The Intentionality of Chance -

First of all, KNOW what you want – for your life and your career.
Be intentional about bringing those things into reality.

As self-evident and simple as these 2 steps may seem, it is alarming how many people do not live life in accordance with them.

Some people do not know what they want so they cannot be intentional about getting anything. Others know what they want but are haphazard about getting it. “Close your eyes and shoot” – in other words – “You’ll hit something”. Not the way to get to the top. Not the way to get to YOUR top – or even close to it.

Step 1: CHOOSE

Yup, just like “Build a Bear”, you get to choose exactly what you want in life – personally and professionally. That’s a lot of power and maybe you’re actually afraid of it. Don’t be. There’s concrete evidence to show that billions of people have chosen a life before you and at least millions of them did just fine.

To make this step easy, break it up into chunks and work from there. Here are some possible categories you can use:

Personal & Professional
Mental, Physical, Spiritual
Self, Social, Career
God, Work, Family
Internal & External
Work & Play
Weekdays & Weekends

You could even have sub-categories: ‘Personal’ may have a mental, a physical and a spiritual component. ‘Professional’ may have a present and a future component. Whatever works for you. The idea is to facilitate the choosing – getting clear about what it is that you really want.

Step 2: CREATE

Now that you know what you want, how do you get there? Take the intentional approach.

Have you ever watched Property Brothers on HGTV? On this show, twin brothers – one, a realtor and one, a contractor – work with couples to get them their dream homes. Invariably, the home buyers want a house they cannot afford – one with all the amenities and little or no work that needs to be done. The Brothers come to the rescue and help the couple find a home they can afford – often a fixer-upper – and then customize it to their specifications.

The point? See yourself as that run-down home in need of repair… No, just kidding. The point is that every couple on the show has an idea of the perfect home for them but lack what’s needed to make that dream a reality – money, knowledge, skills, etc. Their goal is real – they know exactly what they want – but the “how to make it happen” stands in the way. With the Property Brothers’ help, however, the perfect home is able to be realized.

You, too, may know exactly what you want – personally and professionally – but do not know “how to make it happen”. The key is to obtain your own “Property Brothers” – the resources, tools and supports that will help you transform your goals into concrete reality.

Ask yourself:

What resources can I draw upon to help get me there – classes, books, programs, etc?
What new behaviors should I adopt? What old behaviors should I drop?
Who do I know that can help? What connections can I leverage?
Which courses of action would have the highest potential for success?

Answer these questions and then assemble the solutions. By being strategic in your planning, you can exponentially increase your chances for success.

It is the deliberate action that you take that creates the results you truly want.

“Change is inevitable. Growth is intentional.” ~Glena Cloud

RESOURCE

An executive or personal coach can help you assess where you are, decide what you truly want and devise a strategy that delivers real return on investment.