What Do We Mean by Intention?

We got some feedback on a recent episode: we used the word intention a lot. And that feedback was fair -- because we do. So we want to take a moment and actually unpack it. What is an intention? How do you set one? What does it look like in practice?

I think of intention as a tool -- a very specific one. And I want to share the framework I use, because it is one that Conrad and I have both been working with for years. It is simple. It is a Madlib.

I love this framework. Whether you have been setting intentions your whole life or you are brand new to it, this structure works. Go ahead.

Part one: I will be... This is the being part -- the energy you are going to bring. Not what you will do, but who you will be. I will be curious. I will be open. I will be grounded. It is usually an adjective, something you can hold energetically as a way of orienting yourself.

For me it is something I can actually feel in my body -- an energy I can connect with, not just a word on a page. Shannon, what is yours for these calls?

Grounded. I will be grounded. And then part two: so that... This is the impact. So that I can access my voice and wisdom. So that this conversation is useful to our listeners. It is the thing you want to create or generate -- the reason the being matters.

And the third piece: for the sake of... This is the deeper purpose. A value, an outcome, a relationship. For the sake of this community. For the sake of doing meaningful work. So the full structure: I will be [being], so that [impact], for the sake of [purpose].

You can set this intention before a meeting, a conversation, a day, a year, a ten-year plan. The framework is the same. And what makes it powerful is that it gives you a place to return to. When the meeting runs over, you are starving, and you just remembered the dishwasher -- you can come back to your intention. It orients you. And at the end of the day, it gives you something to reflect on: how did I do?

We will probably say the word intention many more times on this podcast. Now you know what we mean. Take the framework, make it your own, and let us know how it goes.

Thanks for listening. Until next time.