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We're all about living in the moment, but can you blame us for wanting an awesome, fulfilling, enviable future, too? That's why we're all about thinking BIG for every stage of life, from the teens on up. Here's the catch, though: For all the goal-setting people make, they often miss the mark.
Cassi Christiansen, a Master Certified Life Coach who specializes in women's leadership training, says that we often don’t reach our goals because they're too precise — and therefore too difficult to reach. “When I talk about goals with clients, there’s a heaviness and a feeling of ‘This is what I’m supposed to do. If I’m not doing it, I’m not successful or normal,'” Christiansen says. "Goals come from your head and dictate what you think you 'should' be doing.”
Intentions, on the other hand, naturally provide more leeway than hard-set goals. “Setting an intent to do something is more 'being' versus 'doing,'" Christiansen explains. Setting intentions can expand the definition of success. (As an example, few people can achieve a goal of becoming a global rock star, but many people find fulfillment through setting the intention to make good music.) What's more, setting intentions helps you tap into the power of yourself and a collective energy, which opens up possibilities.
Framing goals as intentions can help you identify and live your happiest life — and, by the way, that isn't necessarily about popularity, a high-powered job, or pretty babies (though, of course, that might be part of your personal path). Instead, these intentions aim to deliver self-discovery and satisfaction from your teens to your 50s and beyond. With a little planning, creating a large-and-in-charge tomorrow is totally doable. So, what should you do with your life? Everything — now, here's how to get started.
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