Goals + Intention + Habits: How to Get the Trifecta of Awesome Cycle Going

By Erika Fehrenbach Prell

Hey, DreamChasers! SoulShine Life Connections is all about inspiring and guiding you to live your best life, to reconnect with the person you were before you got caught up in life. You know, the one who had dreams, goals, aspirations. We have covered many topics on how to get from where you are to where you want to be. Today, we are taking it one step further. Because, here’s a little secret. 

Ready?

Just like everything else in life, these topics we talk about...goals, mindset, self-kindness, self-discovery, habits, wellness...they aren’t individual, stand alone topics. It’s often easier to understand them when you look at them by themselves, but there is so much overlap. And, certain combinations create powerful results. That’s where we are today...what I am calling the Trifecta of Awesome Cycle. 

The three components of the Trifecta of Awesome Cycle are goals, living intentionally, and habits. Each of these topics are powerful in their own right but, when combined, bam! Supercharged, superpowers that have the potential to create momentum to get all those dreams you have ever dreamed. Let’s dive in with a quick recap!

1. Goals

Goals are the foundation of getting what you want. It really is that simple. Goals are your compass; they point you where you want to go. They direct the first steps you need to take and are your checkpoints along your journey.

For more information on goals, check out this past blog: What is the Magic in You? An Unconventional Guide to Getting After Your Goals

https://www.findyoursoulshine.com/blog/what-is-the-magic-in-you-an-unconventional-guide-to-getting-after-your-goals

2. Living Intentionally
If goals are your compass, intentional living is your roadmap. Put simply, being intentional means being purposeful in your actions. Aligning your goals with a purposeful, intentional action plan will not only allow your roadmap to unfold but will also cut to the chase, so to speak, by eliminating unnecessary paths and steps.

To get the full scoop on intentional living, read this recent blog: The Time is Now for Living a Life of Intention

https://www.findyoursoulshine.com/blog/the-time-is-now-for-living-a-life-of-intention


3. Habit
Habits are automatic behaviors that your brain creates to allow you to act without thinking, then your brain to deal with other things. Habits can move you in a positive or negative direction. It is a good idea to check in on your habits to see how they are serving you; it might be time to upgrade them. 

Check out this past blog to learn more about habit: What’s the Deal with Habit: How Habits Work and How to Apply this Knowledge for Lasting Change in Your Life

https://www.findyoursoulshine.com/blog/whats-the-deal-with-habit-how-habits-work-and-how-to-apply-this-knowledge-for-lasting-change-in-your-life

You might be wondering how habits fit in here? That’s the magic ingredient! Habits that are the result of goals driven by intentional living are the driving force of the Trifecta of Awesome Cycle! Goals lead to intention → Intention is used to unravel the map to accomplishing goals → Goals driven by intentional living create habits that serve goal accomplishment → leads to new goals being set and the cycle repeats. 

Jackie and I have chosen to make this forced slowdown a positive life experience, to see the blessings instead of just the stressings, to come out better after this time. And, you can, too! Here’s how to get your own Trifecta of Awesome Cycle started:

1. Dust off those New Year’s Resolutions.
April is the first month of the second quarter of the year. Did you catch that? 25% of the year is over. Remember those New Year’s resolutions? That plan to make 2020 YOUR year? No shame; most people abandoned them before January was even over. Let’s dust them off! Is that list still what you want to accomplish? Or has this time of pandemic showed you a different path? 

2. WRITE down your new goal list.
Yes, you need to write them down. A goal not written down is just a wish; writing then down increases your chances to actually accomplish them. Align your goals with your priorities. Guess what? The coronavirus pandemic has simplified our life to our priorities. For me, quality family time, health, and continuing to plan for financial security for the unexpected times in life came glaringly to the top. My goals have been restructured around these areas.

For a cool strategy to align your goals, priorities, and life roles, check out this past blog: How to Use the 5 Roles Life Hack to Align Your Time and Priorities

https://www.findyoursoulshine.com/blog/how-to-use-the-5-roles-life-hack-to-align-your-time-and-priorities

3. Use intention to guide the steps to accomplishing your goals.
The core of intention is purposeful action; this will help you with aligning your goals with your priorities. Intentional living also allows the path to be more streamlined. Want a good check point? If you seem to be veering off the path, you have forgotten this step of intention.

4. Habits are your secret sauce!
Assess your current habits. Remember this key on habits, a habit can not be deleted as it is a permanent neural pathway in your brain. Use this to your advantage! You can alter or upgrade an existing habit or add-on to an existing habit to work in your advantage. This is how habits work in your favor. For example, if your goal is to get healthier, one step may be to drink more water. Instead of quitting coffee cold turkey, drink a glass of water with your coffee and slowly exchange more water for less coffee over several days.

5. Know what? Goals should never actually be reached!
Say what? Think about it. If your goal is to be healthy, you may decide that means to lose a certain amount of weight. Using goals + intentional living + habits, you reach that goal. Do you just stop being healthy because you got there? The answer is no. Now, a whole new set of “being healthy” goals will appear like drinking more water, eating less fried foods, and exercising more. This is how this Trifecta of Awesome Cycle works in it’s finest; one goal leads into the next and the cycle continues!

With every successful cycle, more momentum and confidence are created, and the cycle almost takes on a life of its own! The next thing you know, people are asking YOU what YOUR secret is! Isn’t that amazing?!? It’s really that simple; don’t overthink it. Set your goals. Be intentional in how you execute. Create new habits (or upgrade old, outdated, unserving habits) to fuel the journey. Repeat. 

You got this, DreamChaser! Shine on!