Effectively Implementing Intentions

Identifying and setting intentions is one thing, but how the heck do we implement them? And, how are these different from resolutions? Here’s an example of how I began to implement a couple of my 2010 intentions, one of which is to tone down my inner perfectionist.

Of course, she needs some monitoring in all aspects of my life. In this case, I’m focusing on how to get a handle on her when it comes to a second intention, which is to feel and look healthier.

By identifying the problem, imagining the outcome, creating an authentic ritual, being mindful and refining my actions, I’m hoping I’ll finally crack the code to progress!

Identify The Block

My inner perfectionist is alive and active with just about everything I do – trying to lose weight, writing an email to someone, cooking, etc. I find that my first instinct is to not want to do anything unless I can do it perfectly, which of course will never happen.

But my problem isn’t just that it’s on overdrive. It’s that I nurture this behavior, often mindlessly. I perpetuate this thinking by trying to fix my weaknesses rather than play to my strengths. When I focus on fixing my flaws rather than strengthening my true self, I create a negative story about myself since I rarely reach the disingenuous standard I’ve set. 

For example, I got in the habit of going on my treadmill if and only if I could walk at a specific intensity for at least 30 minutes. I wasn’t encouraging myself to get on the treadmill unless I could hold myself to this standard.

By setting it up as a high standard, I turned myself off from wanting to exercise. I’m not very competitive with myself, so this approach rarely works for me. So I stopped exercising altogether for at least a month. Counterintuitive much?

Focus On The Intention

For so long, I’ve been creating and attempting to achieve these arbitrary standards – walking at least X minutes per day, losing X pounds by X date, etc. Since I often end up giving up, clearly these goals aren’t motivating or working for me. Instead, I end up feeling worse and reinforce the “I’m not enough” story.

This time, I’m focusing on what it is that I truly want, which is to feel and look healthier. This feels doable. This feels inspiring. I took the focus away from what I’m not doing enough of, away from perpetuating the fixing mentality, and put it back onto my original intention which I feel more connected to.

Courtesy of visualpanic on Flickr

Create An Authentic, Inspiring Ritual

I start out by paying attention to what behaviors come naturally to me, relative to my intention. I often experiment with a few until one or two feel the most authentic – something that comes naturally, I’m willing to do and that feels right.

By choosing authentic and inspired rituals related to my intentions, I’m able to feel more connected to them. The more connected I feel, the more I'll do the ritual. As the ritual becomes more ingrained, the more likely my intention will become a reality.

When it comes to my health, I know that I like walking outdoors and on the treadmill. I know that I can commit to doing this every day if I allow myself flexibility with the time and intensity. So, one of my rituals is to exercise daily, regardless of whether it’s for 5 or 60 minutes.

All it took was my first treadmill walk last week. I immediately felt better than I’ve felt in a month. This one success was what I needed to cement the memory of feeling good and to keep me going. 

Be Mindful

When I feel stuck - my intentions occasionally shift back to standards, my rituals no longer feel effective, etc. – I practice mindfulness. I check in with myself – how I feel and what I’m doing – to identify what is and isn’t working so that I can refine my ritual and get unstuck.

I’m learning to leave room for growth. Obviously I won’t always know the perfect solution to everything. But, allowing myself to take small, imperfect steps will exercise my inner imperfectionist (and tone down my inner perfectionist) and slowly guide me closer and closer to the right place, allowing myself to redefine what “perfect” means.

By remaining open to how I will implement my intentions, I leave room for growth and evolution. Refining my ritual helps keep it authentic and relevant, and keeps me connected.