ve been contemplating all of this and then it hit me. If you know anything about me, I place a high value on intention. Intention, however, is a tricky thing. The things I have done with the intention to ‘make me money’ haven’t made me money. The things I did with the intention to make ‘this or that’ happen actually didn’t make ‘this or that’ happen.

You know what did? Following my joy.

Following my joy, my passion, my heart…led me to the love of my life.

Following my joy, my passion, my heart…led me to raise a daughter to become someone really special and amazing.

Following my joy, my passion, my heart…led me to retire from a three decade career, move across two states, get married and which led to improving my health by 900%.

Following my joy, my passion, my heart…led me to start a new business.

I realized that my greatest successes have come not from my intention to gain a specific outcome, but from following my passion, my joy, my heart. THIS is the intention I have going into Body Groove. the intention to create more Joy. Body Groove makes me happy. Truly. It is like a drug now and it hasn’t even been that long. But between the dancing, the philosophy and the sisterhood I am witnessing THIS is my joy. Maybe, just MAYBE following my joy to Body Groove will lead to weight loss. But it doesn’t matter. If in 6 months I haven’t lost anything it won’t matter because I will STILL keep dancing. Because that isn’t my intent! My intent is to be joyful!

Joyful leads to successful!

So, if you are asking here, there or just asking yourself if this or that will lead to losing weight (or find love, or make money, or etc.), scrap that crap and ask yourself if what you are doing creates joy for you.

If it doesn’t, then move on and find something that does! But if it does, then by all means joy on!!!

This applies to everything! EVERY THANG!! Apply the intention of joy to every aspect of your life and see what manifests!