Ben is a 40 year old account executive at a large manufacturing company. He is about to enter a very important meeting. He’s tired, overworked, and generally having a bad day. He walks into the board room, thumps down in his chair and awaits the next round of bad news.
Rey is a 32 year old CPA who is about to enter the same meeting. She is also tired, overworked and generally having a bad day. Rey walks into the board room, but before she sits down, she takes a deep breath … and gently reminds herself to … relax.
Everything else being equal, who do you think has a better chance of showing up as their better self during that meeting?Â
Rey spent two seconds to set a simple intention before this interaction. Two seconds. That’s it. Can that small exercise really make a difference in how she shows up in that meeting? I say yes! Rey made a choice before her meeting. She implicitly asked a question of herself…How do I want to show up in this meeting?
Every journey begins with the first step of articulating the intention, and then becoming the intention.” – Bryant McGill, Voice of Reason
Have you experienced an interaction lately where you showed up as less than your best self?
What if, right before the interaction, you had simply asked and answered the question, “How do I want to show up for this?” Instead of allowing unconscious habits, your current mood and the circumstances around you to run the show, you create intention. You make a choice about how you want to show up.
Do you think this exercise could change the outcome of your next meeting?
Setting an intention can interrupt your default set of behaviors and replace them with a choice. When you set an intention, it is more likely you will live into it. Without intention, there is less choice. Without intention, you never ask the question. Intention provides more choices. With more choices come more options. More possibilities. And different results. Results more aligned with your best self. More aligned with how you want to show up in this world.
That is what intention is …. better alignment of action with purpose. When our actions are more aligned with a pre-determined purpose, there is a much better chance of getting better results.
And here is what is so exciting! We can become intentional in so many facets of our lives.
You can be more intentional about your relationships. About your learning. About your brand. About your dreams. About anything that is important to you.
What positive impact will you have in this world when you are more intentional with your leadership? What cause will you lead? Who will you influence and inspire?
What is truly possible?Â
