Holly Lisle: Writer

The motivation of an intention coin

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]

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369 responses to “The motivation of an intention coin”

  1. Kari Hunter Avatar
    Kari Hunter

    the words I would choose are Stand Tall for Who You Are.

    Reply
  2. Jodi Avatar
    Jodi

    I would say the words that mean the most for me in 2011 are “Courage to Love”.

    Reply
  3. Mary L Avatar
    Mary L

    Sprint Write to Goal. Writing in 30 or 60 minute sprints with other writers is a good focusing and productive tool for me.

    Reply
  4. Cassie Witt Avatar
    Cassie Witt

    This is a really great idea and I love that you take something so nebulous as a word and make it tangible by giving it a physical form. And if you wear it, it will be with you every day to remind you. So, mine would be “trust in yourself” because there has not been alot of that lately.

    Reply
  5. Dwayne Morris Avatar
    Dwayne Morris

    What you’re referring to is also known as “intrinsic motivation” or the power of the mantra. Finding that one word or phrase that helps you refocus on your goal and renew your commitment to the desired task. However, I’ve resolved that if I can achieve it on my own, then it’s really not a dream. I need something bigger than me that can only be described with this phrase: “I can’t, but He can!”

    Reply
  6. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    “Wild at Heart”
    I never want to forget my passion for adventure and my passion to write about adventure, and most importantly, love.

    Reply
  7. Jenn Avatar
    Jenn

    Mine would say “Always moving Forward” not so original but i would say it’s the most inspiring because i’m so stuck in the past and all i want is to move forward.

    Reply
  8. Lee Hamner Avatar
    Lee Hamner

    “You can do anything for 15 minutes”

    This comes from the FlyLady.net who is helping me unclutter my home and my life, 15 minutes at a time! This whole process started with shining my kitchen sink and is slowly rolling through the entire kitchen, all horizontal surfaces and closets in my home. I am learning that things do not have to be done to perfection, which was causing road blocks and inaction to creating a pleasant living space.

    Reply
    1. RebeccaG Avatar
      RebeccaG

      Flylady is the best!

      Reply
  9. Shelayne Avatar
    Shelayne

    Wonderful idea! 🙂 I gave this a bit of thought and I think that in light of my poor stress and time management and my natural inclination towards feeling devastated and overwhelmed whenever the feces hit the fan, my words for this year should be:

    “Breathe. Fight. Thrive.”

    I like this mantra because it is a tactic for coping with everything life hands me, not just writing, though it is especially relevant to my writing now. I am currently trying to deal with undiagnosed wrist injuries that make writing extremely painful (author’s worst nightmare!), for which surgery may be necessary, and which have brought on substantial depressions recently. In dealing with this and all other sources of stress, I’ll try to keep these words in mind:

    Step one: Breathe. Know that whatever the problem is, fear, worry, anxiety, and panic will not make it better. Think back to the tremendous victories I have in my history–the hardships I have already overcome–and know that I have the strength to get through this too. Think of the person I want to be, and how someone I would respect would respond to this situation. Remember that almost all problems have a solution, and that even the worst situations can be made worse with the wrong attitude or made better with the right one. Calm down. Think clearly. Assess the situation with my brain, not my heart, and focus on what choices I DO have, what changes I CAN make. Based on an intelligent evaluation of your options, develop a realistic, workable plan to cope with the situation. Breathe.

    Step two: Fight. Take back my power by putting my plans into action. Make what I want to happen happen. If my first plan doesn’t work, go back to step one, come up with a new plan, and keep trying. Know that my plan is a call to action, not a replacement for action. Remember that things will not change unless I do something about them. Remember that no task or problem is so massive that being defeated by it is unavoidable–but know too that to not be defeated, I will have to put in the effort and the work. Know that I always have the ability to change my mindset–the most important part of my experience in life–even if I can change nothing else, and use that ability. Accept gracefully what I cannot change, but don’t surrender to it, and don’t let it take my personal sense of empowerment away. Don’t let life kick me around–take charge and kick back. Don’t give up, and don’t be passive. Fight.

