The Road to Goals is Paved with Good Intentions
I had a good friend ask me recently to help them better understand the difference between goals and intentions. It’s a good question. I like talking to clients about goals because everyone understands goals and it’s great to have a clear definition on what it is you are trying to achieve. But goals are a shortcut. Or maybe put another way, the goal is not really the goal. Here’s why:
Goals are cavalier. We throw out goals pretty nonchalantly in business and life. I have a goal to 2x my revenue. I have a goal to run a marathon. I have a goal to spend more time with my family. There isn’t a lot that goes into creating a goal which makes them pretty easy to set.
Goals are binary. When we talk about the future, well, it hasn’t exactly happened yet, right? In other words, we’re making it up. And the future is full of things that are in out control and NOT in our control. So if you don’t hit your goal, that would be a fail. But is it a fail?
Goals are often misapplied. We tend to express goals of what we feel we “should” be doing but does that make them our goals or the goals that we think other people want us to have. When that happens, it’s pretty hard to sustain the motivation.
Don’t get me wrong, I already stated that I like using goals as a beacon. But real acceleration, real velocity, comes from setting the intentions that increase the likelihood that goal is achieved (independent of whether it is or isn’t).
Intentions are Inputs
Think of intentions as the things that you do that you are in full control of commanding. Here are a few examples:
If I have a goal to write a book in 2022, my intention might be to write 500 words/day.
If I have a goal to run a 100-mile ultra-marathon, my intention is to follow my training program as designed.
If I have a goal to take off two weeks to go on a family vacation without stress, my intention is to design processes and systems at work that allow me to be dispensable.
The work is then about committing to the intentions based on a belief that following through on your intentions will increase the likelihood the goal is achieved. The intention eliminates externalities that you don’t control and helps build a more solid foundation for the life you are living while in pursuit of the goal you are striving to achieve.
Steps to architect your intentions
Step 1: Have a goal that is both motivating for you and time bound
Step 2: List the inputs that are required in order to achieve that goal
Step 3: Frame the inputs into commitments. “I will write 500 words/day”
Step 4: Measure the progress of your intentions and be willing to re-evaluate
The work is setting the intentions. Intentions are the journey. Do I want you to achieve your goal? Absolutely. Is the goal the measure of success? Not necessarily. The measure of success is did you build and follow the plan that would increase the likelihood of achieving your goal? Remember, the road to your goals is paved with good intentions.