Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli wrote,
“I’ve brought myself by long meditation to the conviction that a human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it.”
Every human being has a settled purpose or intent. Everyone showed up with something they were supposed to accomplish. The problem is, very few people spend any time exploring that intent. Therefore, few missions get accomplished and few people live intentionally. Below are the keys to discovering your intent.
Key 1 – You showed up knowing your intent.
Poet Rumi wrote,
“There is one thing in the world that should not be forgotten. You may forget everything else except that one thing without there being any cause for concern. If you remember everything else but forget that one thing, you will have accomplished nothing. It would be as if a king sent you into a village on a specific mission. If you went and performed a hundred other tasks but neglected to accomplish the task for which you were sent, it would be as though you had done nothing.”
Now assuming you understand and accept the fact that a being of infinite wisdom sent you into this life, the question remains, “Why would that being send you on a mission and not tell you what was to be done?”
When I was a little boy my mother often sent me to do the grocery shopping. Not once did she say, “Here’s some money, you figure out what I want when you get there.”
You showed up in this life knowing your intent but you may not be aware that you know it. You need to increase your awareness.
Key 2 – Increase your awareness of your intent.
Here are a few exercises that will help you become more aware of your intent.
Exercise 1: Do a historical review of your life. Who made the greatest impression on you? What event made a great impact on your life? Remembering those defining moments give us a clue about our intent.
Exercise 2: Write a list of 10 things you love doing. What activities bring you great joy? That’s a clue for you. Many people try to make a living and pursue their destiny doing something they truly hate doing. If they don’t hate it, they have very little interest in it. If you have little interest in a particular activity, then it’s probably not your intent. If you don’t love what you do for a living, you’ll get beat every day by others doing the same thing because they love doing it.
Exercise 3: What do you like to read? What do you watch on television? What do you do when you go on vacation?
Review your answers and say,
“Looking at these answers, it’s clear to me that my intent is _________!”
You fill in the blank. It’s just that simple.
Key 3 – Don’t worry about being wrong when you decide.
I can hear you thinking but what if I choose the wrong intent? Surveys indicate that more than 70% of all the decisions we make are wrong. The point of decision-making is not to always be right but to close the gap on the right decisions. Every time you make a decision and it’s incorrect, you learn something. Brian Tracey said, “Those who have accomplished the most in our society have made decisions quickly and changed those decisions slowly.” Even if you choose poorly, you get an opportunity to choose again. Take some time and determine if your decision is a good one.
You showed up with intent! Get busy pursuing it!
About the Author:
Art Jackson is a professional speaker, executive coach, and the President of Eagles Nest Performance Management, Inc. He is a recognized expert in the areas of leadership, performance improvement, and interpersonal skills. Art is the originator of the Purpose Centered Leadership(TM) system that has been used to improve performance in many facets of public and private life.