    Step 3: Thrive. Remember that in all cases, what I am ultimately fighting for is happiness and a good life. So see to it that that is the result I am getting from my efforts. Do the things I love and be with the people I love. Take pleasure in every day, in every moment, and take the time to appreciate every little detail that I can. Even the scariest forests have beautiful trees, if you look at them closely. Don’t get lost in hard work or difficult situations, and don’t get lost in the fight–remember what I am fighting for and why. Keep my eyes and ears open so that they can catch all of the beauty in the world that is available for me to experience. Chase my dreams, pursue my passions, remember to relax once in a while, and always have fun along the way. Don’t let anything stop me from being happy and content. Live richly and fully. Thrive.

    Reply
  10. Lauren Avatar
    Lauren

    I think that, should I be lucky enough to have my name chosen, that I would have to pick ” Be Yourself ” as my reminder talisman for this year.
    If the coins were larger, I might flesh it out fully by saying ” Take the Time to be Yourself “.
    As a writer/artist I have come to the realization that it is so easy to give up and although I have steadfastly refused to do that, I have nonetheless spent (wasted) much of my life trying to jam the round peg that is me (so to speak ) into a square hole – especially in terms of work and trying to deny my creativity in order to get by and make a living. This means that the things that are the most important to me ( writing, being creative) have always been somehow shoved onto the back burner and given the least amount of time – and then I wonder why I am dissatisfied. **Forehead slap.** The years are kind of marching along for me too – not too far along, but marching nonetheless – and so it is definitely time for me to take a breath, and just take the time to be myself and feel the joy that accompanies the hard work of the creative process. I wish that joy for everyone, and thanks Holly for being an amazing inspiration – sometimes just when I’ve needed it most!

    Reply
  11. dragon Avatar
    dragon

    Change.

    This is the year a lot will change if it goes right and I need to not fear the change, but grab it and go. (which might be the better word … LOL)

    Reply
  12. Sara Ann Avatar
    Sara Ann

    I’d definitely say “Keep Dreaming,” only because that’s what I need to do. So many people say my dreams are ridiculous, and that I’ll never be what I want. They say I’m just setting myself up for disappointment, but I don’t believe it. Lately, I’ve been hesitant, and I’ve been starting to take the ‘advice’ to heart, but every so often I berate myself. Dreams are what makes a person who they become. Dreams are what drive us. Dreams keep us going when we think we’re having the worst day that could possibly happen. I need to remind myself to keep dreaming my own dreams.

    Reply
  13. Mandy Avatar
    Mandy

    Mine would read ‘Believe in yourself’ because just lately I have been having a hard time in just having the confidence to just and believe in myself.

    Reply
  14. Gabby Avatar
    Gabby

    I would want mine to say “Today”. It would mean there is only today. I can’t get to all of my dreams in the future unless I do the work today.

    Reply
  15. RB Lindberg Avatar
    RB Lindberg

    Mine should simply say this… (or something to that effect depending on the available space :-))Re-write = Done – Publication = Here I come!

    Reply
  16. Gwendolyn Huber Avatar
    Gwendolyn Huber

    My words for an intention coin would read: I Am
    I create best when I remember who I am.

    Reply
  17. Kristie Avatar
    Kristie

    I have so many starts. Not many finishes. I procrastinate the things I really want to do because not only do I have two severe chronic illnesses, I also have two special needs kids, a massive house, a husband who cares, but is run ragged himself.

    I realized this year that I just wanted to do better than the year before. But I don’t want my words to just be Do Better. I think it needs to be defined a bit more, so I can really bite down on it, grip it in my teeth, so to speak and make the intention behind the coin more real.

    I like to visualize, I dream, and dream big, I think about what I want to be doing all the time, but I have a hard time just going out and doing it. I always want to be doing something other than what I am doing, usually because I am on pause; inactive. This is a habitual inaction, I became used to, because of my illnesses. Because of pain, I have to stop throughout the day and take many breaks, which makes it hard to finish anything.

    This year I am feeling clearer with what I really want in life than I have in some time. I still have not pressed the unpause button, whether out of fear or habit, even though my mind and heart keep telling me to. I know it is time to fight this inaction and just do better. Better than I did last year, last week, yesterday.

    My Intention coin would say “Single Lovely Actions”.

    It would be based off of one of my favorite quotes by James Russell Lowell which I keep in one of my multiple quote books. This quote says it all.

    “All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action.”

    Single Lovely Actions. One at a time, until I reach who and where I want to be in life.

    Reply
  18. Kathi Avatar
    Kathi

    Mine would say “Creative Adventure”. I am craving more creativity in my life and adventure comes in many forms.

