How to Follow Through on Your Intentions

Copyright (c) 2008 Mary Ann Copson

"I am in a situation where I know what I want to do and how to do it but I can not seem to follow through on my intentions. I get started and feel great about what I am doing. I get all excited and vow this time to really follow through. But soon the same thing happens -  I just fade away. I can't seem to stick with my good plan and my good intentions. What should I do?"

Most of us have had the experience of wanting to obtain a desired result and seeing it slip repeatedly through our fingers. The most frustrating part of change is watching good intentions fade away and old habits prevail.

As you start making changes, you are probably filled with enthusiasm for the promise of changes to come. You are convinced that this time will be different. You WILL follow through on the changes you want to make. You will have a healthier lifestyle. You will save money. You will find the one…. You will loose weight…. You will…whatever.

There are many reasons for not following through – perhaps the goal is not right for you. Maybe you don’t have the resources you need. Maybe you think you want to reach your goal but are actually being pushed into doing something you think you should do but don’t really want to do. Maybe you already have too much on your plate and can’t take on any more. 

But let’s assume that it is none of those but it is just a lack of ability to follow through.  Our brains are hard wired to be alert for the things that are threatening to us. We are not hard wired for following through on things that don’t seem to be an emergency right now.

To override this natural tendency to act only on things that seem to be important in the moment, you can trick your brain into following through more naturally. 

Don’t let yourself stay caught in a downward spiral of doing the same old things. Train yourself to notice right away when your commitment is beginning to slip and master two or three key “will power tricks” to get your brain back on track so that you do what you say you want to do. 

By learning to better manage your energy using these “will power tricks,” you can coax success with these strategies to bring your desires for change into effective and efficient actions that give you the results you want. 

Here are four of my favorite “Will Power Tricks” found in my e-course The Way of Change.

Just Do It. Start Now. Begin where you are. 

(This is my favorite “will power trick” that I give my coaching clients.)

Maybe you want to start attending your children’s sports activities but it's late - if you leave now the game will be almost over when you get there. 

Go anyway. 

Don’t wait for the perfect time, the perfect place, or the perfect mood. You don’t have to start your new life on a Monday. If you have missed every day but today, start today. If you are only going to make it for the last 5 minutes of the lecture – go anyway. 

Forward movement begets more forward movement. Going anyway overcomes inertia and starts momentum to keep pulling you forward. And every time you “just do it” the next time is more familiar – and easier. 

All You Have To Do Is Show Up - Leading the Horse To Water

(found in the book, Following Through: a Revolutionary New Method for Finishing Whatever You Start by Steve Levinson and Pete Greide) 

The crux of this strategy is to put yourself in a better position to follow through. This strategy aims to just move you a bit closer to your intended action while at the same time offering you an "out" if the going gets tough.

The Leading the Horse to Water is all about showing up – it doesn’t ask you to do anything once you are there. Realizing that all you have to do is show up and that you can quit whenever you want is enough to release the resistance, you are building up for not doing what you want. And once you release that resistance, what seemed so hard suddenly looks much easier. 

For example, when you would rather do anything else than take your daily walk have a standing agreement with yourself that you will just go and put on your walking shoes. Once you have your shoes on and are dressed for your walk it is almost guaranteed that you are out the door walking.

A Little Forethought To Put You On Your Way

Get your supplies together. 

For instance, if you are making a change and you want to journal daily, don’t be distracted collecting your writing supplies every day. Put everything that you will need in the one place where you will be journaling and keep it there. When it is time to journal all you have to do is pick up the journal and the pen and start writing. 

Think ahead to the next two or three things you want to follow through on, make a list of what you will need to begin these changes and start getting everything together now. 

Once you have your supplies put them in the place where they will be needed. Make it easy to focus on the task at hand. 

A little forethought will enable you to carry through to completion without delays, distractions, or unnecessary running around.

Persistent Daily Action Wins the Game - Develop routines.

Change does not happen overnight. There are powerful physiological and psychological processes that are set to keep you like you are. They keep drawing you back to your current baseline. 

Forget that 21 days to a new habit idea. It takes 3-6 months of consistent daily practice to rewire the enzymatic pathways in your brain so that your new habit becomes natural for you. 

Transformation may look like it is instantaneous but there is no miracle moment. Take the time to get it right in the first place. Give the change your resources, your efforts, your attention, and your focus. Every moment of dedication to the change will benefit you many fold down the line. Don’t rush to move onto the next thing. Make sure that you allow yourself time to build a strong foundation. 

Develop a routine around the change you want to see. For instance, if you want to connect with your kids more often don’t wait for the time to open up. Instead, design a bedtime routine that you do every night with them. 

Master a couple of these “will power tricks” to use whenever you find yourself not doing what you say you want to do and celebrate and acknowledge yourself every time you do follow through - the struggle with following through will soon fade away.