When you’re running towards your goals. Intention and Action are two things you should pay attention to.
You can certainly have one without the other, but if you focus on just 1, you won’t get you where you want to be!
These two bad boys go together like pizza and pineapple, gin and tonic, or Turk and JD.
So many people set goals, important tasks, have ambitions to do wonderful things, but fail to follow through.
Personally, I don’t necessarily think that we fail because of a lack of commitment or desire, we fail because we set ourselves up to. Unintentionally of course, you don’t fail by accident, but when you only look at half the puzzle, you can’t come out on top.
Yep you guessed it. that puzzle consists of two main pieces. Intention and Action.
Intention
When this is the sole focus you’ll find yourself in an endless loop of planning, thinking, planning and thinking. Forever in the habit of not actually changing behaviour. Doubt and confusion grows, you lose confidence in your ability to execute and achieve what you set out to. Paralysis by analysis is a perfect descriptor of intention only thinking.
Action
Alternatively if your go to is a shoot from the hip approach (guilty), you’ll make decisions and take action at the drop of a hat. This is fantastic for short term gain, to go fast, but for how long? Sure you might be full of beans for a month or two but just as quickly as you started, life inevitably smacks you in the face. You end up burnt out, with no energy left to do anything about it.
Neither of these approaches are best in class, a focus on either one will leave you with disappointment and regret. Both together however, is a whole different ball game.
Intention + Action = Winning
First let me define Winning. For me, it’s progress. Constantly learning, growing, adapting and moving forward. Growth can be external, or it can come from within. Whether you’re in contraction or expansion, winning means you’re moving forward, even if you are crawling.
It all starts with meaning. Intention is just that, giving something we do meaning. We as humans can’t live in prosperity without it. Meaning allows us to set goals, with smaller targets along the way. This way, it’s more than a means to an end. Proper meaning (ie Making the world a better place) is a means within itself.
Pair that up with action and you’re in flow. Take the leap, make the move, and ensure each action you take has an outcome, tasks and accountability and you’re well on your way to make an assault towards the goals and desires you have set for yourself.
Simply put, every intention, should come with a new set of actions. Next time you have something you want to achieve, check in and make sure you’re ticking both boxes.
To quote the great Ray Dalio ‘Evolving is life’s greatest accomplishment, and it’s biggest reward’
Which do you lean towards, Action or Intention?
Spend some time on the other, or find someone else who specialises and let the magic happen.
To your evolution.
Wallace.