Let Your Intention Help Focus Your Attention

Don’t believe it? I’ve had clients tell me that it doesn’t necessarily matter what they intend to do on any given day, sometimes their attention gets focused on something else, and the day is wasted doing other random things. It’s almost always too late before they even realize.

What does that say?

You could conclude that having intentions are pointless if you can’t control where your focus and attention will go.

  • “How am I supposed to set an intention when I know that it won’t stop me from getting distracted?”
  • “I’ve tried that before and it made no difference.”

And here is the key about setting up intentions. While they are, on one level, an expectation, they are more than that. They can be a driving force for if you decide they will be. But even then, it takes practice and a blind faith in Plan B.

That’s right, an intention does little good if it doesn’t have an element of damage control built in. You can back up every good intention with a little muscle and a good enough statement because these are what create the powerful foundation from which to transform very tall dreams into reality. You’ve heard of baby steps? Well, intentions are the first of many baby steps to success.

So, how does this look?

Let’s say you intend to sit down and write thank you notes. In fact, you’ve been meaning to for weeks. You went to the store a couple of times to get the stationery and ended up buying other things. Now, it’s embarrassingly late to send them and you still don’t have the actual thank you note cards, but today you promise yourself you will finally get this done.

  1. State the intention. Go ahead and say it, “I intend to write thank you notes today.”

You go to the store and between the smell of fresh bread, which you also need, and some toilet paper, you forget to buy them again. In fact, you don’t even notice this until after you get home and eat lunch. “Well,” you sigh, “I could just do it again tomorrow”…and continue the cycle you’ve been on.

Or, you can reference your intention again. Go ahead and say it; “I intend to write thank you notes today.” You can get right back in your car and go back to the store while the frustration still has you hot under the collar. (You could also make your own from paper in the printer and some colored pencils you have in an old tin.) Either way, you are hopping right back on that saddle and riding again. This is the muscle.

Fast-forward, you’re now about to sit and craft the perfect thank-you. There are 20 in total you have to write. The day is half over though and you’ve got to go to an appointment in half an hour. “Well,” you think, “I finally have the cards now so I could just start tomorrow.” Or, you can reference your intention again. Go ahead and say it out loud; “I intend to write thank you notes today.” Hurriedly, you take care to make it as beautiful as can be…the first, and only one that you now have time for.

  1. State your good enough statement. Go ahead and say it loud and proud, “This one done leaves me with 19 to go and that’s good enough for now.”

And believe it because it is. See how easily you could’ve gotten off track? But you didn’t because you had a clear intention. Heck, look at what you’ve done with a little muscle and a good enough statement. You have the blank cards and you’ve done one. Just think what you’ll get done tomorrow!

The take away: an intention could be nothing more than a wishful thought. But when you state it out loud, repeatedly, and back it up with a little muscle and a good enough statement, intentions do come to fruition. Let me know an intention of yours and how it goes!

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