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The Importance of Setting Intentions vs. Setting Goals
August 25, 2021

Set your Intentions

Retirement planning isn’t just about the finances. There is so much more than that. And it typically starts with an idea or vision for what you want for your retirement. What are your Retirement Goals? Wishing and hoping are nice but they often don’t help us to achieve what we want.

Setting regular intentions is an effective way to help you move more purposefully towards your goals. Are we talking about a schedule? No, but a schedule can be instrumental in setting your intentions. Many of our followers give us feedback that they don’t want a regimented life in retirement. We agree!

However, we know through research that when people retire they feel lost without some structure.

The purpose of setting intentions is more of a reason to help you reach your goal, not so much about setting a strict time or routine, unless that is what it might take to help you succeed. Remember a goal is what we expect the end result to be. The intention is really how you show up for the journey to the goal. The intention is the hard part of reaching your goal but by setting it you keep your head in the game.

There are five steps that we use for when it is time for us to set a new intention.  

Some may be set as daily intentions, whereas others maybe weekly, monthly or even annual intentions.  At times, we may even set intentions around a particular activity.  For example, I do yoga.  If you’ve ever done yoga, the teacher alwSome may be set as daily intentions, whereas others may be weekly, monthly or even annual intentions. At times, we may even set intentions around a particular activity. For example, I do yoga. If you’ve ever done yoga, the teacher always says, as soon as you get into class, “Get on your mat and get yourself situated. Set your intention for your practice today.” Because I do hot power yoga, when I first started my intention was to not leave the room. As the degrees got hotter and the movements got more powerful and brisk, it was just like, “Just please don’t leave. Just do not leave. My intention is to stay in the room.” And then after that, as I got better at it, I would build my intention. It would be something more. It would be something I would reflect on in myself. So again, it wouldn’t be a goal, but my intention would be to really stay, for example, present for the 75 or 90 minutes I was on the mat.

Here are the 5 steps for setting a new intention : 

Step One: REFLECT UPON IMPORTANCE.  Take a moment to decide what is really important to you on the path to meeting your goal.  

Step Two:HOLD IT SACRED.  Keep your intentions as your own. Keep them as your centered piece. Again, if my intention is to stay present in the moment for 90 minutes, even though I’m also wearing my Apple watch, which gets phone calls and messages, I need to tune it out.  I keep it on only to measure my output, my energy, not to get messaging. My intention in the moment has to be the most important thing to focus on. 

Step Three: WRITE IT DOWN.  The third step is either write it down or keep it as a mantra for yourself. It’s really important.  It gives you’re a sense of ownership and serves as a reminder if you find your mind wandering or not getting the results towards the goals that you are setting. 

Step Four:KEEP IT POSITIVE.  There’s so much negative self-chatter that many people go through. So when you’re setting your intentions, reframe them to be positive and then hold on to that as your mantra.  

Step Five:  GIVE YOURSELF FEEDBACK. Ask yourself, “How’s it going?” My physical wellness goal is to be doing yoga at the age of 90 with good spirit, good mindfulness and flexibility. That’s my goal. But to get there, I have to have my individual intentions of practicing during the week. I have to stay present. I have to challenge myself. So I have set different intentions along the way.

What do you want the rest of your life to look like and how will you go about achieving those goals?  

It’s important to be intentional during this phase of your life. You’ve spent many years working towards your career goals.  Now it’s more important than ever to focus on YOU.  

Tell us, how do you set your intentions? Do you set them around a day? Do you set them around a task? Are you combining them with goals? Do you set them privately or do you state them publicly for accountability? Join our free Facebook community and let us know!