Some people are deeply moved by poetic prose, and others are deeply bored by it. Some are responsive to plain directives, and others put off by such blunt approaches. When it comes to shaping intent, is “to each his own” the most effective approach to prayer?

There are all kinds of prayers for all kinds of reasons. There are all kinds of prayers that have been shared and are incorporated in the liturgy of organized religions and used again and again and again. We do not recommend many such prayers because most have limitations and drawbacks, if not outright flaws, in how they are presented. They will inevitably, many of them, create intentions that cannot be honored because they are disempowering the person launching the prayer. So your description of "to each his or her own" is very apt when one considers that a general prayer meant for the masses might not get the job done to help each and every person with many important needs for their betterment. It is a mistake to think all one needs is to attend a worship service and pray when asked to do so and in the way prescribed and that nothing more is needed. That is simply having a certain type of experience and not the be-all and end-all in forming a partnership with the divine and a living, breathing interaction on a daily basis and throughout the day as well. If you think of Creator as your best friend who enjoys being with you and is cheering you on with all your endeavors and wanting the best to happen, you will understand how it can be that you can call again and again on the divine to assist you in some way or another to make things better, to make you more effective in what you do, to amplify your efforts, and to summon the greatest skill and inner knowing you can, to favor your success. There are many things you can request of this kind that will propel you forward in life because the idea is to enhance what you are doing, not to work on your behalf and give you things. That would be disempowering and ultimately people much prefer working for their rewards and feeling the satisfaction it brings. This is how to think of life and how to think about prayer—to be creative, to craft prayer wording that puts into words what you wish to see happen and how you want your life to be and request help and assistance to make it so. It does not have to be flowery, it does not have to be elegant, it does not have to be erudite. It simply has to be you, to be genuine and heartfelt and clearly stating an intention, and you will do just fine.