    Reply
  19. Heidi J Avatar
    Heidi J

    I would choose “Patience” because it is the trait I need most in my life right now– the ability to take it all in stride, to persist and hang in there, and keep cool through all the turbulence.

    Reply
  20. Amber Stults Avatar
    Amber Stults

    “Make your dreams happen” – so often we just wait around or don’t take a truly active role in our dreams. Want to lose weight? Do the exercise. Want to publish a story? Write it and edit it. These are things within our control that we let slip away.

    Reply
  21. Samantha Avatar
    Samantha

    “Of Course.”

    Reply
  22. Stephanie Avatar
    Stephanie

    “Make them real” is what mine would say. Your characters, your wishes, your wild dreams, the list of things that you never get around to doing, the accomplishments that you only imagine in your subconscious because you’re afraid that if you think of them they’ll go away.

    It’s easy to get sucked into everyday life, going to school, going to work, going to the store, going to the bathroom– it’s so easy to get bogged down in thinking about that that we forget about the future, we forget that there are things we want that won’t be achieved by being complacent. So “make them real” will remind me, wherever I go, everyday, to do something to make something real.

    Reply
  23. Keeley Avatar
    Keeley

    Right before New Years I read a blog post about choosing a word for the year, instead of making resolutions. The object is to live the word.

    Since then I have done all the stuff I always did half heartedly, because I was too afraid of the outcome.

    My word – the word I would put on my intention coin: Fearless.

    Cheers!

    Reply
  24. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    Mine would say “Words are Life” because, no matter if I become a famous author or not, my writing and my words are what make my life bearable, and I will never stop writing 🙂

    Reply
  25. Karen Avatar
    Karen

    Mine would say “Caveat Lector.” If you do not want to see my heart and soul on paper and experience my fiction, don’t read!

    Reply
    1. Karen Avatar
      Karen

      And it seems I misread the assignment! Let me try again…

      I got a fortune cookie message that read “Don’t…. Panic.” It fits me well since I’m not so good at taking things in stride, but this year, I am determined to take this to heart!

      Reply
  26. Robin Mitzelos Avatar
    Robin Mitzelos

    The one most precious thing for me this year is to finish the first book of a series of books that I have devised and either get someone to publish it or to self publish. I have been working on what seems like forever on this book and came to the conclusion that I am too much a perfectionist. Oh well, still working, onward and upward!

    Reply
  27. Melissa Avatar
    Melissa

    Mine would say “Bestseller” because I should never lose sight of the end goal. It should also say “Passion”. Apart from being my favourite word, I want to do everything in life with passion!!

    Reply
  28. Mary Avatar
    Mary

    I think mine would be “Take a Risk”. A teacher once quoted to me “If I never try anything, I never learn anything. If I never take a risk, I stay where I am.” I’ve always hesitated to take that risk because I worry too much about the chances of failure.

    Reply
  29. Dan K. Hobbs Avatar
    Dan K. Hobbs

    “If you begin, finish”
    Like others, I have a dream, I have a story to tell.
    It’s going to have a “can’t put it down beginninng,middle and ending.”I just wish I could sit at
    my desk for hours and just let it flow as it has for my first 30 pages.
    Dedication and quiet is my number one goal.
    I’m going to gret it done, then edit, edit, edit…….
    .

    Reply
  30. C D Knox Avatar
    C D Knox

    Mine would say ‘Motivate Yourself!’
    It’s one of my biggest flaws and keeps me from finishing my stories. I tend to come up with great beginnings but never get a finished product. All because I haven’t learned how to motivate myself. I can’t always expect my family and friends to push me. They are busy with their lives too. So my goal in 2011 is to finish a book. Even if it’s horrid and the revision is going to kill me.

    Reply
  31. Becky Kitchen Avatar
    Becky Kitchen

    Mine would definitely say “Finish your novel”

    Reply
  32. Jeff Avatar
    Jeff

    “Just Keep Going”
    It seems I have to say that to myself a lot.

    Reply
  33. April Avatar
    April

    I think mine would have to say “Face Your Dreams.” Seems I’m only ever peeking at them from around the corner, always afraid to just take that step….this year that needs to stop. I need to just walk forward, turn the corner, and stare my dreams in the face, and know that I really can go after them.

    Reply
  34. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    I think mine would say “Bring it on” so that everytime I saw it I would know not to always choose the easy way out.

