The Unstoppable Power of Being Intentional

Learn how being intentional super charged by other key ingredients are what you need to take action and achieve your goals and dreams faster.

“An unintentional life accepts everything and does nothing. An intentional life embraces only the things that will add to the mission of significance.” – John C Maxwell

It's 4.10pm and I'm stuck in cafe heaven.

My fellow millennials could go broke in a place like this 😆.

Beautiful plants, pastries, quick bites and more varieties of teas and coffees than you can count. 

30 or so minutes ago, I had no plan of ending up here.

But here I am, sitting and drinking from a pot of lemongrass and ginger tea whilst I stare out of the window and see it pour down with heavy rain like I haven’t seen in quite some time. 

I didn’t have an umbrella and this cafe was the nearest place to take refuge.

I’m listening to Kano's “Hoodies All Summer” album, a track called “SYM”.  

Whilst I was sipping my tea and looking around the cafe, something important dawned on me –

This moment is a powerful reminder of just how life works.

Most people in this cafe had no plans of ending up here, but somehow, they have due to the unpredictable circumstances of life.

Sound familiar given the craziness we've all gone through this year? 🤔

Where they all go from here will likely be very different to where they might have been trying to get to.

It’s wet and freezing outside and the chances are, most people in this cafe will choose to head home for a cuppa, a biscuit and a cosy blanket as soon as the rain stops.

The plans they had would instantly be forgotten and they’ll be blown by the wind in a new direction.

You see, 30 minutes ago, I was leaving my house with the sole purpose of going for a long walk to do my 10,000 steps.

When I left, the weather looked fine, but as soon as I left without an umbrella, things changed.

My intention was to do these 10,000 steps (no matter what) because it mattered to me. 

You see, staying at home was making me too unfit!

This decision to go for 10k steps was a pivotal moment for me since lockdown began.

Nothing was going to stop me doing it. It mattered for my life ultimately that I moved my b*tt and did some exercise.

Thinking back to that cafe moment, whilst I sat there thinking about the way the circumstances changed, it dawned on me that:

Intentions are powerful but it really depends on what type of intentions you have.

The word “Intentional” is used to define when something is “done by intention”.

Here is how the Cambridge dictionary defines the word “intention”

BEING INTENTIONAL IN LIFE

In my mind, there are two types of intentions that you and I can have:

1. Fluffy intentions
2. Strong intentions 

Let me break each one down and explain exactly what I mean using relevant examples.

Fluffy Intentions:

This is where you have something that you want and plan to do but it really has no root or deep substance in your life.

Here is an example of a fluffy intention:

“I want to make more money next year”, or

“My plan is to get out of debt” , or even

“I want to start a side hustle that makes £1,000 per month”.

Although the specificity of these intentions look attractive and convincing, they fall into the bucket of what I like to call “fluffy intentions”.

When the strong winds blow and the heavy rain falls, you soon forget about these intentions and default back to your comfort zone.

Strong Intentions:

This is where you have something that you want and plan to do but you make sure that it has root or substance in your life. I.e. being intentional.

A bit like sowing a seed that falls on good ground and grows strong roots. 

You would have had to water that seed for it to take solid root and grow strong.

When the strong winds come, although you might get battered by it, your heart and mind stays focused on being intentional.

Here is an example of a strong intention:

“I need to start a side hustle that makes £1,000 per month, because it will help me pay off my huge debt, so that I can get past always living in the red and truly begin to build some wealth.”

Here is another example of a strong intention:

“I need to go for my walk and do my 10K steps 3 times this week, because it will help me stay fitter and healthier, so that I can almost guarantee more enjoyable years on this planet with my wife and kids”

Do you notice the difference between the strong and fluffy intentions?

i) There is what the intention is, 

ii) then there is how it will change your life, 

iii) and then there is why this transformation matters at all.

It gets even better!

Strong intentions are super charged into action because they lead to commitment, which themselves lead to consistency.

Strong intentions + Commitment + Consistency = Results

To take things to a whole new level, here is a better equation:

Strong intentions + Commitment + Consistency + Accountability = Unstoppable Results.

Let me use an example that you can hopefully relate to:

In a few months, I will have been married for 10 solid years.

10 years!! WOW! I didn’t start off getting overwhelmed by the journey ahead. I focused on getting the initial inputs right.

Before the idea of getting married even took root (read more in the case of commitment), I bounced around with the wind with my fluffy intentions.

Those fluffy intentions led to some “interesting” relationships, but that was it. Nothing that could go the long mile at my stage of life.

I needed to grow in my understanding of what it takes to get unstoppable results in life.

It took a while but eventually by having the right people around me who spoke good things into my life, I had some strong intentions.

With those strong intentions came a public commitment to my wife backed by ongoing accountability from those who witnessed the commitment i.e. our marriage.

