A view from the Villa Romana in Sirmione

I’ve been reflecting lately on what I want for myself this summer.

(Note: this is meant to be a longer, luxurious + reflective read. Take a deep breath, set aside some space and take a little walk with me as we explore the summer solstice and intention setting together.)

We’re a couple of days out of the summer solstice and it’s got me in a reflective mood.

It’s the start of a new season. Things are changing and shifting as we welcome in a whole new way of being. We’ve moved through the longest day of the year and now the days are slowly shortening again, moving us forward even though we’re only at the beginning.

I honestly find reflecting on nature so… nurturing.

The rhythm and pace of nature is unlike anything that we experience anywhere else in modern society.

It moves slowly, steadily, never faltering and never questioning. There is no doubt that the seasons will change, the sun will rise, the flowers will bloom.

Read that again: there is no doubt that all of those things will just naturally, and almost magically, happen. 🌿

When I think about the summer solstice and the start of this season so much comes up. My birthday is in a few short days. Vacations are a common summer activity. Beach days, walks in nature, ice cream on a hot day… there’s so much good that comes with this time of year.

I’m in a space where, with my birthday just around the corner, I’m thinking about what my intention is for this season. Not the next year of my life or the next six months, no. But as the summer stretches out before me, I find myself wondering: what do I want this season to mean for me?

Intentions are so powerful. And, frankly, a lack of intention is equally as powerful though doubly chaotic.

Mila inside the Villa Romana in Sirmione.

I recently went on a trip with my partner and Mila to Lake Garda. It was my partners birthday two days before we left. Mila’s birthday was two days before that. Mila needed to be taken to the vet twice over the course of the weekend… a lot was going on.

And because I got swept up in the to-do’s and birthday events, the time I had set aside for setting an intention for our trip got taken over by other tasks that needed my attention. And, honestly, I felt this deeply when our vacation began.

Being clear, taking the time to understand what you want and state that to those walking the path with you is invaluable.

If you, firstly, don’t know what you want and, secondly, don’t communicate it clearly to those around you, well I can almost guarantee that you won’t get it.

Mila and I waiting for Francesco inside the Villla Romana grounds in Sirmione. One of the biggest gifts of this entire trip was the amount of places that Mila was allowed to enter into. Italy is a very dog-friendly country!

Your intention is what sets the path before you.

It can’t predict what will unfold, but it helps you direct the steps you take while on it. Living intentionally, to me, means taking the time - daily - to get clear on what you actually want so that you know exactly what you’re moving towards.

The lack of intention towards our trip to Lake Garda made it more of an adventure (still good!) when I needed more of a vacation. Where I needed rest and a slower pace of life than we have at home, I got endless trips to castles and Roman ruins.

Was it still amazing? Fuck yeah! Life is meant to be lived and I am grateful for everything I saw and experienced. But was it what I really needed? Not until the second half of our trip where I stated my needs still more clearly and really set boundaries around what I could and couldn’t handle doing. Then the whole energy shifted and I could feel that I was living in alignment.

(And trust that there is a whole other story here because living in alignment while also being in partnership requires a certain amount of independence, patience, communication and organization.)

But I know deeply that if I want to call in a season of exactly what I want, then I need to dedicate the time to get clear on what that is and then remind myself of it every day.

Maybe that looks like a word, phrase or affirmation that you carry forward with you. Maybe it’s meditating or visualizing the season that you’re calling in. Maybe it’s speaking to yourself like it’s already done. You’ll know the path that works best for you.

But either way I know it begins with taking the time to set the intention of what you’re calling in first and above all else.

So what is this season asking of you?
What are you craving?
What is calling to you?

Is it rest? Adventure? Quiet? Surrender? Slowing down? Moving forward?

Only YOU can know what your spirit is craving.
And only YOU can give that to yourself.

One of the many, many aforementioned castles we visited while in the Lake Garda area

This season is inviting me to open up even more. Open up to options, choice and limitless possibility. This is a season of ME. After years of prioritizing the needs of others and putting someone else before me, I know that it’s my time to invest my time, energy and resources heavily into myself and my wellbeing.

It looks like a season of prioritizing mental and physical health. It’s about time with family and friends and building a community of people who see the value in me and what I bring to any relationship (personal or professional).

It’s about letting go of the chase. That’s done, that’s over and “we don’t do that here anymore.” It’s about attracting and being magnetic — knowing that what is meant for me is already on its way to me.

It’s about slowing down to speed up. Deep, luscious rest that leads to focused productivity. Real rest, without distractions, and real productivity, without force.

It looks like the most intense boundaries I’ve ever set in my life — both with myself, others and life itself.

It looks like deciding what I want and understanding that the energetic decision is all it really takes. Being unapologetic about that decision and holding the vision until it manifests into reality. This is my only job.

It looks like so much fucking love and care for myself that my cup is overflowing! And anything that comes from someone else is a bonus and the cherry on top because, either way you cut it, I’m good. Solid, supported and loved in my own energy.

It looks exactly like everything I’ve ever wanted coming true. Creating my life from a sense of clarity and alignment (especially because I’m planning a lot of travel in the next three months and manifesting its perfect and aligned unfolding for myself and those involved) and moving in the world like every step I take is the right one.

Because it is.
Because I decide it is.

So you take the step and decide it’s right.
And it is.
Because YOU decide it is.

Rinse + repeat until what unfolds before you is the most perfect, ideal and juicy summer of your dreams all because you invested the time to get clear on what you actually wanted and then remind yourself about it daily until the reminders become your thoughts and those thoughts become your beliefs and those beliefs become the foundation of every single step you take. (It’s all in the mindset baby!)

So here’s to the most juicy, alive, aligned and anything-you-want-it-to-be! summer that you can possibly imagine!

With love and wild freedom,

Alessia

PS. If you're reading this and realizing that your boundary setting skills could use a little refresher — in your life, your relationships, your work — that's the exact work we do together inside my 1:1 container. Book a free clarity call below to experience what working with me can bring to your life!

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