Being specific about how you intend to act on a goal will help you achieve it. An intention is how you plan to approach a task or experience. This is always within your control, which means it offers more solid ground to build on. —Rose Caiola

Mental exercises help build new brain cells and strengthen the connections between them, which is why I find it beneficial to challenge the brain with new activities every week. This week’s mental workout will help you to define your intentions toward a specific goal and set practical steps to get you there.

What To Do

Choose a goal that you’ve been wanting to pursue, for example, eating healthier. Approach your goal with an action-oriented plan that creates steps you can take to achieve it: “I intend to ____ by ____.” An example could be something like, “I intend to eat healthier by bringing my own lunch to work.”

Why To Do It

Due to the power of our subconscious minds, good and bad habits become ingrained through repeated actions and thoughts. If we want to break habits, our mental mechanisms need to change. A powerful tool that successful people employ is the ability to visualize where they want to be in the future. When you are habit-breaking, imagine and visualize three alternatives to every habit you want to change. Don’t let the games your mind will play distract you from the commitment at hand. Your behavior is now. Your habits are now. Let the past go, and think in terms of be, not become. Be focused and seek better, not best.

 

Rose Caiola
Inspired. Rewired.