Six Steps to Intentional Achievements: A New Approach to Setting Goals
Listen to this post on my podcast: Journal with Jenny
Do you have trouble setting goals and sticking to them? Read on to learn a new approach I call Intentional Achievements.
Doesn’t “Intentional Achievements” sound so much more empowering than “Setting Goals”?
When I picture myself creating Intentional Achievements and conquering them, for some reason I see myself wearing Wonder Woman’s clothes swinging a braided leather whip saying, “Bring it.” (I have quite the imagination, and it makes life so much more fun!)
So let’s try this out…
Six Steps to Intentional Achievements (Even Wonder Woman has a plan.)
1.) What exactly do you want to achieve?
Write down a problem you want to solve, a deep desire you wish for, a result you want, or a change you would like to make. Use positive language along with sensory details when describing it. For example, let’s say you want to create a morning ritual that sets you up for success the rest of the day.
You would write: Getting up one hour earlier would give me quiet time alone to mentally prepare for the day, to connect with myself, my creator, & my purpose, and to feel grounded & ready to take on each day. When I rise early, I will do my morning stretches, and then go to my favorite gray chair, light my fragrant candle, snuggle in with my blue afgan, and settle in to read and write. I can listen to instrumental music or enjoy the silence throughout the hour. Some days I may listen to a meditation from the Calm App or off Youtube. I will have my journals, pens, and any books I’m reading on the table next to my chair, so I’m prepared. Before I sit down, I will make myself a cup of tea, a nourishing shake, or fill my cup with water. The only reason to touch my phone is to play music or listen to a meditation. I will feel calm, grounded, and energized as I step into my day with this morning ritual.
2.) How will you know you’re successful?
You need to set a measurable goal. For example, if you based it on my description of what I want my morning ritual to be like and feel like, then you could set the measurable goal to execute this routine at least five times a day for three weeks. You could also set a specific time you will get up. For example, you could write, I will get up at 5:00 a.m. each day for this to be successful. Write your measurable goal now.
3.) Under what conditions do you want to have this result?
The journey should be as glorious as the achievement. When you create a habit, think of it in terms of what you “desire” rather than what you “should” do. When I think about doing the dishes, and I tell myself, “I should do those before I go to bed”, I don’t feel as motivated to do them. But if I tell myself, “I desire to wake up each morning with a clean kitchen”, something shifts in my mind. Instead of seeing myself tired while cleaning dirty dishes, I see myself waking up to a sparkling clean kitchen. Do you see how the image changes, so the emotion changes when I use the verb desire? When you change the picture and the emotion, the thought changes which sets you into positive action. Write the conditions that will lead to positive action.
When you think about setting the conditions, so your journey to forming this habit is enjoyable, you need to be honest with yourself. If you are not a morning person, don’t get up to exercise at 5:30 a.m., do it over lunch or after the kids go to bed. Set yourself up for success right away by being honest about your preferences. You’re not competing with anyone but yourself, so stop comparing and write down goals that are attainable.
Something else I want to touch on is this: once you have achieved what you desire, how will it affect you and the people around you? Take some time to write down your thoughts. Will they be happy for you when you lose 50 pounds or stop drinking alcohol? Will they cheer you on as you put in the hard work to earn a master's degree? Be honest with yourself and think about this now before you’re disappointed later. Then surround yourself with the most positive people possible. You know who they are. Then if possible, distance yourself from the naysayers.
You might think it odd that I ask this question, but here it is… Will the achievement lead to positive results? There are sacrifices that come with any achievement whether it be sacrificing your once a week outing with friends where you eat too much greasy food or sacrificing some time with your family so you can start a side hustle. The thing I want you to picture is the end result… is it going to be worth it? Is starting that new business going to be worth the strain on your marriage? Is changing your lifestyle going to change you in a positive way? Have an understanding of the journey but also of the outcome and know the achievement will lead to positive results. Make sure you think this over in writing.
4.) What obstacles will there be along the way?
If you look back to my desire to have a morning ritual, what obstacles might come up? I can tell you… my kid might get sick in the night, I may have to stay up late to finish some work, or I might have gone out on a date with my husband the night before. Obstacles are inevitable. You will need to plan for them. If you want to eat healthy throughout the week, meal prep on the weekend. If you want to get up early, set the bedtime alarm on your phone to remind yourself of your commitment to your goal. There will be times you need to give yourself some grace, but don’t make it a habit.
Write any possible obstacles that may happen along with how you will handle them.
5.) What do you need that will help you intentionally achieve your results?
Make a list of everything you need to achieve your results including what characteristics you’ll need.
For my morning ritual, I need to start preparing the night before by setting a bedtime alarm, making sure my books and journals are beside my chair waiting for me, and staying off my phone before bed. When I wake up it will take effort not to hit snooze, so I may need my husband to encourage me to get out of bed. Most of all, I will need to have a deep desire to intentionally achieve having a morning ritual.
Will you need courage to intentionally achieve your results? Are there specific skills you need to acquire on the journey to achieve the goal? Think about everything you will need to make this happen. You may need accountability partners or you may need a piece of equipment. Whatever it is, write it down.
Finally, ask yourself: How will you show up each morning for the desired outcome and what exactly does that look like?
Write about this. How will you show up for your goal to come to fruition? Who do you need to be to step into this new you that you are creating?
To start and stick to my morning ritual, I need to show up as a woman who knows what she needs and will stick to the plan to get it. I need to step into the fact that I deserve some quiet time to myself no matter how early I need to get up to make that happen. I cannot feel sorry for myself that the only time I can get that is early in the morning. I need to know that if I don’t get that time, my inner harmony will be out of whack all day, so I will not be the best version of myself. I need to be the woman who knows it is just fine, even necessary, to take time for myself in order to feel connected to myself. I need to show up and step into my femine self who desires a gentle, quiet morning time. This all looks like me showing up for myself and realizing that I am important enough to take time for. I am worthy of taking this time each morning for myself. I will be intentional in creating this for myself.
6.) Map a specific plan of how you will intentionally get the results you aspire to achieve.
At this point you may be thinking, my goodness, will this ever end? It will! Don’t fret, this is the final step in setting your goal. This is where you will write down a plan for your month, your week, and your days to achieve this goal. Look back over everything you’ve written so far and then map out an intentional plan.
Follow the Six Steps to Intentional Achievements, and you will have success. I want to hear about what you achieve using this method! What are you planning to intentionally achieve? What’s your plan? Please comment here. Even follow-up to tell me how it’s going after a few weeks. I’m SO excited for you! I know you can do this!
Let me know in the comments if you try this out and how it goes for you. Please share this post with a friend or co-worker you feel would benefit from this or share it on your social media. Thank you so much!
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