And with that accountability has come consistency, driven by my willingness to see my marriage continue to flourish and thrive.

All these elements together and more have led to our first decade of marriage together, stronger and happier than ever.

These same ingredients (and more) are what we put together to create the recipe for our Dream Makers that is Financial Joy Academy (FJA).

FYI: FJA is NOT for everyone 🙏🏾. Just want to be upfront here.

Read these FAQs to know if you fit our Dream Maker profile.

We've heard too many people say things like:

“I want to start an online business, but I don’t have the skills”

“I want to make passive income, but I don’t have tried and tested ideas and give up too easily”

“I want to become debt free, but I can’t seem to get out of the red each month”

“I want to build wealth, but I don’t know others of the same mindset”

“I want to start a side hustle, but I just can't find the time“

“I want to achieve financial independence one day, but I don’t know where to start”

We created FJA to answer all these questions and more.

The ingredients that I mentioned above to be more specific are:

• Strong Intentions – Created through personalised plans and goals.
• Knowledge – Created through courses, expert masterclasses and Action Plans.
• Commitment – Created through a guided step-by-step process that works.
• Accountability – Created in 4 ways including accountability partnerships.
• Consistency – Created through fortnightly group coaching calls directly from me and my wife, Mary.
• Community – Created through the crowdsourced knowledge, expertise and emotional support of other Dream Makers.

Speaking of Accountability and Community in action, here we are planning the year together as a community:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CI6Ta2-F4yd/

Now let’s have an honest chat about you specifically and being intentional…😀

Here are a few questions to reflect on at this time of year as you consider your personal life and where you want to get to.

Simply answer a YES or NO to these questions 🗒:

1. Do you run away from asking yourself how life is really going for you right now?

2. Are you working for others and coasting along when it comes to your own thing?

3. Do you look around and see others succeeding and wonder – Why not me?

4. Are you ending the year not too far from (or worse) than you started it?

5. Do you think too small when you know that you have what it takes to think big?

6. Has your financial net worth barely moved in the right direction?

7. Are you working tired and long hours with no major results?

8. Do you feel like you’re living too much in your comfort zone?

9. Are you tired of procrastinating and making excuses for your existing life?

10. Do you only dream of a radically different life to the one you have now and take no action?

If you answered a “YES” to some or most of those questions, then all roads point to the existence of fluffy intentions in your personal life.

It’s hard to admit to, but it’s necessary to stop kidding yourself and do whatever it takes to create unstoppable results in your life.

Getting the life outcomes you desire will not be easy and will take time. 

But at least with strong intentions, backed by commitment, consistency, accountability and more, you know that you’re working towards the destination that you desire.

Saying that though, it really has to come from your core 😊. 

You have to REALLY want it in order for you to do what it takes to fight much of life’s resistance that will get in your way.

Having others (who are doing what you want to do) around you helps a lot. 

For example, I remember always looking for evidence that people around me were making passive income and generating multiple streams of income.

The more I saw it, the more I believed that it was possible for me to do it too.

Back to my walk and the 10,000 steps…🚶🏾‍♂️

It didn’t stop raining, but you know what, I walked out into the rain and carried on. 

With each step that I took, there was greater burning desire within me to carry on and achieve my goal.

It mattered to me that I didn’t take the short cut back home to a cup of tea and biscuits.

I needed those 10,000 steps for me to get to the next stage of my life’s mini adventures.

About 90 minutes later, I completed my walk. Clocked over 10,000 steps and got soaked by the rain all the way to my socks.

But you know what, there was no greater joy than knowing that I tried, faced the harsh weather and did it.

This small example (and many more) keep me motivated to carry on and keep doing life better by being intentional.

In Conclusion,

At some time in the not too distant future, you’ll arrive at a destination. 

That destination will either be one that you recognise, or one that looks very different to what you expected from your future life.

The more you begin to reflect on the above questions and use this season to shift away from fluffy intentions to strong intentions backed by other enablers of success such as accountability, community, etc…

…the more you will be that person who looks back through the many challenges of life and can still point to big achievements in your life because you not only knew what it took to create unstoppable results, but you did something about it.

You fought the resistance daily and in your own way, you won the many mini battles and through it, you became the person that you needed to become to create the life that you desire.

Onwards! 🚀

What To Read Next>>

More resources below on being intentional:

Explore Becoming a Dream Maker at Financial Joy Academy

Our 10-year commitment to help 10,000 families

3-year Blog Anniversary: Highs, Lows & Surprises

6 Months Into My “Early Retirement” From Corporate. Any Regrets?

What To Watch Next>>

Watch this video on how being intentional with your investing will change your life:

Do you currently struggle with being intentional in your life and struggle with how to achieve better results in your personal life? Please comment below and share in your own words.