Here we are, in the last month and last week of 2024.
Folks are perusing their Google Photos recap, sharing what's on their Spotify Wrapped, penning resolutions or intentions, choosing a word of the year, and so on. There are photo collages and montages, vision boards and quests.
It's a very particular kind of energy that swirls at the end of a calendar year, huh?
Lots of simultaneous summarizing and planning. Reflection and preparation.
All of which has inspired a question I'd like to tackle today:
Is it okay not to be intentional?
It's a popular idea, this notion of being intentional, and it's definitely become quite the buzzword in personal development circles.
But what does it even mean?
'Intentional' is just a concept. It's a label that humans have slapped on a set of behaviors and thoughts, and it basically means there's an extra layer of thinking, ruminating, or noodling going on.
It seems to suggest this extra layer has some power or influence to it, or, at the very least, it has some special energy baked into it—and that's regarded as better than behaviors and thoughts that arise without as much thoughtfulness behind them.
Folks tend to believe that living with intention means that, more often than not, they're living a life of their choosing. They followed the paths they intended to follow and make the decisions they intended to make. But I don't know that that's true.
Does the act of having intentions actually control anything or make anything happen?
I don't see how it could.
From where I sit, we don't really know why some things happen and others don't, regardless of intentionality.
Don't get me wrong, having intentions might feel good sometimes. It might feel responsible, wise, mature, or like we're being thoughtful in a really powerful way. It might feel like having a plan or voicing a desire. It might feel like we're speaking into existence some thing we really want for our lives.
Even still, you can be intentional, and plenty of things will happen that you never intended to have happen. The same goes with not being intentional; stuff will happen regardless. Intentions don't affect the outcome. I don't see how they could.
They might affect your perception of the outcome. Your feeling of agency over the outcome. But can they actually change the outcome? It doesn't seem to work like that, but go ahead and look for yourself. Do you think you controlled an outcome by having an intention ahead of time?
If it helps you to set intentions (for the new year or at anytime), go for it.
If it feels like something you should do, something you're supposed to do in order to get more out of life, pause for a moment.
That sounds like an unnecessary amount of work.
What if the right things, the right 'intentions,' if you want to call them that, will find you? (What if the exact right next step has been finding you this whole time, intentions or not?)
What if it's less about planning what you want to go after...and more about following the next thing that gives you that indescribable juicy feeling? That buzz of energy?
Being 'intentional' might start to look a bit like living in your head instead of living in the world, huh?
So, hold the idea of intentions very lightly. They're not essential. Far from it.
Your inner compass is on all the time. Fresh, new thought is occurring to you all the time. You don't need anything you don't already have, including intentions.
What do you think?
Does the perspective I've shared change anything for you? What do you notice when you consider letting go of all the intention-setting for the year ahead?
Drop a comment below and let's discuss. (I always reply to your comments, though Squarespace doesn't seem to ping you after I've done so 🤔, so be sure to check back here after a few days.)