There are two types of people, those who plan everything and those who plan nothing. I believe spontaneity has its place in life, but when it comes down to accomplishment and actually getting something done, you need to have the end of your efforts in mind. It will help fuel your activities and guide you toward your desired result. Without the guidance of a genuine intention, we are easily distracted from our path, and reaching our accomplishments will be difficult, but setting an intention is relatively easy. The little effort it takes will allow people to turn their goals into reality and live more fulfilling lives.
Plan Nothing
A wise friend once told me, “If you plan nothing, that is exactly what will happen.” This is as true for your big goals in life as it is for how you spend your time on the weekend. Creating a plan will focus on your actions and guide you in the time you can spend on each task to achieve everything you want. In the short term, you will find your weekends much more productive if you create a list of intentions you will accomplish in that time. That means committing your thoughts to paper and making a list of the intentions you are pursuing. There will be things you want to do and things you have to do. You will be shocked how just writing down something will hold you accountable when you just thought about your list in your mind. It is easy to “forget” your intentions.
With bigger goals, you need to write them down and continually review them. Break down the ultimate accomplishment into smaller pieces, write them down, and move forward to make it happen. Keeping the result in mind as you work through creation is vital to keep you working toward achieving what you want in life. Without intention, long-term goals are virtually impossible. There must be a “fire” inside you to accomplish anything of substance and make it last. People tend to move like a boat on the water with broken steering cables with no clear destination. They move very quickly in a circle, always in motion, but most energy is wasted because it isn’t taking you anywhere. Keep your desired ending in mind and write down an intention to get there.
The Path
Once you set an intention and act for a purpose, the path you must take opens up in front of you. It isn’t by magic, and it is by necessity. Each step you need to take will be there in front of you. Will there be “missteps”? Yes, there will be an experience you need and the knowledge you have to obtain to reach your ultimate goal. People without intention can lose their motivation after just one minor setback, whereas someone who desires to accomplish a thing will have no issue continuing their effort regardless of what is in their way. Your intention leads the way.
Keep moving ahead, even taking just a tiny step daily, and you will inevitably find the next available step. The path to all outstanding accomplishments is easy to see from the endpoint of success. Looking back, you can see how all things are connected. Moving forward, you have to have faith in the Universe to cause all of the tumblers to fall just where they need to for your intention to become a reality.
Each day we begin a new chance to follow the goals we want, or we will unconsciously work toward someone else’s intention. Be conscious of what you want, write it down, revisit the statement often, and have faith you will accomplish what you seek.
“Every morning, you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams or wake up and chase them.”
“Intention is one of the most powerful forces there is. What you mean when you do a thing will always determine the outcome. The law creates the world.” — Brenna Yovanoff
“Every journey begins with the first step of articulating the intention, and then becoming the intention.” — Bryant McGill
“A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.” — Seneca