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Intention and Goals

 

People spend precious time trying to figure out whether their goals are "possible". But aside from creating delay, the only result such activity produces is evidence that the goal is both possible and not possible. And what you think in your head, you find in the world.

Have you ever listened to someone tell you about a goal they are striving to meet, all the while sensing how uncertain they are about it? They say things like, “Well, I’m going to try this and see how it goes. Hopefully it will work out OK.” Their goal may be completely reasonable, but their lack of confidence is insurmountable. So what’s missing?

You might assume that the cause of an effect would be a series of physical and mental actions leading up to your athletic goal: action = reaction. But if you want to achieve a goal you’ve set, the most crucial part is to CHOOSE to achieve it. It doesn’t matter whether you feel the goal is “do-able”. It doesn’t matter whether you can see how you’ll get from A to B. Most of those answers will come online AFTER you’ve made your choice, not before. When you schedule your vacation, for example, you choose a destination, then you figure out the logistics. The same goes for your athletic goals. Choose where you want to be, and when, then take the necessary steps to get there. If you want to race as a Category 3 road cyclist, choose the goal, set the date to move to that category, and then start training like a Category 3.

Whenever you want to achieve something in your life, start by setting a goal and choosing to achieve it. Consciously take the time to become clear about what you want, and then declare it. It sounds too simple, but it makes sense. If your consciousness is divided against itself, do you think it will commit all its internal resources to your goal? Will your subconscious give you all the energy and creativity it possibly could, or will it hold back? Think of your subconscious mind as a multi-tasking computer processor. What percentage of resources will it devote to a task that you’ve told it to execute with the words, “Run this for a little bit and see if it works, but quickly dump it if it seems too difficult?” Now what if you gave that CPU the same process labeled, “Run this now?”

Once you realize that EVERY thought and action is grounded in intention, you will be amazed at how your resources (time, equipment, training plan, nutrition, etc.) seem to naturally organize themselves to achieve the goal. Usually for a particular approach to be successful, it means getting past some personal block. For instance, I used to dread VO2 Max and Lactate Threshold intervals. Then I recognized that by completing these intervals, I was making steps towards achieving my goals. Now when I go out for an interval session, I look forward to seeing what I can accomplish, and set goals for each session. By transforming the way I think about these training tools, I’ve become more powerful (literally) in those training sessions.

Often I see people sabotage their own goals because they do not understand the power of intention. When I get up at 4 am to raid the ‘fridge, my intention is in direct conflict with my athletic goals. Most people manifest a cluttered mish-mash of results in their lives because they are not focused on their intention and their actions are in conflict. They simultaneously set a goal and then unset it. “I want to race as a Cat. 3.“ “I wonder if it will work.” “Can I succeed.” “Maybe I’m not good enough.”

Are you in or out? Choose your goal, declare it, and set every intention in that direction. My goal this year is to race Cat. 3 successfully, finishing in the top 50% of each race I enter. I haven’t done this since 1999. This year I will. I’m intending to do so.

Jonathan Siegel, Director of Coaching
JDS Sportcoaching, LLC

Jonathan Siegel, CSCS is an USA Cycling certified expert coach. His intention is to provide the best coaching in the region. If you have a comment or a training question, contact JDS Sportcoaching,LLC.