{"id":97405,"date":"2023-03-29T16:33:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T20:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=97405"},"modified":"2026-01-20T17:35:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T21:35:33","slug":"the-law-of-intentionality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-law-of-intentionality\/","title":{"rendered":"The Law of Intentionality: The 4 Ways to Grow on Purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you expect to grow as you go through life? How do you think growth happens?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John C. Maxwell understands that growth operates by certain laws. One of those laws\u2014the Law of Intentionality\u2014says that growth doesn’t just happen by itself; it happens when you make it happen. You have the power to grow by planning strategically and taking thoughtful action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn why thoughtful action helps you on your journey of personal growth<\/a> and to discover four ways to take thoughtful action effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Law of Intentionality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Maxwell argues that making a commitment<\/a> to growth is necessary because growth can happen only intentionally\u2014not<\/em> accidentally. This is the Law of Intentionality. Many people make the mistake of expecting to grow automatically throughout their lives. Because of this, they never intentionally improve themselves; then, they wind up dissatisfied with how their lives turn out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making a commitment to your growth and taking the first steps to follow through on that commitment is a launching point<\/em> for your personal growth journey. From there, to realize your potential, Maxwell says you\u2019ll have to act <\/em>on that commitment over the long term by taking thoughtful action. <\/em>This means <\/em>planning challenges and opportunities for improvement in your life\u2014and consistently rising to meet them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Taking Thoughtful Action Helps You Grow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thoughtful action has two components: strategy and consistent follow-through. <\/strong>First, you\u2019ll strategically plan the course of action<\/em> you\u2019ll take to progress toward your goals. Then, you\u2019ll consistently follow through<\/em> on your plans by making a daily habit of pursuing your goals. Let\u2019s explore how each of these components contributes to growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategic Planning Increases Productivity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The strategic planning component of thoughtful action helps you grow because it helps you be more productive<\/a>.<\/strong> <\/strong>When you strategize effectively, you make tactical choices about how your time, effort, and resources are best spent. You then devote yourself to the opportunities that will actually help you achieve your goals<\/a>. As a result, you won\u2019t waste your time and energy on unnecessary challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Strategizing can help you make wise investments, but life is unpredictable\u2014beyond being strategic, you\u2019ll have to be adaptable<\/em> if you want to continue productively pursuing your goals.<\/a> Adaptability is about correcting your course when you realize that something you\u2019re doing\u2014or planning to do\u2014isn\u2019t going to work anymore. If your circumstances change and one of your goals suddenly seems impossible, adaptability allows you to determine what is <\/em>possible and revise your plans\u2014or, if necessary, the goal itself\u2014accordingly.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consistent Follow-Through Demands Concrete Effort<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The consistent follow-through component of thoughtful action helps you grow because it involves making a concrete, consistent effort to accomplish your goals.<\/strong> <\/strong>Recall that Maxwell says you can only grow intentionally, not accidentally\u2014if you want to achieve something, you have to take real action toward it. And, when you consistently act on your intention to grow, you\u2019ll make slow but steady progress toward realizing your potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortorm note: While Maxwell focuses on how consistent effort carries you toward your goals, it\u2019s also beneficial in those situations where you don\u2019t<\/em> accomplish your goals, in several ways. First, in Keep Going, <\/em>Austin Kleon <\/a>explains that the process<\/em> of pursuing a goal is more fulfilling than achieving the goal<\/a>. Focusing on the consistent steps along the way to your goal will help you feel about how you spent your time\u2014regardless of the result<\/em> of your effort. Second, effort doesn\u2019t necessarily lead to success\u2014uncontrollable life circumstances and social structures also play a role in what you\u2019re able to achieve.<\/a> <\/strong>If you\u2019re sure you did what you could to pursue your goals<\/a>, you\u2019ll more easily avoid unnecessary self-blame, guilt, or shame when things don\u2019t go your way for reasons you can\u2019t control.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking Thoughtful Action Builds Resilience<\/strong>

Beyond productivity and concrete effort, thoughtful action\u2014and the continual challenges it requires you to face\u2014yields resilience<\/em>, or the ability to bounce back from failures.  In The Obstacle Is the Way<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Ryan Holiday argues that resilience is necessary to success in life, because things inevitably get hard<\/a>. You must be able to persevere<\/em> through tough times and failures. 

