Turning Intention into Reality in 6 Steps

Having witnessed first-hand the major drop off in attendance that occurs every year at the gym – a true metaphor for the failure of New Year’s resolutions, I have experimented with many different models for creating and achieving goals. For years, I taught business owners a methodology for 90-day planning every quarter, based on long-term and mid-range goals for the business. This is still one of my favorites. The short term makes it is easier to envision, manage, and adjust.

More recently, I have preferred to set some intentions that may be less specific in terms of measurement, but that give me a lot of flexibility in terms of interpretation and fulfillment over the course of time.  Often, I boil the intention down to a single word or phrase to make it easy to remember.

As with any plan, it is still important to bring an intention to fruition, by creating actions that support its fulfillment. These are the steps I follow: 

1. Set the intention and know why it’s important to you. For example, my stated intention for 2024, as a Certified High Performance Coach, is to Bring The Joy. This phrase originated with my trainer and coach, Brendon Burchard, who has taught that it is our responsibility, as coaches, to bring enjoyment to every interaction. It is a tall order, especially during challenging times, but something I aspire to do.
2. Identify the behaviors that you will adopt to demonstrate your intention. Bringing the joy means taking note of the small things that happen on a daily basis, and for which I am grateful. It means inspiring others with a smile, a kind word, encouragement, or needed support.  It means to look on the bright side, and to find humor in the darkness whenever possible. And it means being consciously aware of the opportunities to do these things every day.
3. Repeat the behaviors so they become habits. It may be helpful to give yourself a quick assessment at the end of each day – on a scale of one to ten, how consistently did you perform the behaviors?
4. Create practices that support your improvement, your growth, and your learning. For example, reading articles on related subjects, such as happiness and enjoyment, leisure, fulfillment. And, asking other people what joy means to them.
5. Build competency and consistency until it become second nature. Keep making progress until you don’t really have to think about setting and achieving your intention.
6. Acknowledge an identity for yourself that includes that intention. When I – and others – see me as a person who embodies joy and enjoyment, I will have fulfilled my intention.

So, I told you mine.  What’s your intention for the coming year – or the coming season? Let me know how I can support it.

And, if you would like more joy in your life, I invite you to join my High Performance Group Coaching Program, kicking off early in the year.  You can learn more about it here: High Performance Coaching Program.

Or, simply schedule some time for us to connect using the button below.