Article 3 - Finding your "WHY"

 Do with intent

“Desire what you want!”, sounds familiar? This is a powerful statement that conveys a firm message of not entertaining the idea of not reaching a goal an individual set to achieve.

Everything you see, even the most common objects that most people take for granted, all stem from a thought or an idea that sprung out of someone else’s mind.

It’s not surprising when an enigma becomes an ordinary thing because someone figured it out. And someone transformed it into an object that people can easily see or instantly grab.

However, what truly matters is that the person has a plan for their actions and possesses an unwavering determination to move forward, regardless of the challenging circumstances.

This admirable feat of desiring something to happen can be a great lesson for all of us. We can all learn from it and adapt the best practices to work in our favor.

If we want to improve ourselves, reading “self-help” articles can be a great start, but it needs a steady follow-up of continuous and tangible actions that become a habit, and turn into a routine, until it becomes our way of life.

The next question would be, how can we become intentional in our actions? Here are some helpful guides that can help you start and move forward toward self-improvement.

Desire it

Have you heard of someone yelling at the top of their lungs telling everyone “Don’t just want it, desire it!”. It’s a mantra of some personal development coaches when they are addressing their audience to take action.

Wanting something is a thing, but desiring it is a whole new level of mindset. Desire is such a powerful impulse. It creates a powerful wave of single-mindedness that allows an individual to go the extra mile when everything seems against their favor.

• Desire fuels someone to set their eyes on their goals.

• Desire allows a person to endure and sacrifice for something they believe in.

• Desire makes people want to achieve greater heights and believe that they can become something bigger than themselves.

If you need something to be done, I suggest not just wanting it, desire it.

Sticking to a routine

How can someone become great at doing something? It’s because they have been doing it repeatedly for some time. Developing a routine can be quite a hassle in its early stages.

Doing a set of activities that you don’t normally do can mentally exhaust you and give you a strong desire to quit and go back to things you are comfortable doing.

Being uncomfortable, and finding a way to make it work for you involves setting your mind to it and convincing yourself that it will work out well, which requires you to be in charge of things that you can control. For example:

• You can control how long you can stay awake at night, and you can choose what time you can go to bed, so you’ll not feel sluggish and feel zestful all throughout the following day.

• You can control how much sugary substance you can intake and instead consume more fruits and vegetables in your diet because you believe this will help you lose weight and gain confidence in yourself.

• You can control the hours you spend binge-watching, but you can decide to take a walk outside, feel the breeze, and interact with a real person rather than spending long hours of screen time.

There are a lot of things that are within your control. You can decide which of these things would make you a better person, should you decide you’ll make a routine out of it.

Stop overthinking

Done is better than perfect. If you’re stuck on thinking rather than taking action, it means you have a problem. It’s easy to dwindle on empty thoughts and find yourself at the planning stage for who knows how long.

To help you get started. Write it in your journal. Start with ten things you need to change ASAP. If ten is a struggle, you can reduce it to five actionable items that you can develop into a routine. Stick to it, no ifs and no buts.

For example, instead of throwing right away empty bottles, you can decide to recycle them and create D-I-Y projects that can help reduce the tons of waste that lead to the creation of much bigger concerns.

To help you save some money, rather than ordering your favorite fast food, why don’t you learn to cook? You can get bigger servings. It can be a great way to bond with your loved ones, and you won't have to spend a lot on gas because you'll be enjoying a homey ambiance with your family.

I’m sure you have a ton of ideas you can add that will help in improving your outlook on life.

Reflect and self-correct

Reflect on things. Assess what worked and what needs improvement. You may do this before you go to bed. You can list the things that went well and what requires tweaking.

Not only that, but you need to make it work and be sustainable in the long run. Find a working system that’s convenient for you to apply everything you have set to perform day in and day out. Repeat it, and you’ll notice you will become an expert at something.

Tell your friends that you're into something and that you're doing it well. Let them follow the steps you have undertaken because one way of knowing if your system works when others are also doing it the way you’re performing it.

 

Come from a place of help

Now that you have a system that works like a charm, offer it to people to multiply the lives that you have changed because you did something different and made it into a routine.

Allow your system to be used by people who struggle to find their “why's”. It’s easier for you to relate to them because, at one time, you were in their position.

You may start by thinking of ways on how you can do a good turn for others. 

For example, you open the door for someone. You can let others have the turn at the cashier if you’re getting only a few items, and you’re not in a hurry. You can share a quick tip on how to do something fast.

Kindness begets kindness. Love begets love.

I hope you find value in the things that I wrote. I wish one day we can enjoy a cup of coffee or two and chat on a lazy afternoon about what goes on with our lives.

If you find anything that caught your attention, I’ll be glad to hear it. Your opinion matters. Ciao!