Much as one can’t rule out an element of luck, it is imperative to understand that success is never accidental, it is rather an aggregation of articulated, strategical, and smart steps. Yes, luck may play a minute role, but the ultimate factor responsible for success is hard work laced with intention. Nobody succeeds without hard work. It is only when you put in the hard work that luck favours you. This is because the more risk and opportunities you intentionally explore, the more luck shines your way.
Succeeding in life entails a lot of principles and factors. In the course of this article, we shall discuss how being intentional can be the icing on the cake that will catapult one to success. Being intentional can mean different things. You can be intentional in the way you show positive gratitude, the way you communicate, the way you work, the way you assist people or even the manner you serve.
Being intentional means you must be deliberate in taking actions and decisions about what is important to you. When you are intentional, you will be deliberate on how you live your life daily, you will be clear on the result you want, and how you want to use your time. You may be wondering what intention means. According to a philosopher, “Intentions are fundamental to focus and direct your energy towards your desired life outcomes.”
To understand how intentional people work, just imagine a driver driving a car, who you may not be privileged to know what their intentions are; all you can see is how they use their indicator lights to show their next direction. Some reckless drivers might even signal moving left and end up going on the right side of the road. What does that tell you? Nobody knows the heart of a man, just the actions they show you. The heart of a man can be deceitful. The same feeling is applicable when you are working on purpose, nobody might understand your vision or even believe in your work. All you need to be is to be intentional and focused because the revelation, inspiration and intuition are yours, not theirs. At the tail end, they will all come back and celebrate your accomplishments and success.
It should be noted that all great men who succeed were not only focused, but they were also intentional about their purpose in life. Purpose in this context can be business, academic, relationship/marriage, or whatever project one is working on.
In every sphere of life, one must be intentional, and when you are intentional, you will know what you want, and won’t be distracted by the error messages, negative energy and distractions that may pose as a challenge to you. Being intentional works best when you know yourself. The truth remains that the self-discovery form of leadership helps you to understand yourself first before you can be able to serve others.
It is generally stated that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step; yes, a step in the right direction. When you are passionate about a cause or have an uncommon inspiration or vision to begin a project, it may sound outrageous or impossible in the sight of many people, but the reality of life is that if the inspiration and vision was given to you, all you need to succeed will accompany the vision. All you need to do is believe in yourself.
The beauty of being focused is that it sets your mind on the things that are important. To know how focused one is, look at how the person invests his time and resources. When you are laser-focused like an eagle, you will dedicate your mind, body, soul, and heart to the work at hand. Take for example, someone who has an online business that might be experiencing slowness, whereby the website or social media page might not be attracting the desired traffic; this can be demoralizing. However, I have a word of encouragement for you, stay focused on the vision and goal at hand. One day, you will share your experience to the next generation on what it means to be patient on a cause you are passionate about.
Let me share a personal experience with you, during the COVID-19 crisis, I started an online business where I use Instagram and Facebook to attract customers to my business. I did this by going Live on Facebook and Instagram simultaneously, some of my friends and family members couldn’t imagine me doing a Live video with no audience. In some cases, my outfit, composure, content, and public speaking skills weren’t attractive, I didn’t bother, because I know I have a good message the world needs to hear. I learned along the way and gradually improved where necessary. Fast forward to two years time, Facebook acknowledged me as Digital creator and started paying due to the number of visits on my page.
Why am I sharing this with you? It’s just to encourage you to be strong and focused on your vision. In conclusion, regardless of the setbacks and challenges you may have experienced in life, if you truly want to succeed in life, you must be intentional, focused and purposeful.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a Human Capacity & mindset coach. He’s also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via [email protected]
