How to empower your actions with purpose and intent

What’s the purpose?

Is there intention behind the decisions you make and the actions you take?

If not, then what do you hope to accomplish? How do you know which direction to take?

I was discussing these questions with a client a few days ago. A client who has felt stuck in his daily routines for a while now. After listening to his concerns for a few minutes, I proposed these simple questions and the look on his face changed from an expression of hopelessness and despair to an expression of hope and possibilities.

He understood. He knew that if he could be deliberate with his actions, he could regain control of his life. He also understood that it would not be easy, but he knew this was going to be the beginning of his journey to a better life.

And what about you? How often is there a clear intention behind your decision making and your actions?

Of course, if you are quite comfortable with your current situation, then perhaps every decision you make doesn’t need a clear purpose?

But if you want to control the direction of your life, there has to be intent. If you want to steer your life in a new direction, every decision you make must have a purpose.

As I suggest to all my clients, I encourage you to carefully consider whether your actions are deliberate or are they just habits — good or bad — that you repeat day after day.

For example, does the food you eat to satisfy a craving for sugars and fats, or do you choose foods that fuel your cells with nutrients to keep you performing at your best whatever you do? There is a big difference. One puts you in control and the other controls you.

When you pick up your phone, is it to get valuable information or to scroll aimlessly through social media and other people’s perfect lives?

When you download a new app, what purpose does that app serve? Will it help you be more productive or is it going to be another distraction?

Now. It is not always as easy as having clear intentions. Habits are powerful — often subconscious — so you are not necessarily in control, even if you have a clear intention.

And that is where most people stop. They have an intention to do something differently. But when it comes to doing it, their habitual nature takes over and they don’t pull through. They’ve ‘failed’ and think there is no point trying again. But there is.

If you keep trying, you will eventually get there. Most often, success is just on the other side of giving up. Keep going, and you will succeed.

There is purpose in ‘failure’

No one is perfect, and no one will ever get it right the first time round. You will fail. As any accomplished and successful athlete, entrepreneur, student, and parent can attest to. There is purpose in failure. Without it, you will never learn what works and what doesn’t. Did the Wright brothers give up before they built the very first successful airplane?

Being afraid of failure does not mean you’re stupid or you’re not worthy. It just means you’re human. However, if you can learn to accept failure and embrace it, learn from it, grow from it, you can accomplish just about anything you set your mind to.

Know where you want to go

Of course, to have intention behind your actions it helps to have a sense of direction. What are you trying to accomplish, what are your goals? Do you want to overcome anxiety, do you want a better job, do you want financial freedom, do you want to fall in love? Knowing what you want allows you to make better decisions.

And even if you don’t quite know yet what it is you want to achieve, ensuring you take deliberate action, will help you create a clear direction. Just because you don’t know where you want to go right now, does not mean you have to lie on the sofa and binge Netflix all day long.

Stop and think

When you decide to do something — whether it’s the food you eat, the job you apply for, the project you take on, the money you spend — stop yourself before you do it and think about how this serves you. What are the benefits of this decision, does it help you get to where you want to go, or is there something else that might be better?

Does your decision serve a greater purpose? If not, ask yourself, is this really worth my valuable time, money, and energy?