What is your Intent?

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Harmeet Anand, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

Yesterday again we woke up in a rush. It was when we walked to school that my daughter shared with me some interesting happenings. We laughed together and she observed this morning walk was the time we actually talk in a day.
Now I have given up working as a full time employee, for her. I think I do a pretty good job of doing what I am doing as a mother. But it seems those 5-7 mins in the morning rush hour, are the precious moments when we actually connect. Summed up in those 5-7 moments was the intent of why I had made a big change. To have that connect with her.
We may believe we made changes based on our personal choices. How cognisant are we then to the daily decisions we make, for are they really serving the full purpose, of their original intent?
Wait a moment! Did I just hear you say – ‘intention, yes I had one but let me think back what it was’. Don’t worry you are not the only one. Often we have lofty intentions. We make changes because of them. But in the rush of things, they are lost. What we are left with are some broken phrases and the feelings those intentions were meant to give us. If we are still searching for words to share our intentions, then we may as well give us oodles of time till we get the right words to describe our inexplicable feelings. Feelings are trickier to articulate than our intentions.
Deep inside we are hard wired to detect others’ intentions. Words don’t really play a big part when we need to detect intentions. After all eons back if the primal you came to make a kill for the primal me, I knew just by the way you approached, smelled or looked that I had to run or attack. My brain has those primitive memories. This article is not about stating your intentions to others, so they understand you better, but it’s about the importance of a thought-through, heart-aligned and true to one’s spirit intention that’s not forgotten when you are initiating a change. And one that keeps you mindful everyday.
Sharing with you three steps to never loose sight of the original intention for a self-initiated change.
1. Knowing the WHY : To keep you accountable to the intention, filter it down by asking yourself questions like…
What’s at risk if I don’t choose to take this step? What feels most risky about it?
Is it possible that what you think is risky, is just based on fear, and the opposite could take place? So, what else is at risk?
What are the possibilities when you make a successful change?
Note – If there is someone else because of whom you are making a change in your life, consider if those possibilities are based on a real need, an imagined need or a need you have not been able to meet in your life, and you are prejudiced.
What draws you towards those possibilities?
2. EXPRESSing the INTENT :
Now its time to use those distilled thoughts into words. You know by now why making that change is important to you. ‘Knowing the WHY’ gives you clarity, so you have the intent that feels right to you – in your mind, heart and spirit. But what you need to be reminded every day is the final outcome. So EXPRESSing the INTENT entails writing down the end product of what you would like to see happen. Try writing the outcome in short succinct language, no more than 25-30 words.
Keeping it short helps you remember.
3. REPETITION is your FRIEND:
Finally, put it as a reminder someplace where you can see and read the EXPRESSed INTENT everyday. This will help you choose your daily actions in alignment with the original intent and the desired outcome.
These three steps go a long way in the rush of hours when we mechanically make choices. Our choices are anchored to an underlying true-to-ourself, thoughtful ‘strategic intent’. One that you know by heart!