Every once in a while one or the other of my kids comes up with something so brilliant it amazes me.
My daughter just e-mailed me to let me know she’d created an “Intention coin,” and, curious about the name, I went to her Etsy site and read her description.
And I loved the concept. I love the power of taking something ephemeral and making it tangible, putting it in front of yourself, and using it to improve your life.
I also loved the post on her blog. Take a look at what she wrote and tell me what sort of intangible you want to make real this year. Put it into words that would fit on your Intention coin.
I’ll do a random drawing Tuesday, February 1st and buy an Intention coin (no, I don’t get ’em for free 😀 ) for each of five winners. And I’ll cover shipping, too.
As for me, TAXES are still ongoing. [shudder]
Great idea and quite the motivator!
Mine would be more personal. It would say “Forgive More!” or “WIP!” (Work In Progress!)
This is awesome. Even if I don’t win the contest, I think I’ll get one anyways.
I want one that says: “Dream. Create. Believe. Succeed.” I’ve tried picking out a single word that describes this year including productive, motivated, dilligent etc. But this little phrase just resonates with me. I have it on my vision board for my current work-in-progress too.
I’d like an intention coin to say “Believe in Yourself.” My self doubt has gotten out of control…I’m actually afraid to put words on paper (or on screen). It would be nice to have a talisman against it. “Out, Out, Self Doubt!”
I think my phrase would have to be “God believes in me” or if that’s too long simply believe. I know that God has given me the talent and the desire to write. I know he believes in me, the trouble is I don’t always believe in myself and then I figure I should just give up. I need to believe.
I love the idea. I have been trying to use simple jewelry that I have to remind me of things that I promised myself to do but have never been able to do that because they were not connected to those promises in a way that would remind me. I would have written on mine Ars, re vera
Hello Anna! Can you please tell me what “Ars, re vera” means?
I found this word by chance while looking for the meaning of another. It clung to me awhile.
“Be Organon.”
Thank you for the email.
Please tell your daughter it is a wonderful idea.
My word would be “NOW” – not do it now, just “NOW” because I have let procrastination stop me so many times over the past year. NOW applies to taking action, to being the person I really want to become, to deciding what matters and letting the rest be (not an easy thing to do). NOW covers it all for me. NOW reminds me that if I am not now doing or being, my thoughts however important they may seem, are excuses. And of course, there is only NOW.
Excellent idea.
I would use “finish it”. This is what I promised my granddaughter when she was here for Christmas. My novel has been ‘in the works’ for a couple of years as I’ve had several set backs (3 back surgeries and a heart by-pass) but I’m all-together again and this is going to be MY year. Writing is all I want to do, what I’ve dreamed of for 40 years, so the intention coin is just right.
My word is simply and very meaningful to me, “Finish.”
Mine would be “You’re not as bad as you think,” because I always want to give up for fear I’ll never be good enough to get published.
“Arise and Write 2011”
This past year, I went through the heart-wrenching decision to drop out of the college I loved attending because I felt in the very core of my being that God wanted me to write! It was a hard decision, but I am so full of joy now and I know I’m doing what is right. This may come as a shocker, but I don’t get as much support in this as I’d like. It would be so incredible to have something like this to hold on to and remind me of what I’m doing and why.
My words would be “Love, Grow, LIVE”. Sometimes life gets on top of me. In running around like a headless chicken I forget the important, most basic things. This year, I want to keep in mind the important stuff. I want to focus on life, not let it slip through my fingers because I was too busy to watch. I want to focus on my loved ones, and on actually being me and growing closer towards what I want to become. This includes letting myself indulge in the sheer painful FUN of writing!
And, by the way, it’s a lovely idea. 🙂
My words would be: Write Books, with books below Write. Why? Because this year I need to stop procrastinating. This year I turn 18 and it’s time to seize my career; this year I need to finish and edit and prepare to submit.
This is such a great idea. Your daughter is brilliant.
This year more than ever I am trying to ‘make every day count’. The older I get the faster time flies and I hate it at the end of the day or week when I cannot name one concrete accomplishment. When I stay busy, when I work on things that are meaningful to me or to others, it seems to slow down time and I find I get so much more done.
I would want, “love all” to be on my coin.
Very cool idea. Congrats to daughter. My words – “Butt to chair & write.”
FLY!
I want to rise above all that it insignificant, all that holds me back, and FLY! I want to become who I was created to be. I want to soar! After all, “the sky is the limit,” n’est pas? ;-D
What a wonderful idea! Kudos to your daughter, Holly!
Hmm… choosing a few words that inspire is harder than I thought. I’ll have to come up with something!
BE POSITIVE
… because being negative and getting drowned in my own worries really made 2010 a hard year and I want 2011 to be much better.
What a great idea! I think I’d want mine to say LET IT FLOW as a reminder not to get in my own way.
HEART.
My word would be HEART. To remind myself to write from the heart, the deepest part of my muse.
To remind myself that it takes a lot of HEART to see a book through the entire process, but I can succeed.
