How to Be Intentional About Achieving Your Goals

Ihave a confession to make…A difficult one, as we quickly run towards the end of the year.

A quick glimpse at my goal board in my study shows me that I have achieved less than half the goals I would have liked to for 2022.

I am not big on New Year’s resolution.

However, I do believe in setting goals to use as a basis for what you want to achieve in your life. I am less than satisfied with my achievements for 2022. While I have made some progress, I have had more setbacks. I just want to be real with you.

So, as I write this, I take it as a guide for myself.

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What leads to us not achieving our goals?

We state the goals, we identify the time frame, we consider the resources needed and then we buckle down and work and achieve it? Right? Wrong?

If only it was so easy we would all be happy to say we achieved all that we desired and more!

John Maxwell in his book “Intentional Living” considers the importance of the word intentional. He notes that to accomplish goals you have to “Be intentional at all times, in every way and in all that you do”

What does it really mean though to be intentional — The Oxford online dictionary states “done on purpose, deliberate”.

We have to know what we want to achieve and ensure not just when working on the specific goal, but as a way of life operate with intention. Therefore if you want to be a writer, you don’t just write but you must spend time learning about it, reading to have material and content to contribute.

It’s not possible that you want to be a writer and you spend every day just sitting on the couch!

Of course you will face stumbling blocks, but once you continue to move in the direction that you desire intentionally you will achieve.

Life will throw some tough moments that will cause us to stumble and even fall. It’s okay to fall but staying down is when the problem arises. You have to ask yourself by stopping and engaging in self pity is it moving you in the direction you desire? If you can’t honestly say yes to this, get up and get moving…no matter how slow, but keep moving.

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In the past I thought to achieve a goal, you have to do a million things each day. However, I realize that even if I do one small thing for five minutes in the direction of my goals I am making progress.

At the ending of 2021 after recovering from some major health issues, I decided that I wanted to exercise every day to maintain and increase my improved health.

There were challenging days and times I didn’t get to exercise for the thirty minutes minimum I had set as the goal. However, on those occasions even if doing stretches for five minutes I was determined to do some form of movement, no matter how minimum it might be.

By doing so I have been consistent and achieved the health goals I desired.

Sometimes a small step is better than no steps at all.

Stop waiting for all the stars to align and for everything to go perfect, waiting for such will doom you to stagnation.

Be intentional and take a step in the direction of your goal each day!

No matter how little it is.

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I have a friend who started a business this year. She did so with three very young children and her husband dying suddenly, forcing her to have a daytime work. Sometimes she could only post one thing per day on her sales site, but she did it anyway. On occasion she could barely have time to respond to all queries but even if one per night she responded. Her business blossomed so well that she is now able to manage it full time.

What would have happened if she waited for a large chunk of time to do anything? She hardly would have made much progress.

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I don’t know what your goal is.. I do want to encourage you, no matter what it is, you can achieve it.

Be INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT.

Take small steps every day in every aspect of your life that represents that goal and you will find yourself achieving it.

Don’t wait for everything to be perfect, but practice small steps of intentionality and you will achieve what you desire.

“It is not enough to take steps which may someday lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.” — Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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