Holding your Intention and Letting Go of your Results in 2010
Kicking off 2010, I’m inspired to share with you one of the best-kept secrets at Freedom Personal Development.
You may have attended one of our live workshops or read articles from our instructors. You’ve heard the stories about how our staff has accomplished some mind-blowing results in the past. To list a few they have:
- Wiped out 30K of credit card debt in a year
- Broken sales records that stood for 10 years
- Completed the Iron Man
- Stopped Smoking and/or kicked other addictions
- Lost 30 lbs and kept it off permanently
I could go on and on…
People wonder how they are able to do these things. And in almost every instance, they did it with more harmony in all areas of their lives.
Three simple steps:
- First, they dedicated their entire year to a single focus. In our goals workshop we refer to this single focus as the Keystone Goal. This is the one thing that will support all of the other goals and initiatives you have going on in your life.Give it a name! The Chinese call 2010 the Year of the Tiger. What will it be for you? The Year of Fitness. The Year of Savings. The Year of Relationship. The Year of Expansion. Make it fun and make it something that brings your Vision of the year close to home for you.
With that intention, imagine your plans. Get clear in your mind about what you would enjoy doing and what activities you can enthusiastically pursue. Don’t worry about weather or not you will execute all of them perfectly. I rarely execute my plans exactly how they were originally envisioned. And you don’t need to follow your plans exactly to create fantastic results.
- Next, hold onto your intention and let go of the results. I’m often amazed that most people get this backwards… they let go of their intention and hold onto their results.Hold onto your intention. Remind yourself why you declared this the Year of X Y or Z. A quote that has helped me hold onto my resolved for nearly 20 years is:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.Don’t quit on your intention. Support it throughout the year and it will support you back!
- Lastly, let go of your results. We tell ourselves the most imaginative stories about the results we are getting. “That wasn’t enough.” “I didn’t do it right.” “I fell short.” And none of them are true!Whatever happens, you did you best for where you were. Sometimes your love your results and sometimes you don’t and it may not seem that way. But that IS the way of it – whatever happens you did your best for where you were.
This is one of the most profound things I’ve learned in the last several years. No matter what happens, if I critically examine any situation, I’ll see that I did the best I could for where I was… and I notice that my best is always changing.
Thinking that I could have done better is as illogical as thinking that I can travel to the past and change what is done. And there is incredible power and freedom in the knowing that you are doing your best. Image the peace of mind and strength of will you’d bring to any endeavor knowing that you will be giving your best possible performance.
Holding that truth in front of you, with your vision and intention near by… everything else will take care of itself perfectly.
Be Free!
eric
PS – I would love to know what intention you are holding for this year. Post a comment below.
For me, 2010 is the Year of Expansion. Michelle and I expanded our family on January 2nd with the birth of our first child. Freedom Personal Development is expanding our live workshop offerings and for the first time offering workshops online. I’ll be participating in an adventure race with several disciplines I’ve never attempted before. I’ll be expanding my comfort zone as I write my first book. And I’ll be expanding my volunteering activities in our local community. What a year it is going to be!
Comment by eric — January 14, 2010 @ 6:24 am
A great post and ‘eye opener’.
The post really backs up the Greg Anderson quote, “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”
Too often we focus far to much on achieving a rigidly fixed outcome and rushing the journey; wondering why it doesn’t look like what we thought it would!!
My year is going to be the ‘Year of Success’ after last year’s ‘Year of learning’
Comment by Paul — January 14, 2010 @ 9:45 am
This year is going to be the “Year of the voice” – which represents an area of passion and freedom for me that will spill over into all areas of my life. I’m feeling more and more relaxed each day and letting go of day-to-day results and tasks. Your reminder to get clear about intention hits home at the perfect time…
Comment by Bud Katheman — January 15, 2010 @ 6:51 am
This year is going to be the “Year of Advancement” – I have a goal of advancing to the next level at work, the next level in my relationship, the next level in parenting (letting go alittle), and the next level in the book I am writing. I am very excited about this year. It is the year that I focus on advancing on those topics! No more staying idle.
Comment by Eve — January 15, 2010 @ 11:25 am
I really like what Paul said, that it is about the journey and not the destination. My goal this year is to trust the process. What that means to me is that I need to trust that my intentions and proactive approach to things – both in business and personal arenas – will deliver the results I am desiring. It seems to me that from a ‘first things first’ perspective, none of the other subsequent goals I have set for myself will come to fruition until I have faith and trust the process for which I will accomplish them.
Comment by Christen — January 15, 2010 @ 2:30 pm
Thank you Christen. You are right with your analysis.
Enjoyment of the journey is something so sadly overlooked. How often do you see people achieve their goal and suddenly become deflated. If only they would develop their (self) awareness and appreciate their surroundings! Their short lived enjoyment of the goal achievement would not be so much a concern if they were to appreciate the journey and the experiences.
Comment by Paul — January 17, 2010 @ 8:59 am
2010 is the “Break Out” Year.
I will be Breaking Out of credit card debt
I will be Breaking Out of my comfort zone and going to China for a month/learning Mandarin Chinese
I will be Breaking Out of my traditional role at FPD and launching online training
I am Breaking Out of the single life as I am engaged
Super excited for 2010
Comment by Katie Brandt — January 18, 2010 @ 6:43 am