To remind myself not to let the myriad of voices in publishing drown out the HEART of my book, but to write for myself first. Only then can I worry about how to make it accessible to other people.
Thank you for showing us this wonderful invention of your daughters!
My word for 2011 would be SEASONS. “Seasons” is a story I started writing in 1987 and have been re-writing ever since. I’d actually buried it, because no matter how I tried, I couldn’t bring the -feeling- that I had about the story’s concept into the actions of the characters in the story. I couldn’t create a story that the -reader- got anything out of, and that just isn’t my style. So “Seasons” had been languishing in a dark, dusty corner of my hard drive — Then, last week, I saw this amazing piece of artwork created by my daughter, and in that complex and controversial piece, I understood “Seasons”… I knew who my characters were, how they got into the situation that brought the story forth, and how to present their lives and challenges in a way that is (hopefully) both dynamic and compelling. So this year, “Seasons” will come out of the corner into the light of day.
{Fire}Storm
My word would be “Change.” I have several bad habits (most involving eating and exercise) that, though I know how to, I never actually can manage to change. I would also add “Be Not Afraid,” if there was room, because I often feel that I am too scared to really live my life as I should.
Brilliant idea, thank you. I think, even if I don’t win one, I must make my own somehow.
TELL THE STORY This is what works for me, a definite intangible… which is what many effective acts of magic are.
COMPASSION
One of the most compassionate things you can do for yourself is to write.
FRUITION. For a long time I’ve been working on several goals at once, one of them a novel, and regardless of the obstacles encounterd and how much they’ve slowed me down (health issues), I’ve persisted. I’m at that point where I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with the completion of those goals and it would be fantastic if something beneficial would come of my work, not just for myself but for others as well.
This is a great idea. I’ve seen something similar to these, but I’ve never heard them called Intention Coins.
My Intention Coin would say FEARLESS. Fear has stolen too much from me over the years. It’s time to take it all back.
Best of luck with the taxes…shudder…
Jen
The word I would choose would be DESIRE. Without the “desire” to change or to move forward in a positive manner, we become stagnant, dull, predictable.
My coin would say “Do It Excellently”
On my intention coin it would say… WRITE and let it be READ…The reason is, as a dyslexic child and young adult it hid my writings for 40 odd years. I was afraid of being ridiculed and laughed at as I was at school. Thanks to my now editor, my work from so long ago is now published.
I love this idea. My word would have to be “write” but written in capital letters. I know it seems simple, but I have been working on a novel for some time, and I just can’t seem to get myself that motivated. I love the planning part of creating a novel, and I have some confidence in my writing I just can’t seem to get going on it, so the word “WRITE” sure would be helpful, possibly with an exclamation mark at the end.
The me
I want
to be
Smile
Be Happy
You are blessed.
What a great reminder.
P.S. Today is my birthday!
This is awesome. I think my phrase would be “The Flight”.
I’d have to say my one word would be: SUCCEED. To succeed at finishing a script and a novel this year, from first draft to final draft 🙂
Or, just to succeed at finishing two of my projects!
My phrase would have to be “Dare to Dream, Regardless.” Before I graduated high school last June, I decided to take a year off before going off to school again. I was burned out on school, knew I needed time to recharge, and I wanted to think long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life. Very few people were supportive of my decision, and it has felt like I’ve lost more support everyday after that. I experimented with different career choices such as music, makeup, sales, etc. I finally decided I was going to be a writter because I had always loved to write, I could put a little of myself into my characters such as cooking and music, and it just felt right. At least once everyday, something gets in my path and makes me think my dream won’t come true, and occationally Ill let myself fall victim to that voice. I know I can do it. I’ve started my first novel and have another in planning and I’m trying to find money to get into college in the fall to major in psychology and english. I made alot of mistakes along the way to now thats given me obsticals to climb over, and I would love to recieve a coin to remind me to keep pushing foreward and dreaming, no matter what is thrown my way
I’ve recently come to the appalling (and humbling) realization that for me what lies behind the failure to “carpe diem”, the procrastination, and the *perception* that all the world is aligned against me is actually a failure of courage on my part.
So, “Courage”.
I absolutely love this idea! Keeps you on track to the one thing you want, and keeps you motivated.
My one would have to be “make someone happy” as my resolution is to change someone’s day for the better every day 🙂
My word this years is FOCUS, which is what I need to do…
These coins are wonderful…I wish your daughter luck with sales!
Gosh. This is a tough one. There are so many great words out there to put on a talisman. I love the idea of a “Faith” and “Trust” coin, but it is an intention coin– and my intention is to be a published author at some point. So I think the word I would pick to put on mine would be “Author”. Good luck with the taxes 😛
“A HEATED MIND 2011” A summary of a quote from Goethe: “Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!” Like so many who have already posted, procrastination is my enemy. Goethe’s little ditty is the kick in my mental pants that I often need.
