Make Intention an Ally

We often have good intentions. We plan to lose ten pounds. Our aim is to improve our eating and sleeping habits. We have made it a goal to clean out our garage. We say that we will finish a project we've been putting off. These are all great until we don't.

I'm an organizer and a planner by nature. Which can be a blessing and a curse. I love being organized and having a well-thought-out plan. I love to create to-do lists. In fact, I can sometimes get obsessive about it. Again, this is all great until nothing gets done.

Sometimes, we can get so caught up in the planning and preparation that we don't leave time for the actual doing of what we were planning. The planning becomes the only action we take.

We need to be careful not to fall into this trap. We need to use intention as an ally. When you do, you'll begin to live intention-ally. (See what I did there?) We need to live with purpose on purpose, intentionally. We need to intentionally take action and do something.

To help remind me about living intentionally, I like to think of the words "HA, HA, HA". And, no, I'm not laughing. It's three H's with three corresponding A's. The H's and A's stand for:

• Head - Awareness
• Heart - Acceptance
• Hands - Action

Thinking about what we want to do, achieve, or change starts in our heads and minds. We need to be aware of what our goals are. What do we see? What do we want to change? What do we want to accomplish? What impact do we want to make? What do we need to do? We need to raise awareness of the "what" we want to do and the "why" we want to do it.

The "why" adds meaning. It gives purpose. It moves it from the head to the heart. It shifts it from thinking to feeling. It adds incentive and motivation. We need to understand and accept why it is meaningful to us. 

The critical step is using that motivation and do something with it. We need to get our hands dirty. We need to take action. Knowing what we need to do is one thing. Pushing ourselves to take action is another. We have to be willing to do our part. You need more than just good intentions; you must act upon them intentionally. You cannot have any "re-action" (or results) without including "action". 

It's about taking that first step. Doing that one thing. Checking something off your list. Sometimes, that's all it takes to create momentum. Just do it. Do something. Do it now! Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Don't do later what you can do now!

Make today great!

Curtis