Paige Co-founder Paige Adams-Geller and Jenna discuss the inspiring role intention setting plays in her life, the daily habits she relies on to cultivate her state of being, and how we can overcome our deepest fears to experience the fullness of life.
How To Set And Manifest Your Intentions
As a young girl growing up in Wasilla, Alaska, with a population of less than 2,000, Paige Adams-Geller set two intentions that went on to shape her life. Captivated by the countless places she was introduced to in books, she developed an early yearning to see the world. The second came through a character who ran a large cosmetics company in a soap opera her mother watched. Every time Paige saw her she’d say: I’m going to have an empire one day!
These intentions began manifesting at age 16 when she moved to New York City to become a model. Then, in 2004 when she launched her renowned lifestyle brand Paige, where she continues to make an inspiring impact.
I fondly remember getting my first pair of Paige jeans with my mom in high school so it was very special to learn that Paige herself is a remarkable person. Our time together was packed with more moving stories than can be encapsulated in a post, so I wanted to share three valuable habits that can help us follow her lead living our most authentic life.
Start and end each day with a positive thought
Paige starts and ends every day reading an inspirational quote. The practice is simple but makes a more enduring impact than we might expect. First, you wake up feeling excited that it’s going to be a great day. The insight then serves as a reminder to be intentional and an anchor recenter when you’re feeling stressed. Even when you forget it, Paige assures it stays with you subliminally as a little angel on your shoulder guiding you throughout your day. She uses the app, Morning Light.
We kicked off our conversation with the quote she read that morning which centered on not aspiring to be perfect. I appreciated her perspective on the dangerous influence perfectionism has on our health and how she personally tries to avoid it…
“When you set goals that are impossible to reach you also set the expectation that you’ll never make any mistakes,” she says. “Demanding perfection of yourself is noble but often leads to anger and self-judgment, which puts you in an abusive relationship with yourself. Accept that perfection is elusive and strive to be the best person you can be.”
It was a timely insight to read before recording a podcast and also led Paige to acknowledge that people don’t relate to perfection. So, she set an intention to honor “the beauty in vulnerability: Feeling a person’s true energy and connecting with them.”
Free yourself by speaking your truth
Paige wholly fulfilled her intention in our conversation as she bravely shared her personal transformation from being a victim of rape who was afraid to face her trauma to becoming an advocate helping others navigate their own.
Paige was a victim of rape when she was 16 years old, and due to deep feelings of shame and guilt, hid her trauma for 13 years. We walked through the different phases of her transformation in our conversation (She also wrote a powerful piece detailing it in British Vogue.) Here, I wanted to highlight her advice on how we can face and overcome our fears.
The first step is to write it down. Write down whatever happened or is happening to you. It doesn’t have to be a deep trauma. You can write down anything that is causing you pain or distress. The process can be as brief and straightforward as filling out a statement like:
I am _________.
I was _________.
I feel _________.
“Putting whatever you are facing in writing makes it real and shifts the power to you because you are choosing to face it and let it go,” she says. “Even if you need to rip up the paper or aren’t ready to talk to others, the moment you acknowledge it you are in control.”
The purpose is to begin owning your story and releasing the pent up stress from your body. “When shame, blame, and fear stay inside of you they paralyze you,” Paige explains. “The only way to move forward is to let things go. I was in an abusive relationship with myself when I was holding on to secrets – Cut off from people and unable to enjoy life. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Letting go felt like discovering an oxygen supply.”
Once you feel ready to connect with others, you may consider calling an anonymous hotline, seeking support through a group, organization, or therapist, or confiding in a trusted friend. “When you start speaking your truth little by little, the way people embrace you and share their own stories builds your self-esteem and confidence that you can get through to the other side,” she says. “You no longer feel ashamed or like you have to hide anymore. You’re 100% yourself and you start to heal. Your life changes when you let love in.”
It’s important to note that being vulnerable and asking for support isn’t reserved for life’s biggest challenges. It’s relevant to the ones we face every day too. Paige adds: “When I tell a friend ‘I made a mistake’ they often say ‘Oh! I’ve done that too.’ You realize you’re not alone and that even when you make mistakes you still get unconditional love from your family and friends. The more you connect with others the more you can let joy, trust, and rawness into your life. Once you get a taste of that, it’s really hard to go back.”
Say your intentions out loud
For years, Paige’s mom has been documenting her achievements in a scrapbook. One of the pages is inscribed with the quote: “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” For Paige, creating your future always starts by setting your intentions, which she also recommends writing down and vocalizing. After hearing about her experiences, I can tell you this absolutely works!
“The moment you state your intention you make it real and propel it into the universe,” she says. “Then, with the law of attraction, you start seeing things, putting and finding yourself in situations that will help you manifest your intention. It’s almost like when you’re thinking about someone you haven’t talked to in a long time and they text you.”
Paige’s shoe collection is an inspiring example.
In December 2017, during a meeting with Nordstrom in Seattle, the team asked Paige what other categories she’d be excited to design. She immediately responded with shoes and from that moment on began focusing on the intention.
Upon returning home, she started visualizing shoes in her morning meditation, brainstormed designs everywhere she went, and shared her desire with everyone from friends to prospective investors and, of course, her team. Early on, one team member said she had the perfect person for Paige meet; He was retired but she thought he’d work on the collection with her. They partnered soon after.
The following month, Paige got a call from Nordstrom saying they’d be interested in a shoe collection.
Last September, less than a year later, Paige’s shoe collection debuted in Nordstrom stores across the country, as well as in her own stores, and continues to be a fantastic addition to the business.
Follow her lead by writing down and vocalizing your intentions – “Say it. Feel it. Repeat it. Keep making your intention real and putting it out there. You attract the energy you put out into the universe.”