Are you ready to set intentions? Let Inigo Montoya be your guide. Yes, the famous character in The Princess Bride played by Mandy Patinkin.
After his father’s murder, Inigo goes on the ultimate hero’s journey, spending decades searching for the killer. Their paths eventually meet, and he avenges his loss.
That sounds pretty straightforward, right? It’s kind of like the popular idea about setting intentions—you decide what you want, believe it will happen, and then receive it. Done, done, and done!
There’s just one problem: Life rarely works that way.
For Inigo Montoya, the swordfight with his nemesis is the last of many, many steps. Montoya spends his boyhood becoming a fencing master. He devotes himself to finding his enemy. He goes it alone until he finds friends who support his quest. When the opportunity arrives, he courageously faces the villain. Then he sustains many injuries before winning a vicious battle.
What does Inigo have? Skills.
Have you had trouble being as dedicated as Inigo? Perhaps this scenario sounds familiar: You start with high hopes and envision a party with friends and family where you say, “My year was lit!” You think of yourself as a fast learner, so you expect it will be easy to master new things and see amazing results in record time.
However, blockbuster success can be hard to come by, especially if you’re pursuing a half-dozen different intentions. Within weeks, you feel so frustrated that you give up. Then you try it all over again when a new week, month, or year starts.
It’s time to get off that rollercoaster ride.
Intentions rarely come together in a one, two, three sequence—they’re usually filled with twists and turns. But you can navigate those surprises by cultivating your skill set. In The Princess Bride, even Miracle Max knew that turning bright ideas into tangible results took more than a magic trick!
Light it Up employs the Soul Boss™ principles to show you how to:
Before we leap into doing, let’s set a common understanding about what makes an intention. Merriam-Webster defines an intention as, a “determination to act a certain way: resolve,” and “what one intends to do or bring about.”
That definition is a good start, but it also shows why intentions fail. You can intend to get to the gym and never make it. You might resolve to act differently, then find yourself slipping into old behaviors whenever you feel stressed or frustrated. And everyone knows that depending on willpower is hardly a sure thing.
So, let’s refresh the intention concept to a new definition. An intention means making the connection between What you would like to achieve, Why you’re doing it, and How you’ll get there. Think of it as an equation:
Linking the What-Why-How requires you to dig deep. Without all three components, you’re stuck with a wish that something will happen, a task like grocery shopping, or an isolated objective like making a million dollars.
You’ve probably heard of the What, Why and How. There are many ways to apply these ideas, but for our purposes, we’ll use them as a framework to light up intentions.
Think of the What, Why and How elements like a three-legged stool. They serve a tactical purpose of providing support for the entire stool (which is the intention result). However, they can also have a singular beauty, just like furniture carved by an extraordinary artisan.
There’s just one unbreakable rule: Successful intentions must be equally supported by all three elements.
Conventional thinking about setting intentions focuses on the What. Your first thoughts could be, What will I own in the end? What will my perfect home look like? What will that big job bring? Or What will my perfect romantic relationship be like? Those objectives are each a worthwhile What. However, they quickly fall apart without a Why and How.
Let’s roll down the list again, but this time, I’ll change the picture with real-world examples. See a wealthy person who reached their financial goals through corrupt means. Imagine an incredible home occupied by a couple who barely speak. Picture a highly compensated corporate vice president who feels lost in the nine-to-five rat race. And envision a person who has met the love of their life, however, they constantly test the relationship because old fears and resentments make them needy and suspicious.
Your intentions will short-circuit if you don’t connect the What, Why and How to get the 360° view. It’s kind of like plugging in your favorite strand of holiday lights. You anticipate a “Wow” moment and then—nothing. You’re in the middle of a blackout because a small frayed wire or broken bulb threw everything off. The same concept applies to your intentions. Focusing solely on one element or another will leave you disappointed.
Next week, we’ll dive into the What, Why and How, and you’ll learn how you can use these elements to make your goals come to life. Download your copy of Light it Up—7 Skills for Setting Intentions that Work at Amazon today.