Steve Pavlina has an interesting article today about how intention works in the present moment. I haven’t done a lot of research on intentions, desires and manifesting riches. But I have given a lot of thought to living in the present. I think Steve’s point here is something like a western pop culture version of mindfulness practice. I’m all for it. Here’s a brief summary of Steve’s main points:

Suppose you like the idea of tithing 10% of your income to worthy causes. But your finances are too tight for you to feel comfortable tithing right now. However, you tell yourself that you intend to start tithing once you experience a greater state of abundance. So you’re acknowledging the reality of your present situation while holding a positive intention for the future. This seems reasonable, doesn’t it?

In actuality, however, this type of thinking is self-defeating.

Consider the thoughts/intentions that are being put forth:

1. The intention to tithe (future).
2. The intention to experience limited finances (present).
3. The intention not to tithe (present).
4. The intention to experience abundance (future).

Now collapse all of these intentions to the present, since other times are merely illusion. This yields the following:

1. The intention to tithe (present).
2. The intention to experience limited finances (present).
3. The intention not to tithe (present).
4. The intention to experience abundance (present).

Is this a congruent set of intentions? Obviously it’s in conflict because 1 cancels 3, and 2 cancels 4.

Unfortunately, this is how most people go about forming and holding intentions. No wonder their intentions fail to manifest. If you hold intentions like the ones above, you can invest tons of energy and have very little to show for it.

So what’s the solution? The solution requires that if you want to hold an intention for your future, you must in fact hold that intention for your present. The focal point of your positive expectations must be now – not later… or tomorrow… or someday.

Forget about past and future, and focus entirely on the present. But give your present a velocity instead of seeing it as a fixed point. Your present is not a single frame snapshot – it’s an animation. Whenever you hold an intention, you’re aiming to alter that animation.

Let’s return to the tithing example. If you recognize the present as the only reality, then your new intentions will look something like this:

1. The intention that your tithes are continually increasing (present).
2. The intention that your experience of abundance is continually increasing (present).

Whenever you observe reality, observe it changing in the direction of your desires. See your present reality as a canvas that paints an ever more beautiful picture.