When I was a very young mother, my son grazed his knee, as boys are wont to do. I thought that I had cleaned the wound sufficiently and finished off my ministrations with a large band-aid and a kiss.
A couple of days later, I peeled off the band-aid,and was duly horrified to be presented with a nasty mess. A quick visit to the doctor resulted in a prescription for antibiotic cream, which I diligently applied to my patient. He quickly recovered and I learned my lesson.
The premise, in my life-coaching work, is that strategy is not always sufficient to effect lasting change. Tackling the external is synonymous with applying a band-aid. However, exposing and treating the internal, results in a shift in thinking, which enables enduring results. We call this transformational coaching as opposed to strategic coaching.
Conventionally, we are used to setting ourselves goals and then, devising action plans to help us maintain behaviours and meet our targets. Accordingly, we ask ourselves, "What do I want to achieve?"
In this way, we can spend our lives achieving the external indicators of success but setting ourselves up for ultimate disappointment, where one day we might question if that was all there was.
Intentions can be compared to goals but are internal in nature. They refer not to what we do but to the way we act. When setting an intention, we ask the greater question, "Who do I want to be?" holding this image in front of our eyes.
Consequently, we formulate goals that are aligned with our deepest values, working towards a day when we will be able to look back with genuine happiness at what we have achieved and who we have become.
Intentions answer "How?" and include behaving with dignity and grace, embracing joy, and cultivating gratitude. One way we use intentions to make progress, is to ask ourselves before taking any action, whether our speech and behaviour will be congruent with the intention that we set.
I work with achieving balance, therefore it is not either ... or. Setting intentions together with goals is a way to ensure that we are living in equilibrium, balancing our minds and hearts, striving to achieve whilst maintaining focus.
As we reach year's end, join me for a year of intentional living. We will set a new intention each month, working towards transformational change so that this time next year you will be closer to becoming the person you dream of being.
Devorah Rabinowitz is a life coach specialising in helping individuals discover their inner leader to reach their potential and achieve at consistently high levels. She sees clients privately and provides live and online coach training. She also offers a range of transformational self-development workshops that you can access here.
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