Intention without Action

I thought I had planned ahead but instead, I got behind.

Knowing that Thanksgiving might be busy, I planned ahead.  I wrote two posts on Wednesday, one for Wednesday and one for Thursday.  I thought that was a good plan.  I thought that the advance work would put me in a position for success.  That SURELY I’d have a chance to write between Wednesday night and the end of day Friday.  Surely…! And yet not only did I not write by the end of Friday, but here it is Sunday, the end of Sunday and I’m finally writing.

Why?

What I learned in hindsight is a powerful lesson.

While I planned, or rather intended, to make the time to write, I didn’t create a plan I would act on.  I didn’t give myself one or two options and make sure that I created the space to make it happen.  I did not make its success a priority.  And keeping it only as a wish also left me at the mercy of random events.  It left it completely up to something else to guide whether I had the time and kept writing.

I’m sure I had the time.  I’m sure that I could have found 5 or 10 minutes.  But I didn’t.  I’m not sure why.  May be it wasn’t time, but space that I wanted and needed.  But this isn’t about beating myself up.  It is about realizing that in the midst of clutter and chaos, an intention alone won’t make it happen.  I actually have to plan and protect the ability to take action.  Concrete, actionable steps.  These things won’t write themselves.  They won’t magically happen.  Someone else won’t make me.  This is something that I do for me.  And to want to do it and then not doesn’t hurt anyone else.

Isn’t that the way it is with a lot of things.  Desire and intentions are not enough.  I actually have to do!