I played the Game of Life in Las Vegas – and won.  A long weekend getaway for my husband, Brad, and I proved not only to be relaxing and rejuvenating, but also became a great illustration of how living with intention makes each day a playful, joyful adventure.

We’d been craving some time alone, having never taken a vacation without our four-year-old son. My parents were willing to take care of him and we had some extra vacation days, so we decided on a whim to take the trip. I was about to book a hotel and airline tickets online when Brad uttered that awful question: “Can we afford it?” Technically, the answer was no. We hadn’t saved up for a last-minute trip to Vegas and I didn’t want to feel guilty throughout the trip for every penny we spent. But then he said the magic words: “Let’s not worry about it. We’ll just expect the money to come.” That sounded like a much better plan than not going to Vegas! So I sat down with him and looked him in the eyes. We agreed to go to Vegas and, more importantly, we agreed to not let any negativity or worries creep in. We imagined ourselves there without a care in the world – enjoying shows, eating well, and relaxing fully. Rather than stress about how to pay for each little thing, we chose to believe without a doubt that the money would come some way, some how. I booked the trip.

And then, we forgot about it. We let it go, allowing our intention – easily affording a fantastic getaway – to drift off into the Universe. Letting go is critical to the process. If you set your intention and then continue to think about it frequently, wondering about the outcome, the Universe gets confused. It’s like ordering a restaurant hamburger and then repeatedly interrupting your server to ask when it will come, how it will be cooked, what will be on it, how it will taste, what it will cost and whether or not you should have ordered the veggie wrap instead. All that noise and indecision is only going to annoy and confuse your waiter, increasing the chances of getting your order  wrong. The same applies to placing your order with the Universe.

That’s why, as my husband and I planned for our trip, neither of us mentioned the money issue again. The very next day, a check for $104 arrived in the mail from our insurance agent – completely out of the blue. Then, I decided to follow up with a client who had never paid me for past work. To my amazement, they sent me a hefty check within three days. This is another key point; once you set your intention, you have to take action. Consider what part you can play without forcing the issue. I followed up on an outstanding payment with a single email; I didn’t waste lots of energy scrambling to find a brand new client or revenue stream that could help pay for the trip. Yes, sometimes the results do flow in without any effort. But if something as simple as a phone call or a little research might get you going in the right direction, it’s important to listen to that voice in your head telling you what to do to help manifest your intentions.