A LIFE OF INTENT.

By Kekeli fortune

The word "intent" can be interpreted in a variety of ways; as a noun, it could mean the resolve to accomplish a goal, or purpose. As an adjective however, intent denotes a focused, committed and earnest approach to performing an action. Another meaning of intent is forethought— deciding or planning what you want to in the future. To put this simply, intent could mean any one of these: planning (setting goals or targets), determination, or commitment. With this week's article, I hope to convince you about the importance of planning, and also, the importance of carrying out your goals with determination and commitment.

Planning.

"You can't hit a target if you don't know what it is" —Anthony Robbins.

Setting a goal or target is a significant step that follows clearly identifying what you wish to accomplish. I'm not talking about thinking to yourself, this what I want to do; a goal is a specific course of action with a clear purpose and precise time frame that is written down and regularly revisited until success is attained. So, why is planning so important?

Planning and setting goals will provide your life with structure, and balance: structure means your actions are calculated and controlled; balance means the most important aspects of your life are receiving the most attention. Despite the fact that things don't always go as planned, having a strategy also gives you the advantage of knowing just how much you need to alter your plan to arrive at the desired destination.

Having a clear target or goal also enables you measure quantitatively what you have accomplished so far during a specific time period. This way, you can distinctly identify and enjoy the sense of fulfillment that comes with being successful; In the same way, you can recognize the portions of your plan that need work, so that more attention is directed towards them.

Setting goals also guides you to correctly identifying those opportunities that will facilitate progress towards your aspirations, and those that will only impede your success. This is because your goals provide your mind with a sense of direction—allowing you to clearly focus only on the things of consequence.

Without goals or a strategy, how will you acknowledge the true value of an opportunity to your dreams or aspirations? I can clearly recollect several opportunities that I ignored just because I failed to appreciate their true value, and this is only because I didn't know what I really wanted, and I didn't have goals to help me achieve what I thought I wanted; just a few months or years down the line, I finally discover their true worth, but by then, nothing can be done about it.

Goals are not limitations; rather, they simply empower you to have a more directed approach towards achieving all that you've ever wanted to achieve. How can one person plan and set effective goals?

How to effectively set goals.

1. Clearly identify what you want to accomplish, and write it down: Transform this dream or aspiration into a target; it should be specific, timebound, measurable, and finally, it should be more realistic or intelligent. The following are examples of statements that are not goals

• I want to be financially independent.

• I want to be happy.

• I want to be more productive.

• I want to be a better person.

None of the above statement is a target or goal because none of them is clearly defined with a time frame, and none of them is measurable. At the end of the day, how will you tell if you were more happy, or more productive? The key to setting goals is to be as specific as possible. It is also important to make your targets as simple as possible; if the need arises, break down complex goals into smaller chunks. This way, it is easier to execute them faithfully.

On the other hand, an example of a proper goal is I will finish reading the book "rich dad poor dad" by the end of July 2020

2. Design a strategy now:

To design a strategy, list the steps you must use to effectively and efficiently attain your goals. Also list the resources and skills you'll need to accomplish that target. Then, identify those you already possess and the ones you need to acquire; work towards obtaining the ones you lack immediately.

3. Remind yourself.

Afterwards, devise means of always reminding your self of goals and the strategy you have designed. You could set reminders using your phone, you could ask a trusted person to remind you, or you write down and paste them in your room. Which ever method you choose must be absolutely effective.

Execute those plans.

To succeed doesn't start nor end with making goals; after setting targets, you must see each and every goal to it's completion to realize success. Most often, the causes of inaction are apathy and procrastination; everyone has to contend with these challenges and the only way to overcome them is to decide or choose to do what you have to regardless of the feelings of apathy or urge to procrastinate.

Two things will help you make that decision:

• Always have in mind a distinctly painted picture of what it means to successfully achieve those goals and what it will feel like. Also have in mind what a failure will result in—pain, regret, exhaustion, or more waste of time and resources. Anytime you feel like procrastinating, quickly remember them.

• Another thing to remember is that the next moment, or hour, or day or month is out of your control. Right now is what you have control of, so it is better to work towards that target now. You also want to avoid burdening your future self with extra tasks; if you can do that thing today, there's no need pushing it to the next day.

In this article, I have mentioned to you the importance of setting goals and how to go about setting them. I also mentioned to you how to effectively execute your plans through determination and commitment.

Thank you for reading.