#21: How Intentions Can Improve Your Life

Welcome to the first episode of Season 2 of The HR Mentor and 2021!

 

In this show, I am helping you kick off the new year with a brand new practice that can change your life and improve your chances at success!

Intention setting is powerful and can result in lasting behavioural change.

 

I encourage you to consider how this practice can dramatically improve your life and your success as I explain how intentions are different from goals, I share some examples of the difference between goals and intentions to illustrate why setting goals alone doesn't work, and I share my personal practice for setting an annual intention.

 

Here is a summary of the episode:

• [01:50] - What are intentions? They are guiding principles and they reflect how we want to be and show up in the world. They can help you dramatically improve your life.
• [05:53] - There are some key differences between intentions and goals. They are:
• [06:00] - DIFFERENCE #1 - Intentions are more focused on the present rather than the future.
• [06:50] - DIFFERENCE #2 - Intentions are more focused on behaviours rather than a product or outcome.
• [07:36] - DIFFERENCE #3 - intentions are ongoing and fluid; they are always a work in progress. Once goals are done they are done.
• [08:16] - DIFFERENCE #4 - goals naturally shift our focus to what we don't have and get us caught up in the "how."
• [09:15] - DIFFERENCE #5 - intentions come from the heart.
• [15:47] - Here is an example of how an intention can have an impact on your life in the long-term and enhance your goal setting.
• [19:26] - Here I talk about a powerful form of self-questioning to stay true to your intention! It wasn't my idea, credit goes to James Clear who wrote Atomic Habits. A book I recommend you read.
• [20:21] - I share my 2021 intention in a single word - FOCUSED. (wild! I said that at 20:21 in the episode!) I also share three reasons why a single word for your intention is helpful.
• [22:01] - I share my process for setting my annual intention. It breaks down to eight small steps:

1. Dream big about your future.
2. Attach an important why to your dream.
3. Get brutally honest about why you are where you are.
4. Bridge the gap with behaviours.
5. Prioritize those behaviours.
6. Write yoru intention statement.
7. Choose your single word.
8. Live your intention every day in big and small ways.

Here are some of the resources I talked about in this episode:

• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.
• Principles by Ray Dalio

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