You can choose to work with a purpose and create beauty as above or just see if you get lucky. Photo by Pilar Copete
The past couple of days I have been struggling with writing. Not because I have ran out of ideas for good articles, but because I have been trying to create posts.
It’s not about posts, it’s about helping you.
I forgot one of the most powerful ingredients for anything that is successful: Intention!
As I don’t want you to struggle (because it’s not really fun to waste your time), I will help you work with intention at all times.
What is intention?
It’s the reason why you go and do anything. It changes from activity to activity, but it’s always a very important part of the process. It’s the way you carry out your tasks in a certain and meaningful way. That’s how it works for a true warrior.
In order to find your intention what you really need to do is to go all out and ask one simple question: Why are you doing something?
For example: if I ask myself, Why I play my guitar? The answer is simple, I play because it’s fun, and because it makes me feel good.
I don’t play to be rich or famous, I mostly play because I like to play video-game music (I’m such a geek).
When you feel bored or completely out of context, it’s because the reason goes against your core values or doesn’t exist at all.
There are a lot of moments when this can happen, but as long as you avoid it, you will be able to perform and create a lot of great things.
The importance of acting with real intention
Acting with intention allows you to ace through the tasks of your day. If you really want to get things done, you need to have a compelling reason to do it. This can help you survive some really boring tasks.
For example, I really don’t know one anyone that loves to do their tax related work. It’s time consuming and really boring altogether. So why do it? Simple, because you really want to avoid all the nuisances of being audited.
Being audited takes a lot more time than what it would take you to simply complete your taxes on time.
So you avoid an insane amount of stress and suffering by just understanding why you are taking a certain action.
This comes back to my problem at the beginning of this post. I wanted to create a post, but I was skipping one crucial step. I didn’t define my intentions for my writing practice.
I was just missing one simple thing, each time I write a post I ask myself: How can I really help with this idea?
As I have been doing it for some time, the process became a bit automated. That’s big problem, intentions can’t be automated, they must be done mindfully!
When you are searching for your reason to complete one task, you really need to get into it. Besides, you will save a lot of time in the long run.
Think about it for a second, investing 5 minutes to answer one question can lead to your best work ever.
If you are an artist, you can probably complete one of your most beautiful artworks just by investing 5 extra minutes.
If you are a coder, just understanding the intention of the software or piece of code you are developing can give you the answer of the problem instantly.
Think of it not as a time consuming task, but as an investment to do your best.
Using the power of intention to succeed
I have said it in the past, taking action is not rocket science, and it becomes truly easier if you can add a powerful intention to anything you create.
Your intention makes it easier to take decisions and helps you avoid any busy work.
Going back to my writing dilemma, I was filling my time with research. Yes, it’s useful to research topics and I found a couple of interesting books, but I was not getting any writing done.
When I started to focus on my intention to help you, everything became clear. I stopped trying to find a good topic to cover, I had it already. My own struggle became the answer to my writers block!
You can use your intention to create a powerful map to create and move forward in whatever activity you choose. It also helps you avoid any busy task that will suck your time and won’t let you create your most amazing work!
The good news is that you have already done most of the work, now you just need to remember why you are taking action.
If you completed the simple exercise from last week when I asked you to create your own battle-cry, you are almost done.
Your reason to create is inspiring, it gives you the power to create and move forward at every moment, which is the same point of your battle-cry.
Take my battle cry for example:
“I won’t fear the darkness, there is good in this world and it’s worth fighting for. Today is a bright day!”
It contains what I really want to do, fight for a better world, and with each post I try to bring a smile and a brighter day for you.
Creating your intention doesn’t have to be complex, you can simply answer the question: Why am I doing this?
Don’t look for a complex answer, being honest is the best way to complete this exercise. If there is no real intention and you are struggling to find it, that means it’s not the right time to take this action or maybe you really really don’t want to do this.
The bottom line
If you really want to complete something and succeed at it, take the time to understand why you really are taking the action.
Remember, investing 2 minutes on answering one question can save you from a boring and unhelpful time.
Let’s get right into it, think about the project you are working on right now and answer one simple question in the comments: Why are you doing it?
Let your warrior spirit guide your answer.
If you are still struggling, you may want to subscribe and get our Enso Journey Warrior Manual and get a few more secrets about creating an meaningful focused practice.
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Alex, this is right on. In the Creative Block Buster Checklist I offer on my website, the first two questions I ask are, “Do you have clear reasons for working on this project?” and “Are those reasons meaningful and important to you?” I’ve found that almost every time I feel stuck and pull out my checklist, I don’t have to go much further than those questions before i realize what was stopping me!
Sue Mitchell recently posted..Why You Should Take a Chance on Your Creative Dream
Sue, it’s awesome to have you here!
It’s true, if we lack a real reason for working then we can’t move forward. It’s like trying to climb a mountain when we are not ready at all. Hopefully i will not see this anymore.
Alejandro Reyes recently posted..The Kotodama effect – How to create your own battle-cry
Hi Alex,
Bringing it back to the basics! I feel like I got that line from some cheesy late 80s hip hop star yet I can’t put my finger on it.
Why are you doing something?
This is a powerful question and in a perfect world should drive all my behaviors. Ironically, only over the past few years of my life have I even started to dance with this question. But as you explain very well, the process cannot be auotomated. I have to constantly remind myself of the purpose for my actions.
From September of 2011 to December of 2011 I tried every trick and tactic in the book to get my self up an hour early so I could exercise. Only problem was that, no matter what I tried, my bed always felt better. This led to inconsistency – which always leads to failure. But then in January I sat down and went through a very extensive process of developing a personal mission statement, establishing 10 year goals, broken down to annual goals which eventualy were broken down to weekly goals. All of these goals are driven based on my personal mission statement. Therefore the purpose behind the goals is deeply rooted.
The impact: well in terms of working out, I have now woken up an hour and a half early every day since January 15th six days a week to workout. I have not missed a day. It’s not difficult to find the motivation because the purpose is so deep.
Great post man. I really like how you stated that it can never be automated – great reminder.
Izzy recently posted..So I Want to be a Ninja… What Does that Mean?