This is the third part of a series of posts. See Part One here and Part Two here.
Remembering your intentions can help you reconnect with yourself when life throws you curveballs and crises. This helps you to not only think about what needs to be done but also the spirit in which you are going to do it.
Instead of your focus only being on achieving your goal, checking in on the intentions you set for yourself allows you to check in with yourself and assess how you are doing. This means when you are dealing with an unexpected event, obstacle or set back, you focus first on yourself and then on what you want to achieve and how you will progress from this point forward.
This shifts the dynamic and self-talk from “I am going to achieve this goal at all costs” to “I am going to achieve this goal whilst also exercising self-care and being true to my values”. This enables you to support yourself and work towards your goals.
Intentions provide space to gauge progress. Goals tend to be judged on a binary dynamic – you achieved them or you didn’t. Intentions allow you to calibrate your efforts moving forward.
Goals delay gratification. You can only enjoy the goal once it is achieved – once it is ticked off the to-do list. Setting intentions provides space in the now for you to enjoy the journey towards your goal and congratulate yourself for the way in which you are doing it.
By being in touch with, and acting from what is true for you, you take ownership of the process and progress.
Setting intentions allows you to decide how you are going to effectively use your unique complement of personal strengths in attaining your goals, rather than actions based on wants and insecurities.
Considering intent means that when you reach your goal/summit your Kilimanjaro/tick off your to-do list, you do so whilst celebrating who you are and what you have achieved.
The purpose of intentions is to use your values to guide your approach to your goals. This establishes a link between you and your goal. You can then see the goal in relation to yourself and who you are.
The link, the progress, the connection to our values, the ownership of our mindset are all tools that aid us in moving towards something we want, desire and aspire to and discourage us from using our goal as something to punish ourselves with or beat ourselves over.
Intent is about how we intend to tackle our goal and about how we are going to treat ourselves on the journey towards the goal. Treating ourselves as beings of value starts at the beginning of this journey, with acknowledging who we are and what we stand for, not only at the end when we achieve our goal.
Feeling ridden instead of driven? Time to get in the driving seat of your life? Call now.