Character Is Action
In the past two months I have read so many writing article/workshops/books on conflict and external goals and dominant impressions that I have begun to think of myself in terms of my own dominant impression – determined writer. I am determined to do this. It feels like butting my head against a brick wall ninety percent of the time, but unless someone suddenly drops a house on me (I dreamed about a tornado last night) nothing is going to stop me from finishing a full length book this year.
I don’t remember which writing article/book/website, or any other place this phrase might have come from. In the past few months there have literally have been dozens of articles, while I try to understand why I can’t seem to “raise the stakes” in my own writing. But lately, whenever I feel like I’m not going to “get this”, that phrase Character Is Action pops into my head. Those words are like a magical kick in the pants or something. They apply to fiction, and real life: A character isn’t who she “says” she is, she is what she “does” – her actions. It fits. My writing conflicts may still be low stakes, but at least my character is in line with my dominant impression. Very few people would argue I’m a determined writer. It’s a small step forward, but a step nonetheless.
Love the idea. I think mine would say something like “I Live”. College left me feeling completely destroyed – terrible teachers, bad classes, the whole nine yards – and it didn’t help that I started having terrible headaches caused by a spinal misalignment. The combination of the two left me walking through a haze, and it’s only been now, a full year after graduating, that I’m starting to feel like a real person again.
Tempted as I am to crib the amazing words of Karen, Christy or Martha, I’m going to go with “Shine.”
Marvelous idea!
Retire & Write Those are the two words that I would put on my ‘intention coin’, although they probably won’t fit. I am 62 and trying to write a book, actually 3 books. However, the more I learn, the worse my books become (character, plot, etc.). I actually published 1 e-book on Smashwords, The Jedi Mine, for about 20 minutes, until my son told me that Jedi was trademarked by George Lucas and I quickly unpublished it and am rewitting it with a new title.
And then I was all set to retire this month and fell at work last year in August and have been out of work on Workman’s Comp. I have to get off WC before I can retire.
This is the year – 2011. I will finally get off WC, retire and finish at least one of those 3 books.
Thanks Holly – Ken
My phrase would have to be “Dare to Dream, Regardless.” Before I graduated high school last June, I decided to take a year off before going off to school again. I was burned out on school, knew I needed time to recharge, and I wanted to think long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life. Very few people were supportive of my decision, and it has felt like I’ve lost more support everyday after that. I experimented with different career choices such as music, makeup, sales, etc. I finally decided I was going to be a writter because I had always loved to write, I could put a little of myself into my characters such as cooking and music, and it just felt right. At least once everyday, something gets in my path and makes me think my dream won’t come true, and occationally Ill let myself fall victim to that voice. I know I can do it. I’ve started my first novel and have another in planning and I’m trying to find money to get into college in the fall to major in psychology and english. I made alot of mistakes along the way to now thats given me obsticals to climb over, and I would love to recieve a coin to remind me to keep pushing foreward and dreaming, no matter what is thrown my way.
I wanted to give you a few words of encouragement, because when I was in your place that was exactly what I wanted. I graduated two years ago this June, and racked up a bunch of loans going to college for a year and a half. I switched my major 7 times in that year and a half, and have yet to find my calling. I’ve wanted to be a professional writer my entire life, maybe not make a living off of it… But to be published and making just a little. To know somebody out there wants to read what I have on the shelves.
When I told my family I was taking time off from college to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, they did exactly what you are describing. Your life is yours and yours alone. Live it the way you want to! Don’t let what other people say or do to block your dream get you down. I wish you the best of luck in getting published, as well as getting your degree. Remember, mistakes are what make us the strong men and women we grow up to be, so don’t let the obstacles bring you down. You’re young, and this is your time to make mistakes and learn from them.
What an intriguing concept. Very clever of your daughter to come up with this. I would have to say “Have Faith,” would be what inspires me to keep motivated.
My word for 2011 is TRUST. I plan to trust more in myself and put my words out where others can read them. Trust in my ability to edit my WIP into something marketable. Trust in my ability to accomplish the goals I set for myself this year. Trust enough in myself to let go of the niggling thoughts that keep my self confidence captive.
As a 32 yr old who has wanted to write novels since childhood, but who allows procrastination and a fear of failure to stand in my way, I could use something as simple and as brilliant as a talisman. Mine would say “Make Him Proud” … which would be in reference to my two month old son, whose birth has renewed in me the desire to steer my life back in the direction of my dreams. I can’t stand the idea of having a conversation with him in twenty years and having to tell him that I never put in the time and effort to realize my dreams. Instead I want him to know that I went for it, that I refused to give up, and that I did it all with him in mind. That, I think, would make him proud.
Beautiful! My husband inspires me to be a better person too.
That sounds awesome!
Hmm . . . Words I’d put on an intention coin?
“Write with Joy.”
It’s motivation for me. ^_^
There seems to be a universal convergence on the concept of a word to capture the year. I’ve picked “Explore” as my word for to this year. It means many things to me, but mostly it’s my goal for how to approach how I look at everything I’m doing. To not view the world as fixed, but fluid and discoverable. To go out into the world as an adventurer and explorer.