🎯 Setting Intentions: Shooting the Arrow

Written By Andrés Jiménez

One of the most common responses I hear in circles and ceremonies when I ask about people’s intentions is:
"I have no expectations. I’m open to whatever the universe wants to bring me."

Beautiful! But is that really an intention? Or is it simply describing reality?

Because let’s be honest: If the universe, life, God, or our soul wants to give us something, we don’t actually get to reject it. Reality will unfold as it needs to, regardless of our preferences. Our only choice is whether we resist it or not.

What people are often really saying is: “Today, I choose not to fight what is. I choose acceptance.” And while that’s a powerful approach to engage with reality, it’s not the same as setting an intention.

🎯 Intention Is Like an Arrow

Setting an intention is like shooting an arrow. We have an aim—something we want to reach. Then we release
 but once the arrow is in the air, it may or may not hit the target. This is where the true meaning of having no expectations comes in:

đŸ”„ I choose where to aim, but I trust wherever the arrow lands.

đŸ”„ If it misses the mark, I accept that maybe my intention wasn’t about hitting the target, but about the journey it led me on.

đŸ”„ I release control over the outcome but remain engaged in the process.

The arrow is my purpose.
The bow is my thoughts.
The hand drawing the string is my will, my heart’s desire.
The air through which the arrow travels is the mystery.

When I set a clear intention and hold it in my awareness, the mystery conspires in my favor. Setting an intention doesn’t limit possibilities—it opens them. It creates a dynamic map, not a rigid one. You say: “My arrow is heading there.” Then you trust the flight.

đŸč Questions to Sharpen Your Aim

Before pulling back the bowstring, it’s worth asking:

đŸ”č Is this truly my arrow?

  • Am I aiming at something I genuinely desire, or is this a goal inherited from societal expectations, fear, or external pressures?

  • If no one were watching, would I still want this?

đŸ”č Am I ready to let it fly?

  • How often do I hold the arrow, hesitating out of fear of missing?

  • Am I willing to release control and trust the process, even if the path is uncertain?

đŸ”č What is happening between the shot and the landing?

  • Am I obsessing over whether I’ll hit the target, or am I allowing myself to be present in the unfolding?

  • Can I trust that even if I don’t land where I expected, I will arrive exactly where I need to be?

đŸ”č What happens after the arrow lands?

  • Instead of regretting where it didn’t land, can I learn from where it did?

  • If I could look back from the future, what might this moment be teaching me?

🎯 Finding Your Intention

If you’re still unsure where to aim, here are some questions to guide you:

1ïžâƒŁ Have you been triggered lately? Any situation that stirred strong emotions or threw you off balance? (Hint: It's never about what it seems to be about.)

2ïžâƒŁ Are you carrying a strong judgment about someone? What if that judgment is actually showing you something about how you see the world?

3ïžâƒŁ Are you facing a challenge? What’s the best possible outcome you can imagine?

4ïžâƒŁ Even if it feels impossible, is there something you long to achieve? Forgiving someone, rebuilding a relationship, overcoming an illness, leaving something behind?

Intentions are not about forcing outcomes. They’re about stepping toward the truth already planted within you, like a seed remembering it was always meant to become a tree.

So
 where are you pointing your arrow today? đŸ’«đŸč

Andrés Jiménez