Intention without Action is just Intention
I’ve had many intentions over the years. I remember intending to train for a 10 km run. At the time I was running between 3 to 5 km without too much trouble so I thought I would slowly do a bit more in the preceding weeks until I was running 10km. This was a great plan in my mind, and I could clearly see the benefits and how easy it would be if I executed it. Guess what? I didn’t execute on it. Every time I ran, I would stay at what I was comfortable with and tell myself that I would increase the distance the next time. Needless to say, come race day I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and questioning if I was going to be able to be good enough. It wasn’t a train wreck, but I struggled because of my lack of condition, and it was a very hot day. It would have definitely been better if I had followed through on my intention.
“Thinking about it, won’t make it happen”
Does this sound familiar? You have intended to execute on a New Year resolution or goal and just come up short, because like me, you didn’t put it into action. If intention can feel very real and be clearly mapped out in your mind, why can it be difficult to take action?
Here are some thoughts that I hope you will find helpful:
Understand the impact of the outcome.
Have a plan; When you don’t fully understand the impact of the outcome the drivers are weaker. If I had thought about, not just training for extra distance but also the conditions, my resolve would have been stronger. I should have done some hill training, some mid-day training and calculated the impact of the time it takes.
Doing something is better than nothing.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew; Incremental progress is better than no progress. When aspiration meets reality, the gap is very big. Take encouragement from the small action you can achieve as opposed to becoming overwhelmed by the final outcome. I could have thought about increasing by 250 metres weekly instead of trying to achieve a 1 km increase. Even achieving running 7kms would have been better than staying at 5km.
Make it easy for you:
Be realistic about what you can and can’t do. Consider what other priorities you have to juggle and make adjustments as needed. All intentions will come at a cost if you act on them. This was the thing I could have done better. I hadn’t considered the time cost and made adjustments for it.
Be accountable to others:
Getting out of your comfort zone is not easy; Try not to go it alone, tell others what you intend to do and give permission to someone to hold you to account. This was something I didn’t do, and I should have.
It is essential that when you have the intention to do something that there is action to ensure you achieve this.
My 3 Learnings:
Small actions are better than no actions
I need to fully understand the impact of actioning my intentions
Being accountable to someone will help me stay committed to my intention
Translating intentions into actions also requires mindfulness, adaptability, and celebrating small wins. Embrace setbacks as learning opportunities, stay adaptable, and acknowledge the journey's importance for success.
My 3 Questions for you:
What intention are you finding hard to put into action?
How will you make your intention easy and actionable?
What do you need to prioritise to achieve your desired outcome?
"Intentions are the architects of our future; actions are the builders of our destiny." - Laurie Buchanan
DM me and feel free to ask any questions; I'm here to help you discover more.
Remember daily to, “Find value in your influence”
Written By: Paul Fawcett.
