Introduction to Intentionality
“I’ve stayed up far too late considering I
need to open the shop tomorrow morning.
I can either set my
alarm to give myself just enough time to get ready for work, or I can set it
thirty minuets earlier as I typically do, to have a bit of time to wake up well
and go through some devotions. It is my
intentionality that dictates this choice.”
RenoThinks is a month old! This “column”
as I prefer to call it, (I hate the word blog) has been the reaction of a few
different actions. Primarily among them has been that I have made a new
intentionality within myself when it comes to my writing career, as well as
many other practices.
Intentionality is often overlooked when we
try to understand why aspects of our life work out or not. Typically we see
inspiration and determination as the two main foundations of success. However
inspiration isn’t a choice we can make, or an action we can take. It is a state
of mind that comes and goes almost independently. It is in our determination
where we find what we can and can’t control while we work towards success, and intentionality is the most essential
ingredient in determination.
If we want to
become a master painter, it is the intentionality to seek instruction and
practice that progressively build our determination. Look closer at the very
definition of the word intentionality…
INTENTIONALITY
Noun
1.
The fact of being deliberate or purposeful.
o
PHILOSOPHY
The quality of mental states (e.g., thoughts,
beliefs, desires, hopes) that consists in their being directed toward some
object or state of affairs.
I
typically feel that small twinge of disappointment or negative conviction when
I hear the call for determination. Many of us find passions and interests
sparked by inspiration, only for the flame to be extinguished under the
knowledge that it will require unwavering determination to realize our goals.
What if this isn’t
laziness or fear, as many of us assume? But simply that we may be finding
ourselves lost on the path between inspiration and determination.
If we insert
intentionality as the missing puzzle piece between the two steps, I find the
result encouraging and enlightening. Where
inspiration and determination are both states of mind, intentionality is a
choice. Even if you don’t have the wonderful power of determination on you
side when it comes to going to the gym, intentionality gives you a clear and
simple action to take.
“I
don’t have the physical drive to go to the gym today, I haven’t been faithful in
going to the gym lately, but I have the
power to make a choice. I can choose to be intentional, to choose to go to
the gym no matter how I feel about it.”
This is self-mastery, an essential element
of becoming the best version of ourselves. Through this series I hope to
show how intentionality is not only required for our own discipline, but has a
role to play in every single aspect of our lives and how we impact others’
lives. Below are the titles of each part of the series; I hope they spark your
interest. For now ask yourself this…
“Where do I need to
be intentional, despite all opposition, to improve my own self, and more
importantly to help others?”
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