Food for thought:
ARE YOU BACKING YOUR INTENTION WITH ACTION?

Is the road to hell paved with good intentions? We don’t know, but if one description of hell is being caught up in an anguished state of mind, a history of unfulfilled intentions could definitely qualify. What we do know is that an intention stripped of any action is somewhat false, whether consciously or subconsciously. It's a matter of talking the talk, but not walking the walk!

Imagine someone who professes time and again that her intention is to stop overbooking her schedule so that she can concentrate on "more important things." However, she's been sharing this intention with you and others for two years without having made any discernable progress toward this goal. Or the fellow who always says, "One of these days, I'll have to get better at that," but continues the careless behavior.

There’s a message trying to get through the white noise when this conflict of intention and action occurs. Possibly:

• You are trying to live up to an expectation that others have of you, rather than one you’ve set for yourself;

• You are using the concept of intention — as in "I intended to do that..." — as an excuse to mask a mistake that you believe you have made;

• You are not completely committed to following your intention, perhaps because another intention is overriding it; or

• You are unsure of how to go about accomplishing what seems a huge and overwhelming goal.

Whatever the reason, the result can be damaging internally and externally. For you, the conflict creates stress and a certain level of unhappiness, and perhaps even erodes your self-confidence and sense of self-worth. For others, it changes the way that they perceive you, altering their interactions with you, and most likely not for the better.

Tip:

Take stock. Review your goals, actions plans, journal, comments made and any other manner in which you’ve explained your intentions. Now match those intentions with the corresponding action that you’ve taken. If you need more information to fulfill this step, visit the Brain Food Cafeteria for related tips, such as "Setting goals you'll really want to accomplish." Once you've chronicled a few of of your intentions and actions, review the list.

If there’s a void between the two, take some honest-to-goodness "alone time" to discover why there’s a void. If your intention really is to rectify this, then plot out the action steps that will eliminate the void. If you’re not motivated or do not intend to do this, start the "take stock" process again until you’ve whittled this issue down to its core, and you can begin rebuilding your intentions from what’s most important to you.

Want more practical tips? Stop by the Brain Food Cafeteria