That Road Paved With Good Intentions...

What do you see in your mind and feel in your heart for yourself?

Watch out! The question asks what YOU want, not what the world tells you demonstrates success. For many folks, that is quite a shift. If the advertising world has it right, success is money, fame, "status" cars, luxury homes with so many rooms you can seldom sit in each of them once a week, designer clothes with other folks' names on them, THE latest of everything. Is that your idea of success? If it is, then you're on the right path. If not, it is well worth your time to figure out what you will have, do and be to achieve success on your own terms! With your personal definition of success, what will your life be like when you have achieved it?

Once you've determined that, begin to create a statement of intention for your life right now. That statement is a general one that will answer the question, "Why?", when asked your reasons for doing what you're doing at any given moment. Here's an example:

"Why are you spending so much time and energy on your food and exercise?"
"Because I want to take very good care of myself and bring clarity of thought to my work.

Intentions:

• To take very good care of myself
• To work smarter, not harder
• To be healthy

An intention is a determination to act in a certain way, or a statement of what you are going to bring about in your life. It is a broader concept that specific goals and objectives. It is the overall design concept for your current life.

Do you have honorable intentions for yourself?

There is no right answer, simply your answer. Your intention does not state the specifics as a goal does, nor does it contain an action plan to outline how you will achieve it. It is the big light in the distance. Once you know what it is and know you want it, then you can always look up and see it as you consciously move towards it. When you keep it in view, it will brighten your path. That will help you stay on it, won't it?

It's not that proverbial road that is paved with good intentions, actually. Those intentions are the bedrock for the smooth asphalt that will come along later and allow you to continue building roads. You can only get hellacious results when your intentions are all you have! If you have no plan, no map, and no light, it's all just a great idea!

Start building!