by Chris Osborn
For so many people, the New Year comes with a “Resolution.” This act of resolving to do something can be filled with hope, powerful vision and embedded with expectation. Imagine what the birth of the New Year would bring if we turned this Resolution into Intention. As coaches, we can appreciate that this turn of words can be quite powerful, and in fact, reclaim what should be a positive fueling for the coming year.
With Resolution, we are talking about “doing.” With Intention, we are providing the critical balance of “being.” As we see now through the end of January, New Year’s Resolutions seem grounded in what we or society have deemed wrong and in need of a fix. Weight loss and issues around personal finance are consistently served up as areas where we need to resolve to fix something. Start a new diet with HIIT trainers. Stop spending. This resolve, while admirable and maybe even grounded in what might be good for us, paints change with the brush of a binary act. I resolve. I throw the switch. Presto! I am thin. I am wealthy. I am (insert baggage here).
As coaches we know, this rarely results in sustainable positive change. Let’s resolve to choose an Intention rather than a Resolution. An Intention is a positive directional desire grounded in a goal. It artfully recognizes the journey of change and begs the question of how an Intention is going to be supported. It is by its nature, less declarative and softer than a Resolution. Therein lies its power. An Intention opens the door for individuals and coaches to explore a desire, ask deep questions and ultimately, organically, build a support structure to explore and fuel positive change.
Come next year, the Intention may be the same as the year’s past. However, unlike a Resolution, you will not have failed to achieve your goal. You will instead be in a position to ask how far your journey has brought you. You will be in a place to appreciate not what was wrong with the past year or to try and fix it. Instead, you will be in a place to recognize what the journey yielded, and better yet, has still left to come.
The Faculty and Staff of CTA wish you a 2014 filled with Positive Intention and Fulfillment that Growth Provides!
Chris Osborn is the President of Coach Training Alliance. His lifelong learning includes experience as CEO of a large financial services company and founder of several growth oriented service companies.