The Difference Between Planning for Perfection and Setting Intentions

You’ve memorized all the phrases: Fail to plan or plan to fail. A stitch in times saves nine. Especially at this time of year we tend to focus on our New Year’s Resolutions and plan to make big changes in our lives.  But the research shows that by the time March rolls around, we’ve all but abandoned most of our attempts and revert back to where we were.

We need a Plan, and yet those too can get abandoned faster than an Amazon cart at night with items you don’t really need.  Because I think when we plan for Perfection we can set ourselves up for failure, because life WILL find ways to get in the way.  We get thrown off course by a hurt ankle that thwarts our new exercise goal or a financial hit that blows the new fragile budget.

I think focusing instead on creating loving, positive intentions for ourselves may be more effective, IF we also put some concrete steps in place to make it real and make it happen.  Intentions alone, well they say the road to Hell is paved…and planning alone can create the “all-or-nothing” mindset that makes us throw in the towel if things don’t go exactly how we planned.  If we can create our WHY-based intentions, such as “I want to get healthier so I can feel better” and combine it with “I will start by cutting back on the carbs…” give you motivation AND a concrete way to begin making it happen.

By intending instead of planning we allow for the variables we didn’t account for to show up, without letting them wreak havoc on our efforts.  We simply learn to fold them into the batter and keep moving. We become flexible, we adjust, and get creative to find ways to reach our goals – anyway.  Now I’m not encouraging you to use this as a loophole to stray from your efforts.  Get real and get firm about WHY you want to cut back on carbs and that you are mentally and ready to do so.  Get disciplined around the actions.  Just be more flexible about the outcomes.  And the detours.  And don’t give up.  Keep moving down the often winding, twisting road full of potholes to get there.

Because when you think of it, we only savor the journey up mountain that almost killed us to get to the top of. It was bought and paid for.  We worked through, fought off, and were forever changed by it.  That’s what I call genuine growth.

So put your proverbial hiking boots on and let’s do this.