As the New Year has begun, yes I am a little late to the party with this one, I thought it would be an appropriate time to discuss the topic of goals or as I prefer, intentions.
As the festive season winds down, many of us experience a moment of introspection. We recap the year gone by and pass judgement on it, deciding wether it has been a good or bad year, productive or un-productive. Often times the result of this trip down memory lane will tell us that we have fallen short of our goals or expectations and we feel obliged to set fresh, new year resolutions and goals that are mostly unrealistic and out of our reach - not in the sense that we don’t have the capacity to achieve them, but rather in the sense that we generally place unrealistic pressure on ourselves to achieve them within a certain timeframe or to a degree that is initially unrealistic - once more setting ourselves up for “failure” and disappointment.
You can sense there is a “but” coming can’t you?
But! …What if I were to tell you that there is a simple and easy-to-implement solution that can guarantee that you will never “fail” or fall short of a goal again!?
You see, I believe that the biggest problem when it comes to goal setting, is that by doing so you are simultaneously creating a moment in time where you will inevitably “succeed” or “fail” to achieve that goal. Since the outcome of any specific goal is largely out of our hands, one must wonder why it is that we would choose to place ourselves in such a position?
“Woah, hold up cowboy!” “Did you just tell me that the outcome of my goal is “out of my hands”?” “What happened to, “if it’s going to be its up to me” and all that woo-woo!?”.
Indeed, let me explain. What I mean by that is that there are many factors at play when It comes to setting and achieving goals. We may think that X is our goal and Y is how we are going to get there, yet X may look different as time goes by and Y is almost certainly not going to pan out as we had planned. All I meant when I said that the outcome is largely out of our hands, is that there is more at play here than many of us originally foresee and that setting goal X may mean the world to you one day and not all that much to you the next. Which begs the question, if the goal no longer means as much to you and you fail to achieve it, why perceive it as a failure?
Back to the solution.
During my search for enlightenment and optimisation, I have often stumbled across the concept of setting intentions rather than goals and having dug a little deeper, I truly believe that this methodology is self empowerment gold!
Let us dig further.
Intent - Definitions as stated on https://www.dictionary.com/browse/intent
Noun
Something that is intended; purpose; design; intention
The act or fact of intending, as to do something
Law. The state of a person’s mind that directs his or her actions towards a specific object
Meaning or significance
You see, stating intention, expresses an intent to achieve something, but does not give it a definitive point in time or criteria at which you can fail to succeed. Let me use one of my intentions as an example: Intention for 2019: I intend to spend more time in the present moment and in meditation.
If I chose to write this as a goal it would state: Goal for 2019: To spend more time in the present moment and in mediation.
Now if I do not improve upon my current time spent in meditation over the course of this year, I will also have failed to achieve my goal and this will make me feel shitty about myself. However, since my intention is simply that, and has no pass/fail attached to it, I may end my year knowing while my intention did not succeed in improving my meditation time, I also didn’t “fail” anything and thus I can hold my head high and feel good, knowing that I simply refocus my intent, should the desired result still hold meaning to me, and sharpen my resolve, knowing that “if it is to be, it is up to me”, just as “if it is meant to be, it will be”.
The beautiful thing about intent is that it removes the pressure that seems to come hand in hand with goals. It allows you to fall in love with your desire, to love the process and give your all to it because you want it with your heart rather than with your head. You are no longer focussing on all of the failures and hurdles that are between you and your goal, but instead focussed on the intended result and what you can be doing right here, right now to make that intention a reality.
Remove the pressure. Remove the expectation. Implement focus. Implement intent.
The power of words is often forgotten. What we say and how we say it can position us in a state of advantage or a state of disadvantage. We must be careful not to set ourselves up for “failure”, especially in a world that is so heavily influenced by comparison and unrealistic expectations. One can quickly become overwhelmed by comparing themselves and their results with those of others, no two situations are the same, it is important to give yourself the best chance possible to achieve all of your wildest dreams and truest desires. There are many ways in which you can tip the scales in your favour. Setting powerful, realistic intentions that are going to fill you will a sense of achievement and empowerment as you achieve and improve upon them is one. Always remember above all else the importance of the present. The current moment is the most important time of all because it is the only time that you will ever experience. Think about it.
This current moment reminds me of my departing message to you. Live in it. Love in it. Enjoy it. Since there can be no other “time” in which you exist, why wait for a New Year to set a new intention? Surely #NewYearNewMe isn’t worth putting off that which will improve your life right now?
“If it is to be, it is up to me”.
Don’t intend to intend. Intend change right now, moment by moment, for you cannot fail.
With love and good intentions,
Jeremy Strong