Doors or wheels? Which do you think there are more of? It’s fun to debate because there are so many of each in our world. Both represent basic technology whose invention changed the world.
You encounter doors all day long. Usually you step through them without giving them much thought—unless there is a problem. A locked door makes you pause to pull out the key. No key? You will have to find another way in.
A door that I often think about is the front door to the house. When I return home from work, I usually dawdle in my car for a few minutes. I’ll check messages or social media for a few minutes. That’s when I wonder what is on the other side of that door.
I live with my husband, kids, and a few animals. I never know what I will walk into when I return home. It might be a string of problems, a welcoming face, or silence. So, I take a few minutes to collect myself before I cross that threshold.
Those moments have also given me an important insight about doors.
There are an endless number of doors in your life. Crossing a threshold is a tiny moment, but if you catch it, you can choose how you go through it. You can use doorways as a reminder to set an intention.
An intention is a hope or decision that you make about what will happen later. If you pause before stepping through a door, you can decide what you want from the experience in that room. You bring something better through that door to influence how it goes.
For example:
- When I absentmindedly enter the house, the first thing I see are the unwashed dishes. I then complain or fuss at the person who failed to do their chore. I don’t even say “hi” before jumping into the problems. This is a missed moment when I bring negative energy.
- When I pause at the door, I take the opportunity to make an intention. Thoughts that change what happens when I enter the house are the intention to bring joy or to connect with those in the house.
This transition from “out” to “in” is an important moment in your day. Like all transitions, it is an opportunity to switch from one state of mind to another. If you pay attention to this moment, you can use it as a reminder to align with who you are and how you want to be in the world.
Change the meaning of that door so it becomes the reminder of what you plan to do when you walk through it. You could plan to:
- Connect with your spouse, kids, or pet.
- Relax for five minutes (or 30-seconds) before jumping into the fray.
- Identify the things that make you grateful to be home.
But don’t stop with the front door. You walk through doors all day. You can change many situations by using doorways as a reminder to set an intention.
Here are some examples of intentions you can use to put this into practice:
- Car door: Be calm with other drivers.
- Teen’s door: Have a connecting conversation.
- Refrigerator door: Nourish your body.
- House door: Give kindness and joy to those you encounter.
- Bedroom door: Connect with spouse.
Try it: Choose one doorway that you would like to walk through with intention. Be specific about what you want that doorway mean. Then, put it into practice.
Imagine shifting how you go through your day just by setting an intention.
You can have what you want in your relationships. You need to be intentional, thoughtful and wise. Doorway Intentions is one more tool to do that.
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