Most of us wish for things to be different. We want a different job, or something we don’t currently have. We have aspirations on the back burner. Our mental chatter goes along the lines of ‘the day when…’. But how do you bridge this with where you are at right now? When you want it badly, but yet it is not looking like it is within reach? It all starts with being very intentional about what you want to get.
I’m in the same boat as you a lot of the time by the way. I have goals, and I watch the weeks pass by wondering when they will eventuate. I’m trying but also probably not quite trying. The difference is in how intentional we are. When I get to intentional land, there is so messing around and I surprise myself. You will say that it is super easy – setting an intention and off we go. Yet it is hard, because we need to have the right intention and then withstand what will get in our way.
Setting the right intention means we are 100% in it. No doubt, no maybes, and an absolute clarity that we want it. Do you really want to change job, or just a change of scenery? Does your goal really matter to you? Or is this something you feel you should be doing? Is it driven by other people’s opinion of you? The work starts with getting clear on your goals, and ensuring they are the right ones for you.
No point getting caught up in how realistic they are, or how long they will take to reach. This is where we divert away from intention, and start looking at our goals with a rational lens. An intention is always rooted in our intuition, so that is how we know that it is right. So if you get clear right now, what do you intent to achieve in the next few months? If it is the right intention, you will feel excited, committed and with a sense of relief when it’s on paper.
Once you have the right intentions, it gets super easy to workshop what actions you need to take to get you there. Again if this does not flow, go back and revisit your intentions. I personally like to use planning my actions as a way to validate how strong my goals are. And sometimes they aren’t, and that is OK. I just go back to the drawing board, because it means they don’t feel authentic to me.
The next challenge arises once you have all your intentions and the right actions underneath each: this perfect plan is ready to be walked all over by life. By some unplanned emergencies, or others needing you. By the weather, your mood, health, energy levels, the lack of time and so on. Some of it is predictable, so how can you prepare yourself in that case? The rest calls for your ability to remain focused, to be flexible and to gain support. Again look for ways you can get help, or to get some accountability – ask a friend, a mentor, your partner.
Being intentional is no walk in the park some days. You have to get clear and stick at it – that is the recipe for success. Too often we fall behind after only a few attempts, or plenty of ‘stuff’ starts cluttering our beautiful clarity from the very next day. The best way to avoid this is to remain focused on your intention, so ensure you regularly have your goals visible around you. Have them in your phone popping up as reminders, on post-it notes on your desk or in your journal. And plan your actions in your calendar weekly, so you know you are working towards your goals and you can start seeing them come through. Whether it’s a promotion, a holiday or anything in between.
So what are you intentional about bringing into your work and life right now? How can you make it happen? And how can you protect yourself from any side-tracking events? If you stay intentional every week, guess what: it will definitely happen.
