Intentionality pt.1

This week we are continuing our discussion around the theme Extraordinary Success by looking at the second component, Intentionality.

Intentionality is simply the act of being deliberate. John C. Maxwell wrote a book called The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. The first of the fifteen laws was the Law of Intentionality, which states: growth does not just happen. 

We’ve been talking about the importance of clearly defined personal and professional core values and how they create culture. The companies and individuals who have remarkable cultures didn’t arrive there by accident. Remarkable culture always results from deliberate intent. What happens when we aren’t intentional about our core values? The resulting culture is kind of like water, it flows the path of least resistance–always downhill!

If you want to be extraordinarily successful–and you’re reading this blog, so I’m assuming you do–you’re going to have to be intentional about who you want to be and where you want to go. You may be wondering what that looks like so let’s lay out a pattern of intentionality to refer back to as we go along.

Step 1.
Define your preferred future

Step 2.
Assess Reality

Step 3.
Take Action

Step 4.
Be Accountable

We’ll look at each of these steps a little closer in the coming weeks but for now, let’s take a closer look at step one, Defining Your Preferred Future. 

Throughout our discussion on tenacity, we’ve repeatedly mentioned the need for defining very specific personal and professional core values and we will here again. Clearly defining core values falls under step one of the Intentionality Loop, and yet most people never get past this first step!

Perhaps you have already read each of the previous posts in this Extraordinary Success series. Maybe you feel like it was good information. Maybe you even feel like you’ve learned some things. But have you actually sat down with paper and pencil and began the process of defining and refining the values that will drive the culture in your personal life, or that of your company?

Jim Rohn talks about the Law of Diminishing Intent. It states that the longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it. 

The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it.

So my challenge for you this week is to begin step one of being intentional. Defeat the law of diminishing intent. Stop reading this post, physically put pencil to paper and start defining your core values, your culture, your future. This small deliberate act could be the one thing that you look back on that changed everything for you.

If you’re serious about this process and you feel that you could use some personal guidance for yourself or your company, please contact me at alan@alanbracken.com. I will personally respond to your inquiry and will be happy to assist you in your quest for extraordinary success!