    Reply
  35. Margaret Avatar
    Margaret

    I think mine would say ‘Just Breathe’. I spend too much time stressing out over ‘What If’s’ and what other people think and that my ms will be rejected again and worrying about parents and their health and my health and my husband’s health and my kids and work related problems – you get the picture.

    I need a reminder to step back from it all and take a deep breath, reassess and move forward.

    And, yes, the intention coins are very cool.

    Reply
  36. Amy Avatar
    Amy

    I’ve been picking a word of the year for the last three years. I find I stay with a word longer and it remains relevant all year long, whereas my new year’s goals fade into insignificance within a month or two. In the past I have used Courage to break out of my shyness, Spirit to develop my own sense of the world and Freedom to remove myself from a damaging situation.
    This year, I ended up with two words : Clarity and Independence.
    Clarity was chosen because I find I can get where I am going, but only if I know where I want to get too. There are a number of big decisions I have been puttering about with and refusing to acknowledge for some years now, and Clarity will help me decide and move forward.
    I chose Independence because I have found myself falling back into patterns of perceived helplessness and an unwillingness to take responsibility for my own ability to resolve the situations I find myself in – I keep trying to convince someone to do it for me.
    In the past my words have been defensive, but these two are active and powerful. I look forward to seeing what the year will bring.

    Reply
  37. Amy Avatar
    Amy

    I think mine would say something like ‘Don’t give up’, but that’s just something that’s a bit cliche. Instead i’d use the term ‘Never Retreat, never surrender’ if it could fit. ‘Never retreat’ applies because most of my life instead of following my ideas and dreams, i’ve just let them fall by the way side. ‘Never Surrender’ because more often then not i accept things that happen to me instead of sticking up for my self.

    Being able to see something like that every day, to hold it in my hand and repeat the words as i see them. That would make a big difference for me and help me build more confidence in my self.

    Reply
    1. RebeccaG Avatar
      RebeccaG

      It could fit 🙂 It reminds me of ‘Galaxy Quest’.

      Reply
  38. Veronica Avatar
    Veronica

    I’m sure mine would say “We’re with you”.

    Who are the people who said that? They are my friends, my family, all of the people who inspired me over the years, the toys I loved best in my childhood, the characters from all stories I have or have not written. They are the ones that wished me good luck and success, the ones that gave me comfort when I needed most.

    The coin with that phrase would always remind me of them, and of how they always support me. With so many good wishes, I am sure I can accomplish all my goals.

    Reply
  39. Lydia Avatar
    Lydia

    When I first considered what I would write on my intention coin, I tried to be as brilliant and clever as possible in my word choice, yet the words didn’t fit. I read your daughter’s blog and realized the words didn’t fit because I did not make them representative of me– what I need to be reminded of because I get lost in making everyone else feel special that I forget I am special too. So, I decided on these: beautiful, worthy, strong, loved.
    This is to remind me that I am “beautiful”, “worthy” of happiness, “strong” of heart, and “loved” by many; it is as important to love oneself as it is to show love to others. Thank you making me think :).

    Reply
  40. Tamara L Kelly Avatar
    Tamara L Kelly

    Rebel with a Pause!

    Reply
  41. Colleen Avatar
    Colleen

    Let’s see … I think mine would say “Conquer Fear.” Because I spend so much time worrying and being afraid. It winds me up in my own head and prevents me from interacting with the rest of the world in a healthier, happier way. And “Conquer” has such a, hmm, Amazonian feel to it. “Conquering” seems so much more glamorous than “Overcoming”.

    Reply
    1. Karen Avatar
      Karen

      “Turn on the lights”
      My husband has a formula for creative endeavor: engagement, eloquence, incandescence. (That would also make a good intention coin!) Engagement = being completely invested in what you’re doing. Eloquence = having the necessary tools, skills, and technique to pull it off. Incandescence = the work catching fire and shining for all to see, which is really the point of doing anything worthwhile. Enough engagement can often overcome a shortage of eloquence, but it’s rare for technique to make up for a lack of engagement. So I want to be engaged and skilled enough to turn on the lights: shine a light around and discover what the story is really about, what motivates a character, how things fit together. I love moments when characters who have been guarded with each or keeping secrets finally reveal the truth. Then all the lights come on, and if all goes well, the work achieves incandescence.

