4 Ways to Turn Your Intention Into Action

All women have intentions. Action begins with intention. But not all intentions lead to action. How can you change that? Is it necessary that you do? What intentions should not lead to action?

How many times have you said, “I am going to get more organized” or “I need to finish this project” only to realize months later it never happened? Have you intended to repair a relationship or intended to step out of your comfort zone to explore new ideas?

I am not questioning your integrity but what happens when good intentions lead nowhere? Does it damage faith in yourself? Does it create a stop-and-start cycle of woulda-coulda-shoulda?

The self-improvement movement is a billion dollar industry.

Women spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to improve something; to have a better personality, make more money, have better relationships, and grow closer to ourselves.

But what is it that really stops us from getting there? We are not connecting the value and meaning of our intentions to the sometimes scary actions required to create a difference.

The cycle starts with honest desire for self-improvement followed by inaction or giving into temptations, followed by guilt then giving up. Throw in a pinch of laziness (or exhaustion) and you have the recipe for doubt in oneself. Sound familiar?

It happens to the best of us. So how can women beat this cycle of inertia and temptations?

There are four strategies to create action from intention:

1) Get moving. Movement creates momentum which counteracts inertia. Stop thinking and planning about what you ‘intend’ to do and just do it. If you plan to start a home-based business so you can be with your children (I did) and still make money, then get moving.

Do not go from 0 to 75 in 10 seconds when you do start. That’s a recipe for failure and then the cycle repeats. Instead, go from 0 to 10 in a day or two. Do your research, crunch the numbers, and evaluate your time. Break things down into doable steps that create progress. Progress that builds on the next step.

2) Invite positive pressure. Laziness, another culprit to intentions becoming action, is greatly lessened by public pressure. The code word here is accountability. A little pressure never hurt as long as it’s not overdone and becomes obsession.

Positive pressure includes encouragement from family or friends, a coach, an online forum, or a like-minded group in your church or neighborhood. When you start your home-based business, hire a business coach, join a forum of women who are going in a similar direction. Women thrive when they get the support of other women who have been there.

3) Fail then get moving again. I certainly didn’t do everything right. But one thing I did perfectly was I didn’t quit. You can do that perfectly, too. Resist the temptation to make excuses, put your intentions off, and constantly change directions. Plan for setbacks, accept them, and move on.

4) Inspire yourself. You have to really want it. List all the reasons you want a home-based business. List the benefits. How do they match up? It’s not enough to feel the positive pressure – you have to really feel the internal passion to get it. Just thinking you should do it isn’t enough. Doing for your spouse or your kids isn’t enough. You have to do it for you.

Think of the lost ingenious of women who never started - who didn’t believe it was possible. Join the women who have set the bar for reaching beyond intention – into action.