How to get what you want with intention and goal setting
Getting what you want is about long-term vision planning, short-term goal-setting, and choosing daily habits that set you up for long-term success.
Do you forget to give yourself credit for the progress, however small, you make? Are you always setting goals that you never stick to? And does the word goal-setting leave you feeling miserable?
Then you might need to bring more intentions into your life.
What’s the difference between a goal and intention?
1) Goals are focused on the future. Intentions are in the present moment.
Being intentional allows you to focus on how you want to be in the moment, independent of whether you are “winning or losing.”
2) Goals are a destination or specific achievement. Intentions are lived each day, independent of achieving the goal or destination.
In essence: the process you go through until you get to what you want to achieve.
3) Goals are external achievements. Intentions are about your relationship with yourself and others.
By setting your intention first, and combining it with goals, you will become a creator who enjoys both the journey, as well as the destination.
Setting intentions is the act of stating what you intend to accomplish through your actions. If you want to grow through your actions, then an intention could be the key to unlocking a lifelong habit of excellence.
It’s a commitment to what you want the journey to be about as you move on or move up. Intentions are the core and the magic of all of your goals and desires.
According to Marla Tabaka, setting and living your intentions allows you to focus on who you are in the moment, to recognize and live your values, and to raise your emotional energy, which in turn raises your physical energy. She maintains, by setting intentions, you can turn your world upside down.
My yoga teachers invite us to set an intention at the beginning of each class. I always choose to be present so I get the most out of the class and calm my mind and avoid thinking of my to-do list.
How do you set intentions?
Here are my three tips to get you started:
1. Set a daily intention from a space of calm awareness. You can plan ahead the evening before too. You can’t change your life until you change your daily actions.
2. Be clear on WHY this intention is important to you. What goal/desire is it supporting?
3. Evaluate at the end of the day. Be non-judgmental and compassionate. Repeat.
Combine your intention-setting practice with your short and long-term goals (e.g. monthly, quarterly, and annually). Remember to be a creator. When you see yourself as a creator, setting goals can give you confidence. When you accomplish something, you feel satisfied. It opens the door to more. Yes, your goals have to be realistic, so you don’t set yourself up to fail from the start. But when you stick to new empowering habits, create something useful, exercise daily, bake a delicious cake, etc. it makes you feel good.
The point of life is to have fun and bring in new experiences which makes life more enjoyable. Always set new goals from the future, not your past. And when you log and acknowledge your starting point, success, however small, becomes visible.
By shifting your focus to creating, as opposed to lack, you enjoy your life as it is, while you are creating more. Focus on fun and bringing new experiences into your life. Stepping outside your comfort zone to grow. Get creative and arm yourself with patience too. Enjoy the journey.
Unfortunately, society focuses on quick fixes and instant gratification. FOMO (fear of missing out) spreads our attention too widely. Yet, we all know how much more enjoyable accomplishing a goal can feel when we have worked towards it slowly, methodically, and consistently. Showing up and doing the background work. Accepting that rejection and failure are part of every transition plan.
Why are goals important?
Simple. If you don’t have a goal, you’re likely to stay stuck and get the same results. Goals help you move forward. And are measured by what you concretely achieve. Want to stay on track and hit a result? Then set a goal!
Setting goals is part of a cognitive process of planning and analyzing. It gives you full control over how you’re going to move from A to B. And your brain loves that. It rewards you with feel-good hormones such as dopamine each time you engage in the process.
But life happens. And sometimes you find it hard to stick to the plan. And you juggle with fluctuating levels of motivation and evolving resilience from setbacks.
These five tips can help you give your goals a successful start.
Always write your goals down.
Share your goals. Accountability is important.
Tiny is monumental. Size doesn’t matter.
Your starting point matters. Take it into perspective. Always.
Have a supportive environment. Do an audit on what you eat, read and listen to!
If you can think it, ink it
Setting and documenting your goals and intentions is so powerful. As I found out. I journal regularly. I’ve documented my travels, thoughts, processed my feelings, and written about my future intentions and desires for over 30 years. Recently, I found myself dipping in and out of the journal I wrote about three years ago. I was shocked to read that many of the things I wanted to be doing in my work life, I am doing now.
OK, I hadn’t foreseen the pandemic, but nevertheless, I had left my corporate job and I am writing and coaching. It dawned on me how powerful it is to not only set intentions but also document them. They support goals from the inside. They are willful direction rather than wishful thinking.
What else can support you? Your attitude goes a long way! A client shared her progress a month after our coaching partnership ended. She is on the way to making her photography business dream a reality, and her progress is unstoppable.
This journey is already so fun and exciting! I am working on lining up exhibitions and seeing what roads work for me! Not taking no for an answer .
Jessica Marsh
Getting what you want is about long-term vision planning, short-term goal setting, and choosing daily habits that set you up for long-term success. Setting goals alone is not enough. By setting intentions too, you turn your world upside down and support your goals from the inside out.
Need support to define your goals and intentions, or an accountability buddy? I’d love to help.
Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash