Tag Archives: Intentional

My Results. My Intentions

The King of Pop stated it simply,

“I’m starting with the Man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways”

I am the Man in the Mirror. The reflection of the results I see, are a direct output of my intentions from 2022. David Goggins in his book, Can’t Hurt Me, spoke to himself through the reflection of his Accountability Mirror. The mirror doesn’t tell lies or have feelings or stories. The mirror and the reflection it produces only reflects the truth.

As I move forward into a new year, I will NOT be stating a New Year’s Resolution.

Instead, I’ll be writing down and reinforcing my intentions for the days and weeks ahead. Sum all these efforts together and I’ll have a year’s worth of progress.

Tony Robbins has a wonderful saying and I think it jumps off the page in relationship to this post.

We don’t get our shoulds…but we get our MUSTS!

Although this is obvious and I love it, I feel like intentions can sometimes be more subtle. Here are a few examples:

  • I “Never” miss an episode of ______________________ (that’s focus intention)
  • Wednesdays are my boys night where we meet up and have a cocktail (that’s time intention)
  • I’ve got to have the newest _________________ (that’s spend intention)
  • I always have a beer watching the game (that’s body/diet intention)
  • The 2nd Thursday of every month is date-night for my wife and I (that’s balance/relationship intention)
  • Wednesday mornings I time block to study and look deeper into my business (that’s time intention)
  • July is the month we always take a week-long family vacation (that’s balance intention)
  • I try to never miss a day without a green smoothie (that’s diet intention)

None are good. None are bad. They are simply focused choices.

We all have the same amount of time.

That’s the mindf*ck of it all. If you want to get super deep in the idea of time management listen to this Ed Mylett podcast [Respect and Protect Your Time] with guest Rob Dyrdek. Rob has gotten maniacal with the focused distribution of his most valuable resource: Time.

As I head into 2023, I’ll be refining my intentions for the the Warrior’s Way and making daily progress on: Body, Being, Balance, and Business.

If I start a post with MJ, I’ll end with MJ.

If you want to make the world a better place, better look at yourself and make a change

I know what I want and I’ll get after it with intention. Results are certain to follow.

Live With Intention

Your life is a reflection of your intentions. 

People who live with intention, get what they want. Over, and over, and over again.

If I asked, “are you happy?” right now in your life, I believe your answer closely correlates with the level of intention you associate in your everyday life and your choices.

A life lived day to day, simply keeping the car between the white lines will no doubt travel…but to where? How will you know when you get there? Or what happens when you passed your destination altogether?

Contrast that with a person who KNOWS where they are going. Every day driving closer and closer to attainment. Even if incrementally. I believe happiness is 100% related to personal progress. The opposite is staleness, and staleness leads to boredom. Boredom is one of the absolute worst words a person can associate with. Very bad weeds grow from the seeds of boredom.

How can you become more intentional on your individual pursuit?

  • Be intentional about getting uncomfortable with new challenges
  • Be intentional about who you spend your time with
  • Be intentional about your spiritual journey
  • Be intentional about where you want to live
  • Be intentional about your continued education
  • Be intentional about your body and what you can and can’t put in it
  • Be intentional with your money

I would not be intentional in the pursuit of possessions. I understand the pursuit of a Ferrari, but I believe in the end it will be unfulfilling…because I’ll want a newer one. There will always be a newer watch, a nicer car, or as the saying goes, “there’s always bigger boat.”

How is intention being reflected in my own life?

The last couple years I’ve gotten more and more intentional about my education to become a real estate investor/owner/operator. My journey continues down a path with this very focused intention. I have a goal of reaching a target monthly income (TMI) generated from these efforts.

This spring I found myself frustrated with my progress toward my goals and so I did what I preach to others. Play offense and make my intentions known to others. I want to know how I can get to where I want to go, by helping peers obtain their intentions. Make it known…and doors will open. Open doors deliver opportunity and possibly even more importantly…they deliver ENERGY!

I’ve said it hundreds of times. Funny what happens when you let the world in on your vision, your hopes and your dreams. Doors open, introductions are made, progress ensures. Back on track.

ACTION ITEM: Act with intention! Get a pen and get serious about what you really want out of your life, your relationships, and your time. Write it down. I’ve lived it and I’ve seen the better part of progress.

PS – I’m super excited for my next post, or maybe it will be the one after. I’ve been working on showcasing how you can bring your intentions to life visually and through a lens of accountability.

 

My Life Reflects My Intention

Anything I have, or don’t have in my life, is a reflection of my intentions. Intention can be manifested as action or inaction.

  • Friendships
  • Spouse
  • Curiosity
  • Intelligence
  • Business & Career
  • Financial Situation
  • Fitness Level/Body Composition
  • Housing Situation
  • Spiritual Place
  • and on and on

No one else’s fault. No one else’s dreams.

100% MINE.

If you don’t have what you want…that’s on you. As stated, your intentions manifest themselves every day. You have exactly what you’ve intended to have. Nothing more, nothing less.

Here’s the thing to understand. I don’t have it all figured out. Actually far from it. But I have been able to change my intentions and outcomes over time. I’m doing it today!

Now here’s the crux…if you don’t have what you want, how do you change it?

QUESTIONS. Ask better questions.

The quality of your life, is reflected by the quality of your questions.

Change the question, change the angle, change the outcome.

ACTION ITEMS: Better questions lead to better reflections. Better reflection leads to changing your intention.

 

 

3 Keys to Being Intentional

Chris Hogan is the wildly popular host of Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership podcast.  I was listening last week and he said something that really resonated with me and I thought would be of great value to this audience.  (I included a link to the EntreLeadership podcast at the end of this post)

Chris said, “A person must choose to be intentional with their actions.”  WOW.  What an extremely power-packed quote.

There are a couple points of this powerful sentence I’d like to dissect in greater detail.

1 – Choice.  We’ve all heard about the power we wake up with every morning.  The power to choose.  We can choose our attitudes, our friends, and our future, if we have the right mindset.  Or conversely, we can let others choose for us.  The world and time can pass us by and we’ll be waiting on the sideline watching.  Every one of us has the power.  The difficulty lies in activation.

2 – Intentional.  I feel the most powerful relationship to this is purpose.  Another great word to insert would be deliberate.  We can be intentional with everything in our lives if we choose.  I think this is one people struggle with a great deal because intention is deeply rooted in having a plan.  I know I can be more strategic in my thinking and it doesn’t have to be about work.  I need to be more intentional with my dear friends and family.  I need to be focused on helping them achieve their goals and aspirations.  I need to be intentional about listening more and continuing to learn.

3. Actions.  I don’t believe for a second Chris’ quote ended in the word “actions” by chance.  After all, Chris works with intention.  The last word of his quote provides the energy needed for most of us to move.  Lets reflect back to the top of the list.  Choice, we all have this power.  It then isn’t a question of if, but when?  Next we focus on intention and having a purpose.  What is your purpose and do you have a game plan?  Without action the first two elements of this post are ideas in a notebook.  They’re a sketch on a bar napkin or that idea stashed away in your email.  Actions separate the average from the elite.  Action will bring your closer to your goals.

“A person must choose to be intentional with their actions.”

ACTION ITEM: Start being more intentional with something small, but take action.  Have a greater purpose or goal in mind and be intentional on your path to achievement.  The velocity of reaching your target will greatly increase.

Lastly, here’s a link to listen to the EntreLeadership Podcast.