You’ve read tons of things about goals and Intention.
- SMART goals
- KPIs
- OKRs
- “Stretch” Goals
- Resolutions, especially of the New Year’s variety
- and more
There’s good reason for that – conscious Intention is a powerful force. Nothing gets done without Intention.
And Yet
What is the value of Intention that takes you away from what you really want?
Or of Intentions that help you complete low-value things?
You’ve probably had times where you were really focused on clearing your inbox, scrubbing the to-do lists, or cleaning the house.
Was that what you truly wanted, or was that avoidance of something you didn’t want to face?
Confront
Confront in this context means to face reality. It’s not about fighting with someone, or even fighting with yourself.
Confront is stepping into the stress and anxiety of seeing what’s real and true, and handling how you feel and what you want.
Without Confront, Intention goes astray.
You clean the oven instead of working on that report you’ve been dreading. Or avoid having a tough conversation with someone, hoping the problem will magically go away.
You cope when you feel that you don’t have the power, ability, or skill needed to achieve what you truly want. Sometimes that coping is distraction or avoidance. Sometimes it can be surrendering to Obligation (“have to, don’t want to”) which lets you off the hook for not doing your best.
An Intention to Confront
Set an Intention to practice and improve your Confront.
Ask yourself what you want, and what’s keeping you from having it. Use a technique like the “5 Why’s” to reach for the deeper block that’s making you anxious and sabotaging your power.
Look for the counter-Intention, the want or belief inside you that is disrupting your progress. Many times, your limiting beliefs are lurking just under the conscious surface, making you hesitant and uncomfortable.
Start with situations where there’s less at risk. You will find it easier to confront why you didn’t speak up about what you wanted for lunch than to speak up in opposition to a corporate goal.
Confront is hard, much like working out is hard. Growing your Confront takes determination, consistency, and support, much like getting in shape. You’re working on a mental muscle and ability, much the same as building your physical ones.
When you do, you’ll find that you can accomplish more than you previously imagined possible.
You can do this. I can help.