The Career Alchemist: Transforming Your Professional Life in 2025

Part 3: The Power of Intention - Setting the Stage for a Purposeful Year

Welcome to Part Three of the 'The Career Alchemist: Transforming Your Professional Life in 2025' Series.

In our previous posts, we've explored the importance of discovering your purpose and building a foundation for success based on the "Being, Doing, Having" framework. Now, we’ll examine how setting intentions, rather than just goals, can provide you with the direction and meaning needed to live out your purpose and grow into the best version of yourself. This is about shifting your focus from external achievements to internal development and your overall direction.

The Difference Between Intentions and Goals

Many people focus on setting goals, which are often defined by external targets and deadlines. While goals can be useful, they often lack a deeper sense of purpose. Intentions, on the other hand, are focused on your internal state, your values, and your overall direction. They are about the kind of person you want to be and the kind of impact you want to have, not just the things you want to achieve. Here’s a breakdown:

• Goals:

  • Often have a specific, measurable outcome.

  • Are often associated with deadlines.

  • Focus on what you want to do and have.

  • Can cause frustration when deadlines are missed.

• Intentions:

  • Are focused on your internal development and values.

  • Guide your actions, but do not constrain you with deadlines.

  • Focus on who you want to be.

  • Create a sense of purpose and motivation that goes beyond external achievements.

Goals are Dreams with Deadlines, Intentions are about Direction

A goal is often described as a dream with a deadline. The problem with this approach is that sometimes those deadlines are arbitrary and do not align with the timing of your growth. When you miss a deadline you may be tempted to give up, even though your dream is still valid. It is more beneficial to focus on your intention, your overall direction, and how you will grow into the best version of yourself.

Intention is about Being, not Doing

Intentions are rooted in the concept of "being" rather than "doing." Your intention should align with the person you are becoming. It is about making sure your actions are congruent with who you are, or who you want to be.

• Focus on Your Identity: Align your intentions with your values and your purpose.

• Move Toward Your Vision: Let your intentions be the guiding light for your journey, instead of specific, possibly arbitrary milestones.

• Embrace the Process: Focus on who you want to be and trust that the actions and the results will come naturally in time.

Actionable Advice: Setting Intention-Driven Objectives

Here are some steps you can take to set clear, intention-driven objectives for the year:

• Reflect on Your Values: What is most important to you? What principles do you want to live by?

• Define Your Purpose: How can your work be aligned with your purpose?

• Set Intentions: Create intentions that are focused on personal growth and aligning your actions with your identity rather than just hitting metrics or deadlines.

  • Instead of setting a goal to "make X amount of money" you could set an intention to “serve my clients to the best of my ability.”

  • Instead of a goal to “write a book by a certain date” you could set an intention to “be disciplined in my writing process.”

  • Instead of a goal to "get a promotion by X date," you could set an intention to "become a leader and cultivate a positive influence on my team."

• Focus on the Positive: When you set your intentions, make sure you are focusing on a positive aspect of the fact. This will lead to feelings of anticipation, which will give you the power to act.

• Take Action: It's important to follow intention with initiation and not procrastination.

The "Future Self" Letter Exercise

A powerful exercise to help you align with your intentions is to craft a "future self" letter. This involves envisioning yourself a year from now and writing a letter to your current self, offering advice, guidance, and inspiration. Here's how to do it:

• Find a Quiet Space: Find a place where you can reflect without interruptions.

• Visualize Your Future Self: Imagine yourself a year from now, having lived a purposeful and fulfilling year.

• Write the Letter: Write a letter to yourself as if you are your future self. Include:

  • Insights: Share insights on how to overcome your challenges and fears.

  • Guidance: Advise on what decisions to make and actions to take.

  • Inspiration: Offer encouragement, and remind yourself of your strengths and potential.

  • Accountability: Remind yourself of your commitment to be decisive.

• Review and Reflect: Read the letter often throughout the year. Let it guide your decisions and actions.

This exercise will help you gain a clearer perspective on the person you want to become and how to move toward that vision with intention and purpose. When you read your letter, you are listening to the voice of yourself a year from now, the person who has overcome the doubts, fears, and insecurities that you are dealing with now.

By prioritizing intention over just goals, you can move beyond the limitations of external achievements and create a professional life that is rooted in purpose, meaning, and personal growth. You will then be in alignment with the best version of yourself.