What Do You Intend?

(#5 of 7) from the series: Does Positive Thinking Really Work?

Intention Guides Your Actions

A mother was preparing to have a conversation with her 9-year old daughter.  She wasn’t happy about having to discipline her.  “How do you want your daughter to feel after the conversation?” I asked.  She was quiet for a moment and then answered, “Loved.”  Later she told me that the question I had asked helped her approach the conversation differently, with her larger intention in mind (rather than being more concerned with making her point).

Intention is an anticipated outcome —an aim— that guides our actions.  It is more than a goal.  When you hold a larger intention, you leave room for the goal to be achieved in a different way.

Intention doesn’t worry about how.  Intention isn’t defeated by setbacks.  Intention is larger than the details and speaks to a bigger purpose.  Intention informs you.

Know Your Intention, Increase Your Effectiveness

When you launch into action without having a clear intention, some false starts are likely to occur.  A perfect example is the desire to lose weight.  A man I know was surprised when he realized how much weight he had lost a few months after altering his focus from dieting to a deeper intention: enjoying food while embracing moderation.  Clarifying your intention edits your goal appropriately.

Conversely, the axiom “the path to hell is paved with good intentions” reminds us that intention doesn’t stand alone.  To have an impact, it must be allowed to influence our thoughts, attitudes, and behavior.  There is a formula that captures this nicely:

Awareness + Intention + Action = Results

This Week: Set Your Intention

You can set an intention for a conversation, a role or responsibility you have, or something new you would like to invite into your life:

I intend to be a good listener.
I intend to develop a positive mindset.
I intend to find a career opportunity that fits me like a glove.
I intend to grow my boldness.

Expressing your intention is powerful.

What do you intend?