Use goals and intentions to keep you focused on what you want while you stay in and enjoy the present moment.
Imagine setting the goal of hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon so that you can look up at the vast, blue sky. It’s one of your bucket list items.
Before you begin the hike, you set your intention to be present to the sights along the trail, noticing each plant and rock, and enjoying the company of your hiking friends. You reach the bottom and are excited to look up at the vista you’ve been imagining for years. A thick fog unexpectedly rolls in and you can’t see the blue sky. You did not achieve your goal. But you did achieve your intention to enjoy the hike, the views, and your friends. What if you only focused on your goal? How would you feel when you reached the bottom?
Goals help you get things done and are focused on the future.
Intentions help focus on how you want to be in the moment, separate from whether you achieve your goal or not. It supports you in achieving present-moment awareness.
- Set both a goal (external achievement) and an intention (how you want to be along the way).
- Follow this intention-setting format: “My intention is to be curious, joyful, compassionate, flexible”.
- State your goal and intention each morning. “Today my goal is to make three cold calls and my intention is to be wildly curious during each one.” Understand the difference between goals and intentions. Use both to experience more present-moment awareness.
Set goals and intentions together to enjoy both the journey and the destination.