      Reply
  42. Mallika Avatar
    Mallika

    I think my intentions for the year could be summed up as follows:

    Learn. Love. Live.

    One of my main goals for the year is to learn a new language (Dutch), to love my amazing significant other/friends/family well, and to live each moment and imprint them in my memories as they come. 2011 is the year of extensive change, and I feel that I have a lot to learn and a lot to live for. 🙂

    Reply
  43. Barbara Avatar
    Barbara

    My coin would say Courage……I wish I could say it better but this borrowed quote says it all. I borrowed this quote from the movie, “Princess Diaries” Courage is not the absence of Fear,
    but the judgement that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. From now on you will be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can become.The secret is to allow yourself to make the journey.

    Reply
  44. N. Hamilton Avatar
    N. Hamilton

    My coin would say… Leap. I have always gotten to that point and never took the leap.

    Reply
  45. Ron Avatar
    Ron

    My Intention would simply have to be “finish novel” – I’ll imagine the 5 exclamation marks that follow. . .

    Reply
  46. Gregory Avatar
    Gregory

    Dr. Wayne Dyer was speaking about a recent book that he wrote. In describing his process, he admitted that he actually ‘mocks up’ a cover for the book he wants to write and wraps it around a book in his library in order to make it a tangible thing in the real world. His belief is that the book he wants to write is already written and it’s just his job to write down the words as they reveal themselves to him. I believe he is right. So the book I keep procrastinating working on already exists. The universe has already done the work of creation. “Now It Is My Turn”

    Reply
  47. Moshimoshimea Avatar
    Moshimoshimea

    “Be Better to You”

    As a teenager, my parents were sure to point out the times when they felt I was being selfish. The repetitiveness of the remark created a phobia of wanting or doing anything for me. Sometimes, I attribute this response to the illusion of Southern selflessness and/or remnants of my mother’s multicultural youth. But as I get older, I wonder if these statements were spoken because if I didn’t “want”, they didn’t have to “do,” a display of their own selfishness? Who knows? I don’t think they realized how this small act would grow into a paralyzing fear of personal desire.

    Anyway, I am now out of college, married, have been years at my first job, and finally have realized that it is okay to dedicate some effort to me. I’ve wanted to try painting and crafting and writing and photography…and I have and, currently, am. My husband is a great support and esteem booster. Two years ago, I discovered that my professional life is currently necessary to fund my personal life; it is not my personal life. Last year, I realized that I am as much as an adult as the forty-year-old employee in the next cubicle and am not inferior because of age. (Southern culture doesn’t really address how to transition from being the one to say “Yes’m” and “No Sir” to being the one called “Mam” and “Sir”. We’re on our own with this lesson.) This year, I’m working on caring for my physical self as well, but my intentions are not entirely selfish. I want to be healthy because we want to have a baby, and I want the best physical foundation for him or her before I give the child great material for his or her future psychiatrist. Ha!

    *Note* I did not seek out the lessons I learned two years ago and last year. I discovered that is what I learned after reflecting on events. This is the first year that I have actually set an intention for the year. I think the talisman will help keep me focused.

    The lesson I think I have just about hashed out is this: there is a healthy medium between “selfish” and “selfless”. A lean toward either side, however, can make you a doormat or a bitch. [This is a Mea (that’s me!) original. Feel free to repeat it. 🙂 ]

    Maybe my talisman should say “I’m a healthy level of ‘selfish’.” Oh, what about a great t-shirt! Yeah…

    Seriously, though, I chose “Be Better to You” because it would remind me to be aware of and act on my wants and needs, but only as long as I don’t hurt other people to obtain them.

    Reply
  48. Jennifer Lightfoot Avatar
    Jennifer Lightfoot

    “Write your own future.” My life is my own story. Up till now each chapter has been filled with the lives of others. Right now I begin to my own epoch. I will live to oneday fill the pages of my memoirs with love and laughter and tears and triumph.

    Reply
  49. Kenneth Pennington Avatar
    Kenneth Pennington

    I do not know what I am getting into, but that is usually the best thing to get into.

    Reply
  50. Kathrin Avatar
    Kathrin

    I think it is: “Flutsaum”. A word I didn’t know some weeks ago. It’s German and could be translated with “the hem of the high tide”. It means the little stones that the sea leaves at the beach.
    It’s so vivid – i just love this picture, but to me it means much more.

    Reply

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