Intentions aren’t enough.  How do we achieve our goals?

Intentions alone are not enough to achieve our goals. Despite our best intentions, many of us struggle to make meaningful progress towards our aspirations. But why does this happen, and how can we harness the power of intention to turn our dreams into reality?

Identifying Classic Intention Mistakes:

Every New Year brings a surge of enthusiasm and resolutions. We declare our intentions to change, to improve ourselves, but all too often, these promises fade as quickly as they are made. The cycle repeats itself, leaving us feeling disheartened and defeated. But why do our intentions fall short, and how can we break this pattern?

On New Years Eve and January 1 we seem to be full of enthusiasm, we set an intention for our goals and what we will change and what we will do during this new year.  Oh how easy it all seems, the words just seem to flow as we say we will do X, Y, and Z.

Then January 2 comes, the desire for the intention is still there, but we have already broken our promises to start our diet, not drink or do something else.  We tell ourselves that our goals are still strong, but we will start on Monday!  You know the story, we have all told ourselves this.

February 1 comes and goes, we are screwed, our good intentions and the goals we have so desperately wanted to achieve have been forgotten.

Are your intentions solid?  Are they realistically?  Is this goal and intention what we want or what we really need to live a happy life? 

Understanding the Need for Realistic Intentions:

Catherine Pulsifer aptly notes that New Year’s resolutions often fail because they lack concrete plans and deadlines. Intentions without action are merely wishes, destined to remain unfulfilled. To succeed, we must ensure our intentions are grounded in reality and supported by actionable plans.

“Why do New Years Resolutions fail? Mainly, because they are only a statement, or what we wish for in the coming year. There are usually no action plans, no deadlines, no backup plans. Sometimes they are unrealistic resolutions, with no other thought or plans beside the statement.”

Catherine Pulsifer,

Redirecting the Power of Intention

To avoid the pitfalls of unfulfilled intentions, we must delve deeper into our needs and emotions. These serve as the driving force behind our actions, propelling us towards our goals. A solid plan, coupled with emotional commitment and support systems, lays the foundation for success.

Imagine that we have set ourselves up for failure, it was never going to happen and we start to feel guilty because our word apparently means nothing.  Our intentions were good, they were honest and admirable, our goals certainly within our grasp, but let’s be honest with ourselves, we are never going to succeed without:

1. tapping into the knowledge of our needs, what is it we really need?
2. our emotions are our driver and they are essential for us to take action, without them we would do nothing.
3. our actions are what makes the change, they include our desire, commitment, and direction
4. a good plan of attack outlining where we will start and finish and how to get there.
5. A support systems must be in place too, it is essential for setting and reaching targets.

Best tool to Harness Intentions​

Tools such as the Life Balance Wheel are the best self assesment tools to use to harness your intention for your life as they will serve as invaluable guide and be a great detector, helping us identify areas for improvement, areas that need action with purpose so we can maintain equilibrium in our lives.  It’s a great tool to use, as it shows us the happiness levels in the different areas of our life indicating what needs change so we achieve our goals by taking action.

It’s essential to remember that success in achieving our goals is rarely linear; setbacks and failures are inevitable. However, by learning from these experiences and adapting our strategies to be more purposeful, we can progress towards our goals with clarity and confidence.

There is no need to be discouraged by the apparent lives of others. The reality that is actually lived by those people we admire, our idols, that we want to emulate is often very different behind the scenes. Our hero’s have probably failed more times than they have succeeded, they may have tried many different projects before that haven’t worked for various different reasons and they haven’t been afraid to move on and try something new.

“The key to success in any area of life is to first know and master the area of focus.”
― Archibald Marwizi, Making Success Deliberate

Power Boosters for Intentions for goal success

Successful individuals understand the importance of processes, support networks, and adaptability. They diligently plan, take consistent action, and remain focused on their objectives. By incorporating these principles into our own lives, we can cultivate the determination and resilience needed to overcome obstacles, achieving our goals and dreams.

While successful people have worked hard, they have followed proven practices and procedures, they most likely have support systems in place and people behind them guiding them.  They are usually fearless in changing directions when needed and most importantly they have been purposefully determined to be focused on actions needed to ensure their success.  They have a desire to meet their needs of success that often isn’t an option that creates the drive for action with purpose that has made our successful idols succeed.  It is this emotions what keeps the actions continually happening that propels them to keep moving forward to achieve their goals and dreams.

A successful person puts procedures and processes in place to make sure what needs to happen actually happens.  They asses what has gone before and tweak their future actions to improve the processes they take forthcoming.

Your daily actions is what drives your end results and success, by using a good planner to realise your dreams and goals, then by incorporating all the things you need to do each day, then reviewing your days at the end of the week, month, year and adjusting them will keep you focused you are sure to get the results you set out to.

A good planner, a coach or mentor will consistently work with you to realise your goals and desires, they helps you realise your dreams and aspirations, they help you look at your life as a whole so you can have balance in all areas of your life while working towards achieving your dreams.

Use a diary every day to record all your wins for the day, review your week and make any changes necessary to reach your goals and don’t be afraid to change your goals as you work through your year, it is amazing what reflections shows us.  What you set out to achieve at the beginning of the year may not be what you achieve at the end, but by using a diary you will be happy and satisfied with your direction and achievements because you will reach targets and see your growth.

“You have the power to change the world, use it to make a difference.” unknown

Being a success in life looks different to everyone, but what it takes to be a success is the same for everyone as it takes a desire or emotion to have a vision, you set an intention, take consistent actions and be determination to achieve the dream and goals you have set, it just doesn’t happen on its own. Harness the Power of your Intentions and you will be well on your way.

Mastering the power of intention requires more than mere wishful thinking. It demands self-awareness, planning, and unwavering commitment. By aligning our intentions with realistic goals, harnessing our emotions, and taking consistent action, we can transform our aspirations into tangible achievements. So, let us embrace the power of our intentions and embark on the journey towards a fulfilling and successful life.