What is the Difference Between Intentions and Goals? by Ari Wilson
As someone who struggles with depression, I often feel like some days are pointless, or without purpose.
I have been actively thinking a lot about self talk- the way that I perceive my own actions and the response that I give myself; whether that be a kind response, or a kind of mean response. I have come to realize that everything I think or say to myself is not always correct.
Even though I feel like a day is pointless because I let myself sit in bed and scroll until my head hurts; this isn’t true. I am sure that many of us have heard the term ‘a bad day, not a bad life’. I love the visuals that are sometimes paired with this quote. You will often see a tiny red dot in a mass of green dots (representing one bad day vs. majority good days). I love this because it reminds me that one bad day doesn’t have to taint my entire week. With depression, a bad day can often feel a lot worse than it really is in reality. This brings me back to the pointlessness that a lot of us may experience during a bad mental day.
Before I really placed a gap between intentions VS. goals, I would just make myself to-do lists of goals I wanted to accomplish, and this would help me to feel more purposeful. However, I now know that sometimes it’s more important to follow daily intentions instead of daily goals.
I like this approach because it reminds me that sometimes, even if we don’t always get our goals accomplished, we can still follow our intention for the day- whether that’s being kind to ourselves, or being more understanding of mistakes.
So what really is an intention? What is a goal?
The biggest difference between intentions and goals (at least for me!) is the leeway in which you can complete each of them. Goals typically have a time limit on them and a direct set of things you have to do, but intentions are different- I like to think of intentions as a guide to help you complete your goals better. Another difference between intentions and goals- one that can sometimes be negative- is the effect they can both possibly have on your mental health.
Imagine this instance: you have a long week ahead of you, with a schedule packed full of activities- maybe class, work, errands to run and a few chores to do, and activities with friends, family, or other people in your life. Sometimes when I have a busy week and I set my goals for myself, it can make me more stressed out. Sometimes in busy periods of life, at the end of the day, I look at my to-do list and it just makes me more anxious than I already was about getting things done! Instead, setting a few intentions for the week allows me to have more grace for myself when I’m getting my goals done. If my intention for the week was to ‘focus on the flow and trust the process’ (one of my favorites!), it allows me to look at my goals at the end of the day and say: It’s okay- I just didn’t get to it today! It allows me to be kinder to myself and focus on what I need at the end of the day…which could very possibly just be to take a shower and go to bed early instead of being up late to study!
Setting intentions for myself is still a sort of ‘goal’ for me to follow. As someone who struggles with anxiety, having something that is still a guideline to keep gives me the same feeling of stability that crossing a goal off my to-do list gives me. This is why I believe you should set your intentions before you set your goals. I also think that setting intentions gives your goals more meaning. When you have intentions your goals aren’t just random to-do’s…they’re contributing to a bigger goal for yourself!
So what are some intentions you can set for yourself? I’ve included some of my favorites!
I intend to listen to my intuition
I intend to honor my boundaries and my limits
I intend to stay positive
I intend to not take myself too seriously
I intend to stay in the moment
I intend to focus on _____
I intend to prioritize my energy over my productivity (this is a great one!)
Today I intend to do my best!
I included a visual below I found on yogahausmn.com that I have had saved for a while. It’s about creating rituals for intentional living, and I really love how well it helped me to understand intention VS. goals. Hopefully this is a helpful article- and allows you to give yourself more grace when it comes to your intentions and to do’s.
Image Source: yogahausmn.com
This graphic helped me to understand the flow of intentional living! I love how it points out some of the mental benefits it can add to your life.
Additional tools for when you may be in crisis:
U.S. Crisis Text Line: 741-741
Ohio Mobile Response and Stabilization Services: 1-888-418-MRSS (6777)