The False Hope of Intention

I’m not a big fan of having intentions. To me, the concept falls short. It’s too weak. I can intend to do something all I want and still not do it. For example, I can intend to wake up early and work out, but still skip. 

Attaching values to your intentions is required. Values give your intentions enough weight for them to matter to you. 

Intentions without values bring you up to the point of discomfort without the strength to push past it. This typically leads to an action that is not aligned with one's values, creating an inconsistency between intentions and actions, which most likely results in frustration and stress when future choices need to be made.

Committed Action

Committed action is executed by following the mental process of noticing your internal state, creating the space to accept the conditions, and moving in the direction that your values are pointing you towards. 

It’s not about being perfect. Committed action is about trying your best every time, even though you don’t feel like it or your mind is telling you that you can’t. 

When we tell ourselves that we have to get the outcome that we want, otherwise we will never be enough, we dive headfirst into the trap of perfectionism. All of the momentum we gained in the process is destroyed by the outcome. 

The Alternative Motion to keep taking committed action is to refocus on the values-based process.

Intention vs. Commitment

Let’s say a baseball player intends to be aggressive at the plate in their next at-bat after an 0-2 start with two strikeouts looking. The batter falls behind in the count, and the fear of striking out again consumes their mind. They spiral and are scared to swing. Their intention of being aggressive only took them to the point of adversity (falling behind in the count). 

If their intention is grounded in being resilient, they notice the fear of swinging, make room for it, and commit to making an aggressive swing anyway, even if it scares them. And if they still strike out, they can move forward because they know they committed to the action and it aligned with their value of resilience. 

The choice the batter has in the moment is a double-edged sword with two impactful outcomes. 

Choice - The Double-Edged Sword

The ability to choose is powerful. I think of it as a sharp sword, but it has two edges. It has an edge that helps us to propel forward in the direction of our values, while also having an edge that hurts us by plunging us down into a trap of avoidance. The process of psychological flexibility is loaded with choices, all the way to the end. The final step in the cycle is the decision on what type of action you take; to or away from your values. 

The ability to dictate what you do with your mental process is something that has frustrated me with mental performance. If I learn the steps to take to build my mental toughness and get to the point where I have a choice to make on whether I follow through with it by taking the proper actions, what’s the point, since I can choose the wrong action anyway? 

I can successfully set myself up mentally to perform the way I want to, but I still don’t get the outcome I want. Wasn’t all that effort and hard work pointless if I don’t get what I wanted in the end? 

That’s a trap; plain and simple.

The Process

Again, remember that we as humans want to be perfect. We want to do the right thing every time, or at least fix the issue once and for all. 

Well, that’s not how performance works. Performance is about the process, not the outcome. The work of building your mental game can seem pointless when you don’t seem to notice the results, but the proof is in the process. The proof is in each step you took along the way to get yourself in the position to take action. 

There is no right or wrong decision to make as long as your choice is rooted in your values. You may achieve the result you want, or you may not. 

The important part is that you followed through and are able to decipher whether or not you followed your values and can make adjustments in the future based on your conclusion. Perfection isn’t attainable, but increasing your odds is.

Thanks for being here.

-SPB

P.S. — My 1-on-1 coaching is built on this exact philosophy - we get to learn from one another. If this post resonated with you and you're curious about how these ideas could apply to your own life or performance, you can learn about my services or schedule a free 15-minute call.