Moving into a new Season gives us an opportunity to review our goals & intentions for the year. But what is the difference between setting goals & intentions and how can it help us in our day to day.
A goal is concrete, tangible, and specific—something you can check off a list. Goals can also have a deadline, or specific date set for having achieved a desired outcome. Some examples?
Saving a certain amount of money, landing a new job, moving to a new city, or taking a trip.
While goals are static, intentions have a softer energy to them and will ebb and flow as you grow as a person.
Intentions, are aspirational, value-based characteristics that you strive to exemplify. They are more internal ways of being that you embody in the present moment versus things you feel you have to do. While goals are static, intentions have a softer energy to them and will ebb and flow as you grow as a person. For example, you can intend to be more present with your family or open yourself up to receive abundance, while you simultaneously have a goal of visiting your family three times this year and getting a raise at work.
Another difference between goals and intentions is that you can set intentions all day, every day without them being attached to any particular goals. But, in order to hit a goal, you definitely need to have certain intentions that support you in achieving said goal.
A goal is concrete, tangible, and specific—something you can check off a list. Intentions, are aspirational, value-based characteristics that you strive to exemplify.
As noted, goals and intentions can certainly work together, and both are valuable in helping to keep you aligned with your values and move you closer to achieving what you want.
To demonstrate the potential synergistic magic goals and intentions possess when they work together, first set a specific goal. Let’s say your goal is to run a marathon. After identifying that, Berg says, ask yourself "who do I need to be in order to achieve this goal?" This will help you tap into the energy of intention. To run a marathon, for example, you’d need intentions such as strength, positivity, and dedication to become your daily signposts to support you in achieving the goal.
How to achieve your goals with the help of supportive intentions
As noted, goals and intentions can certainly work together, and both are valuable in helping to keep you aligned with your values and move you closer to achieving what you want.
To demonstrate the potential synergistic magic goals and intentions possess when they work together, first set a specific goal. Let’s say your goal is to run a marathon. After identifying that, Berg says, ask yourself "who do I need to be in order to achieve this goal?" This will help you tap into the energy of intention. To run a marathon, for example, you’d need intentions such as strength, positivity, and dedication to become your daily signposts to support you in achieving the goal.
4 tips for setting actionable goals supported by intentions
1. Identify your 'why'
Before you actually set any goals or intentions, first identify why you want to achieve them and how your life may be better as a result. Any type of change is hard, this 'why' is something you can hang on to when things get challenging. In other words, the 'why' is your fuel, and it will ensure you’re setting a goal because it’s something you truly want to achieve not just something you think you should.
2. Get clear on what you don’t want
If you’re not sure exactly which goals or intentions to set, it can be helpful to reverse engineer the process and first get clear on what you don’t want to experience moving forward. It can sometimes be overwhelming to think of what it is that we want, but if asked what we do not want, suddenly it all becomes very clear. Preparing for growth also requires you to release what isn’t working or serving you.
3. Focus on baby steps
While setting big, dramatic goals is great in theory, they can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. Feeling overwhelmed can, in turn, stifle action toward completion, defeating the entire purpose. That’s why focusing on small, specific actions that you can do daily, will specifically support your goal or intention.
For example, a goal to “make more time for me” feels huge and daunting, whereas “read my book for an hour on a Saturday” and “enjoy 30 mins walk in the morning before work” may be more manageable and, thus, set you up for success. These types of small changes leave room for flexibility and because we’re much more likely to accomplish them daily, we’ll be feeling successful consistently.
4. Make them 'SMART'
Once you’ve nailed down your goal, turn it into a SMART goal, which means a goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This practice can shield you from drafting vague goals that are difficult to see through. Again, a goal like “make more time for me” is vague (but can work well as a general daily intention), which is why specificity is key. Then, determine what metrics you will use to measure and track your progress. Maybe that means walking at specific time of day for 30 mins per day or every other day. Making a goal achievable, simply means you’re keeping it realistic and anticipating any roadblocks while still stretching yourself. "Relevant" ensures the goal is meaningful to you, and getting a timeline locked down means you've established when you aim to achieve the goal and what you’ll need to do on a daily basis in order make that happen.
“Making more time for me” could be worded “I want to feel I have more energy and feel better rested to go about my day and I want this to become a habit by the time its the beginning of Summer”.
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Take Action: Now you have the tools, you're set to have the most personally impactful season. Pull out your Journal or download this template to work on setting your seasonal goals & intentions.
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