Turning Your Intentions Into Actions
This post was contributed by Megan Moret, a Doctor of Occupational Therapy student who worked with us here at Parker Place as part of her final capstone project in the fall of 2021.
Forming a personal intention is the first step in working toward your goal, yet it requires additional effort to put these plans into action. Sometimes constraints such as time, motivation, distractions, or fear stand in the way of acting on plans. Regardless of the size and impact of your personal goals, you may encounter some frustrating and discouraging challenges along the way. Utilizing certain approaches and strategies to prevent this from happening on your journey is essential to ensure your intentions have enough momentum to reach your end goals.
Power in Numbers
You may find an uptick in success when you enlist others to join you on your journey. If you are seeking health-related goals, such as eating healthier, increasing daily movement, participating in mindfulness activities, attending yoga classes, or terminating bad habits: invite a friend or family member! This is not only a fantastic way to connect with another individual, but it increases your personal and partner accountability. Sharing ideas and experiences with others increases motivation and enjoyability of the tasks versus when attempting them alone.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
When you write down your plans and goals, they become more concrete and this begins your journey toward activating your intentions. Keeping these visual reminders somewhere you access frequently provides daily reminders to keep you on track towards success. For visual learners, keeping calendars or lists are helpful ways to keep track of your progress and ensure goals are being met within a certain time period.
Check out these smartphone apps to help you track your progress toward your goals:
Parents are the Best Teachers
Parents encouraging their children to create new habits and routines to improve their health and wellness should consider taking action alongside them on this venture. Parents serve as a role model in their children’s lives and have the opportunity to create new family traditions that promote health for their children throughout their lifetime. Choosing family activities such as walks on the weekends or evenings in nature preserves or local parks promotes bonding and increased daily movement for the entire family. Cooking healthy meals together as a family creates a healthy environment to research and discuss the benefits of choosing health foods over fast food options. Turning these small family bonding opportunities into habits supports long-term benefits throughout the lifetime.