Intent or intention is mind made active by spirit. It is not an energy but a force that directs and carries energy, and consequently the use of such always drives me into my centre and, if correctly aligned, my root. An action started without intent is weak and undirected, and can only succeed if habitual – if it slots into an established pattern of successful action. For example, for most of us breathing is unintended yet successful because we have a habit of breathing (imagine the power of that first breath!). Intending an action is basically a way of both committing to that action, and taking responsibility for the action, and for this reason most of us prefer not to use intent if we can possibly get away without it. In fact for most of us intent is half-hearted at best, and has the option of failure built in: how often do we fail to do something or fail to complete something that we tell ourselves we intend to do? In Tai Chi we endeavour to intend every action we make, and to extend the intent through to completion (no momentum – no slackness). In itself it is discipline, training the energy to follow the dictates of mind and spirit. And like everything in Tai Chi (and life) it is a stage to be passed through – on the way to emptiness – unintended pervasive heart. All saints, no matter how gentle and loving, will have had ferocious intent, because without it heart will always fall short.