GOALS vs INTENTION

We often talk about the importance of setting goals. Finding your purpose, being more productive with time blocks, setting clear goals and planning them well, being accountable, getting things done, staying motivated, and persevering - we've given you many useful tips and step-by-step guides in our articles and social media posts.

But even so, getting off track and losing momentum is always possible! It happens to all of us–even to the most efficient and motivated! It is a normal part of our daily lives to get distracted, to overcome stress and tough challenges, and to deal with unexpected or urgent matters!

But is it always like this? There's another concept that can help us when we lose focus and direction - intentions! Think of intentions as the precursors of goals! No matter how well-defined, SMART, or personally important our goals are, at least 50% of the time their achievement is a matter of chance!

You can increase the chances of your goals becoming a reality by learning how to set your intentions for the actions that will bring you closer to your goals!

Setting your intentions will give you a real idea of what you want to do and where you want to go. Over time, it becomes your inner guidance that can influence how you spend your time and what you cultivate in your life.

Intentions are answers to questions such as

What do I want to have achieved?!
What am I going to do?! How am I going to do it?!
Are there any potential challenges?
How many pathways of decisions are there when it comes to overcoming these?

According to the research of psychologist Peter M. Gollwitzer, strong goals only produce drastic changes in behavior if intentions accompany them!

Goals vs Intentions

The main difference between goals and intentions is that the former is more abstract than the latter.

GOALS

A goal is an "end towards which an effort is directed", the goal itself, or the result that is desired. It's specific, concrete, and linear. Goals are first and foremost practical and efficient. They give us a clear idea of what we're aiming for and, if they're well formulated, we can tell at any time how far we are from their achievement.

Correctly set goals make us feel controlled. Goal setting involves several higher-level cognitive processes - planning and analysis. These two are completely left-brain processes. There's nothing ambiguous about them. Every time you succeed in getting closer to what you set out to achieve, your brain gets a shot of dopamine and likes it.

But life doesn't always go as planned. Our willpower wanes, and we become emotionally drained. We get distracted by other things, and we lose our discipline and vision.

INTENTIONS

Intention is defined as planning to do something or deciding to act in a certain way.

What keeps us on track in times of hardship is the maintenance of a positive mindset and the intention to achieve a particular goal. That's why you're determined to achieve that goal. Intentions give us focus and direction. They help us keep an inner reminder of where we're going, no matter how much we get lost.

Intentions are the big picture, the abstract desire to get somewhere, the wind that blows us in a certain direction, whereas clear goals are like tools - they are the means to an end.

The science behind resolutions

The psychologist Peter Gollwitzer asked the students who took part in his study to set themselves two goals for the Christmas break.

The goals were either lifestyle-related or study-related.

Then he asked one group to draw up an implementation plan for the goal. The other group didn't have to do this.

The purpose of the action plan was to define how the participants intended to go about achieving their goals. As a result, ⅔ of those who were asked to make a plan came back with a completed goal when the students went home for Christmas.

Whatever else they had in mind, setting a clear intention helped them to 'engrave' their goal in their minds, so that they couldn't dismiss it as just another idea they had.

How to set proper intentions?

The best way to set proper intentions is to follow these four rules:

Set them as positive affirmations;
Use them to be the driving force behind your goals;
Set your intentions at a regular frequency;
Make setting your intentions a part of a ritual.

For example, every week or once a month (at a regular frequency), take some time to work on your goals and intentions. This should be a part of a holistic, mindful ritual where you focus on your mind, body, and soul, regardless of whether you’re rethinking your business or personal goals and intentions.

For example, your bodily intention can be to feel rested and more energized. In that case, the goal would be “to meditate when you feel stressed” and “to go to bed before midnight at least 4 or 5 days a week”.

Similarly, your intention can be to become better and more patient when dealing with challenges and obstacles. This intention can be driven by several different goals such as “to find a coach”, “to book a mindfulness retreat”, and “use a better planning and time managing technique”.

A soul intention could be something like I want to be more emotionally stable and in tune with my feelings, while the goals it supports could be “to keep your gratitude practice” for at least 15 days in a streak as part of your morning and evening routine”, or “to go for a mindful walk every evening for an outdoor therapy”.

How intentions can change your life?

Typically, intentions are unlimited and compared to goals, this is what makes them such a good basic path in life and what keeps us motivated at all times.

To illustrate this better - the intention to be an emotionally stable person is with you when you feel most stable (when you feel like you are in a good place and successful in your endeavors), but also when you are the least emotionally stable (and want to change that ).

We can safely say that intentions have no limits in terms of their impact: they change the way we think, feel, behave, and, of course, the way our body works. This is the most holistic and mindful way to treat yourself when planning.

Additionally, they usually give us energy that also affects the people around us.

It is important to remember that intentions are not only unlimited but also expansive. As you may have noticed from the examples above, they are general, meaning that one intention can extend to several goals, behaviors, or habits.

At first glance, it may seem that they will slow you down due to their abstractness and vastness, but the reality is completely different. Intentions make you more efficient and effective because they allow you to better set direction and stay on the right path.

Moreover, intentions place the power and control entirely in your hands. You are the one who intends to think, feel, or behave a certain way, so you are the one who designs the goals along with those intentions.

Creating intentions around your goals can do wonders for your motivation, persistence, and overall satisfaction with the process of achieving your goals.

They make you more focused and help you grow as a person. Intentions are also a tool for becoming more mindful in life.

They make you think more consciously about your mind, body, and soul, your life purpose and great goals, and your surroundings. Creating intentions may be something you've been missing, especially if you're having trouble staying on track and achieving your goals.

Conscious living is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves, the people we love, and the world around us because it leads to actions that make a difference and influence our lives for the better.

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