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109 Examples of Intentions

John Spacey, June 27, 2021

An intention is something that you plan to do. This can be contrasted with a goal which is a planned future outcome. Intentions are more pragmatic than goals as you can control your own behavior but can't directly control outcomes. For example, if you want a particular promotion at work you can do everything right but the opportunity may still not present itself. Intentions are also used to focus on the moment as opposed to goals which risk thinking about the future so much that you miss out on your actual life each day. The following are illustrative examples of intentions.

Accept	Appreciate the Small Things
Attend (e.g. don't miss classes)	Avoid Drama and Overreactions
Avoid Needless Perfectionism	Avoid Negative Gossip
Be Accountable	Be Ambitious
Be Candid	Be Careful With Money
Be Curious	Be Fearless
Be Friendly	Be Fun
Be Honest	Be Kind
Be Open To Experience	Be Optimistic
Be Productive	Be Realistic
Be Responsible	Be Supportive
Believe in Others	Build Relationships
Celebrate Wins	Challenge Assumptions
Change	Communicate Clearly
Compassion	Consider How Others Feel
Consider Valid Criticisms	Create
Cultivate Self-Discipline	Deliver To Commitments
Develop Mastery	Don't Be Quick to Judge Others
Don't Worry About the Small Stuff	Eat Well
Embrace Faults	Engage
Enjoy the Journey	Exercise
Explore	Find Joy in Discomfort and Difficulty
Find Opportunity in Challenges	Find Peace
Find the Humor in Things	Forgive Others
Forgive Self	Generosity
Get Out More	Give
Have Faith	Ignore Unfair Criticism
Improve Work Quality	Keep a Journal
Lead by Example	Learn a Language
Listen With Intent To Understand	Listen to Intuition
Live Free	Live Simply
Live With Style	Live a Life of Aesthetic Value
Look For Opportunities to Grow	Make Reasonable Decisions
Make Things Happen	Measure, Improve and Measure Again
Meditate	Perfect a Talent
Play	Practice
Practice Humility	Practice Tolerance
Produce Revenue	Pursue Culture
Pursue Leisure	Pursue Recreation
Quit a Bad Habit	Raise the Bar
Relax	Remember to be Grateful
Seek Abundance	Seek Calm
Self-Reflect	Sense of Wonder
Shine	Simplify Things
Slow Down	Speak Up
Spend Time With Loved Ones	Spend Time in Nature
Start Conversations	Stop Making Excuses
Study	Surprise Yourself
Take Calculated Risks	Take Time to Plan
Take the High Road	Think Logically
Thrive in Competition	Transcend Social Comparison
Travel	Try Not to Take Things Personally
Try to Solve Problems	Value Friendship
Value Loyalty	Visit Friends / Family
Work Hard

Good Intentions

The term good intentions is often used in an ironic or sarcastic way to describe unintended consequences whereby an effort essentially backfires. For example, pushing for a solution to an environmental problem that creates other environmental problems. This is based on the proverb of unknown origins -- "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Notes

The word intend has an indefinite quality that reflects how difficult it can be to align your ideals of how you'd like to be to your actual actions.

Intentions aren't commonly used by business such that they aren't associated with as much unimaginative orthodoxy such as the doctrine that goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Plenty of worthy intentions and goals aren't specific, measurable, time-bound or achievable. The idea that you should never target something that you can't achieve would appear to encourage mediocrity.

109 Examples of Intentions

Good Intentions

Notes

Intentions

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