I’ve been stuck, lost and felt flat about the future within a profession I’d invested a lot of time, money and parts of myself into. I’d fast forward to 5 years time and what I saw made me shudder with fear rather than feel butterflies of excitement.

I thought this was normal, but maybe it was me who wasn’t as I expected something more than feeling disheartened, average and mediocre.

Have you noticed how the radio makes it acceptable that we count down to every weekend? That it’s ok to wish away our live’s away in the hope of having a little respite at the weekend?

The trouble is changing where we are is not as easy as we think! Where we are now, gives us a clue as to our past thinking. Our thinking is something few of us are prepared or expect to have to change. But the truth is, it’s only us who keep us stuck and unfulfilled.

Increasingly, we live in a world of distraction and comparison. As a defence Lawyer, I was trained to be reactionary, to switch off and ignore my feelings and to live in my analytical mind. As Head of Department, I shuffled the whole department around last minute to accommodate the latest arrest or case that had come our way. I would wake up each day, ready and prepared for what the world was going to throw at me. Whether it be waiting for a police officer to try and catch me off guard or a client to shake up the day up with their unpredictable lives.

Consequently, I was amazing at spinning plates but knew nothing about setting my intentions for the day, the month or the year. Instead, daily I was dragged along by everyone else’s agendas.

Now, I set my intentions every single day, at the beginning of every month and the year too. Setting an intention is to have an aim, a plan, and a goal. By setting an intention and writing it down, we in effect instruct the subconscious part of our brain to do as it’s told.

The subconscious part of our brain controls 90% of what we do! Walking, talking, blood and oxygen pumping around our bodies, brushing our teeth and even driving without consciously thinking about where were going.

Are you often awake, before your alarm clock goes off in the morning? That’s because it’s not your alarm waking you up, it’s you setting the intention by putting the time in your alarm to wake up. In effect, you’re telling your subconscious what to do.

Life is exactly the same, set the intention, write it down and live life by design and not default. Your subconscious will always take you to default mode unless you take control and give it something to aim for. You need to tell it what you want and what to do.

As December began, I ticked off my now achieved intentions for November. I then set new ones, what is your intention for December? Is it to relax and enjoy Christmas? Is it to begin implementing the changes you want in your life to ensure transformation can occur in 2017? Is it to work hard and sacrifice your time to get the next promotion or job offer?

Take the time this week to sit down and write down what you intend for December to be about for you. What do you set out to achieve in your career/business, personal relationships, and life?