Which do you think is best, Dahlings, setting Goals versus Intentions? Should we set goals or set/live with intentions?
A goal is “a person’s ambition or effort, an aim or desired results.”
Setting goals is a valuable practice that helps us to get things done. I believe it is vital to complete our tasks to get in shape, clean out our make-up bags, or learn a new skill.
While setting goals has always been a motivational practice for me, I have also noticed that it sends me down the rabbit hole of not being enough or not having enough. It takes me away from appreciating all of the beauty that is part of my life in the present moment. It can sometimes cause me to be discouraged, reactive, and reluctant to take action. Whenever I set a new goal, I start to question everything about that goal and myself:
- Can I accomplish it?
- Will I achieve it?
- Should my goal be smaller?
- I do not know enough.
- What will people say if I accomplish it or do not accomplish it? And the list goes on and on.
I have stopped setting New Year’s resolutions. By the end of January, I am sitting with my journal, looking at my list of goals, feeling bad about myself, like I have once again failed.
The definition of Intention is “the thing you plan to do or achieve; an aim or purpose.”
However, I do not think that definition gives us a clear understanding of what setting or living with intentions means.
Setting or living with Intention is about how I want to be in a specific moment and how I want to live and show up in my life and our world. Knowing who and how we want to be and how we would like to live and show up in our lives instead of allowing our circumstances, moods, and the world to determine who we are and how we live and show up is an important step.
I have learned that setting intentions allows me to be, live and show up every day independent of whether I believe I am winning or failing. It is an empowering practice for me and the first step in achieving my goals.
The flexibility of setting or living with intentions has done such amazing things in my life:
- First, it has helped me eliminate the poor me (victim mindset).
- I no longer feel I am a victim of my current circumstances.
- It forces me to be proactive.
- I was able to get clear on my values and determine my priorities.
- Finally, it has allowed me to take 1000% responsibility for my life and how I live.
It can be as big as who I would like to become and how I would like to live the rest of my life. Or as small as what kind of day I would like to have or how I would like to feel in a particular situation.
Setting or Living with intentions does not mean we throw our goals away and have zero desires. Not at all; we become the creators and active participants in our lives. It means we become more present within ourselves.
I believe beginning to live fully starts with being intentional about how we would like to feel or be and what we would like to have and experience in our lives.
It is not perfect every day, but I am thankful I have started this journey instead of remaining passive and going through the motions. And believe me when I say you will not get it right every time, which is okay.
Comment below on which you choose goals versus intentions.