Planting Seeds, Setting Intentions, and Tending to the Soul

I have been thinking lately about the difference between having intentions and setting intentions. On the surface, they sound like the same thing, but they are not.

Having intentions is passive. It is like carrying around a pocket full of seeds, knowing they hold potential, but never really deciding what to do with them.

Setting intentions, though, is active. It is when you take those seeds, choose a patch of soil, and plant them with care. Suddenly, they have a chance to sprout into something real.

This picture of seeds and gardens reminded me of my own self-healing journey. Having intentions is like saying, “I want to be well.” Setting intentions is saying, “I am choosing this practice, this boundary, this nourishment,” and following through, even if it feels uncomfortable. One holds possibility. The other creates direction.

As I was tending to one of my plants the other day, the metaphor deepened. A plant does not stay healthy just because you want it to. It thrives because you prune what no longer serves its growth. Sometimes leaves die, and as much as they once had a purpose, clinging to them only drains energy from the living parts.

Isn’t that the same with us? Healing often means cutting away old habits, attachments, or versions of ourselves that once were alive but now only siphon off nourishment from the parts of us that can still grow.

For a long time, I thought just walking by and occasionally watering the plants in my home was enough to sustain them. Knowing they were alive felt sufficient, but without real attention, they began to struggle. That too became another mirror for my inner child. How easy it is to believe survival alone is enough, when what is truly needed is care, consistency, and presence.

And then came the polish. I sprayed the leaves and gently wiped them down with a soft cloth, and I felt this unexpected wave of tenderness. In that moment, I was not just tending to a plant. I was tending to my inner child. I was saying, “You are worth care. You are worth gentleness. You are worth shining.”

That is what setting intentions really feels like. Not just having the seeds in your pocket, but deliberately choosing to water, prune, polish, and nurture.

Maybe the real difference between having intentions and setting them is the same difference between admiring a plant in a shop window and actually bringing it home, potting it, and caring for it day by day. One is wishful thinking. The other is a living practice.

And when we make that choice, the garden - whether outside in soil or inside our soul -begins to flourish.