For centuries, executives, managers, and, elite athletes have all used goal setting as a means to an end – a tool to achieve desired outcomes. Goal setting and budget planning are woven into business culture and are top of mind for many of us this time of year.And although goals are important, they have their limitations too.
If you consider the idea that we “become what we believe,” then your beliefs and perceptions about a goal have a significant influence on their ability to manifest. The claims about goal setting can be confusing. Some people aim to make them achievable, or S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound), while others strive to make them huge, or B.H.A.G. (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals). At Plenty, we think that goals are an essential part of planning and visioning, but not the only part. Setting your intentions is the key.
Intention is a powerful force that sets the course for what we desire to create and experience. Its power is palpable and measurable. The late Dr. Wayne Dyer, motivational speaker and self-help guru, said, “Our intention creates our reality” – and thatintentionality is a critical component of the formula for attracting the futures that we seek.The other critical piece of that formula involves another piece of Dr. Dyer’s wisdom: “You don’t attract what you want. You attract what you are.”
This is a profound and transformative thought that suggests we can actualize what we desire by matching our feelings and behaviors to the desired experience. Have you ever gone into a meeting expecting it to be contentious, boring, or a waste of time? If you entered with a closed off or disengaged attitude, you likely left that meeting frustrated or skeptical – the way you expected to feel. On the other hand, remember a time when you were hopeful, optimistic, and excited to participate. What did you experience? Chances are you left feeling more fulfilled and positive. That is the power of intention.
Setting intention, whether at the beginning of a meeting or at the beginning of the year, creates alignment between your attitude and your desires. Intention forces us to ask ourselves consciously, “what do I really want to experience?”
At Plenty we actively set intention at the beginning of our consultations, meetings, and experiences with everyone present and actively contributing. It’s a little thing that makes a huge difference.
So, as 2015 comes to a close and 2016 emerges into form, we invite you to invoke the power of intention at home and at work to create your best self in the year to come. Start by asking yourself:
What is the highest intention I have for myself/my organization?
What beliefs no longer serve me/my company?
What behaviors no longer serve me/my team?
How do I want to feel in 2016?
What do I want to experience in 2016?
What do I want to be really grateful for?
Write your answers in a journal to match your intentions to your desired experience. Close your eyes and become aware of your feelings by imagining yourself living this intended state of being. Breathe into your intentions and then let them be carried into the field of potentiality. You can revisit them once a month, once a quarter, or whenever you feel compelled.
When we embody a sense of gratitude, we attract more things to be grateful for. When we exude love, we attract loving people. When we share generously, we receive abundantly. When we offer kindness, we are treated with kindness. Like attracts like. We attract what we are.
Set intentions this season and become that which you desire. Witness how powerful you are to create the experiences you want with awareness. Harness the power of intention for a healthier and happier YOU in 2016.
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