According to Holiday, you build resilience<\/a> by dealing with life\u2019s challenges head-on\u2014resolving to accomplish whatever you\u2019ve set out to accomplish, no matter what life throws your way. When you persist in the face of adversity, you teach yourself that you\u2019re capable of doing hard things and boost your confidence in your ability to withstand, and move on from, even the most daunting challenges. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to Take Consistent Thoughtful Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now that we\u2019ve explained how thoughtful action can help you make progress toward your goals, we\u2019ll share some of Maxwell\u2019s tips for ensuring that your thoughtful action is both maximally productive and consistent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method #1: Make Short-Term Sacrifices <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Maxwell argues that when you take thoughtful action, you must be willing to make short-term sacrifices to achieve long-term goals. <\/strong>He says that every decision you make has an opportunity cost\u2014to succeed, you have to make smart choices about what you\u2019re willing to lose now <\/em>in order to win later. <\/em>For example, if you want to become more physically fit, you might have to exchange convenient, frozen foods for healthier, fresh foods and spend money on a gym membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Here, Maxwell\u2019s talking about the importance of delayed gratification\u2014your ability to deny yourself satisfaction now so that you can reap a better reward later on.<\/a> Delaying gratification can be hard\u2014it requires both impulse control<\/a> and faith that you\u2019ll eventually receive the promised reward. You can bolster this sense of faith, and therefore your ability to delay gratification<\/a>, by setting up regular reward intervals alongside your thoughtful actions. For example, if your goal is to go to the gym every weekday, planning to reward yourself every Saturday may help motivate you to follow through.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method #2: Set Yourself Up for Success<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re thinking about how to reach a given goal, Maxwell recommends that you allow yourself twice the time, energy, and resources you think you\u2019ll need.<\/strong> This practice gives you extra room for any challenges you may encounter on your way to the goal, so you\u2019ll be more able to overcome them and, therefore, more likely to succeed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, by allowing extra time, energy, and resources, you create two possible outcomes: Either you avoid running out of these things before reaching your goal, or<\/em> you \u201cbeat your estimate.\u201d Either way, you bolster your commitment: either by preventing feelings of discouragement and frustration that would make you give up or by boosting your morale with a \u201cwin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: What should you do with these extra resources if you beat your estimate? You might be tempted to reinvest those resources into another project, but remember that rest is productive, too<\/a>\u2014you need time to recharge your body and your brain so that you can perform optimally when you\u2019re actively pursuing your goals. When you find yourself with extra time, money, or energy on your hands after a job well done, sometimes the best thing to do is relax and enjoy your success.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method #3: Stay Motivated<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Maxwell says that, if you keep yourself consistently <\/em>motivated to accomplish your goals, you\u2019ll find it easier to take steady, thoughtful action. He suggests two ways to increase your motivation<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Come up with as many \u201cwhys\u201d as you can<\/strong>\u2014your reasons for pursuing personal growth, which should be based on your values, passions, and aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Be accountable to yourself<\/a> and others.<\/strong> Concretely, this could mean keeping written track of the progress you make toward your goals or recruiting people in your life to check on your progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method #4: Practice Self-Discipline<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

According to Maxwell, if you want to take thoughtful action consistently, you\u2019ll have to practice self-discipline: <\/strong>following through on your intentions, no matter how tempted you are to do otherwise. This can help you be more consistent by enabling you to overcome the occasional bout of low motivation\u2014you\u2019ll keep moving forward even when you don\u2019t particularly feel like it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To develop your self-discipline, Maxwell says you should train yourself to pursue growth <\/strong>habitually.<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>For example, if you want to learn Portuguese, you might develop the habit of listening to audio lessons every time you cook. According to him, making a habit<\/a> of your thoughtful actions takes the guesswork out of how<\/em> to pursue your goals because you have an automatic process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical Steps for Improving Self-Discipline<\/strong>

Self-discipline isn\u2019t easy for most people since, according to psychologists, it requires you to prioritize logical decision-making over emotional decision-making<\/a>. In other words, you have to be able to do what you know <\/em>is best for you in the long term, even if you don\u2019t feel <\/em>like doing it right now. To improve your self-discipline, experts recommend these methods:

Practice mindfulness.<\/a> Studies show that mindfulness\u2014the practice of paying attention<\/a> to what you\u2019re experiencing without trying to change it\u2014can train you to endure uncomfortable feelings. This makes it easier to exercise willpower<\/a> because it helps you de-prioritize your emotions: Even if you don\u2019t enjoy <\/em>doing what you need to do, you\u2019ll know that you can get through it.

Identify and remove temptations.<\/a> Temptations are things that feel emotionally satisfying in the moment but run counter to your long-term goals. By removing them, you decrease the risk that they\u2019ll distract you\u2014and appeal to your emotional side\u2014when you\u2019re deciding on the right thing to do. For example, if you\u2019re working on your health, you might eat less junk food if you stop buying it.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you expect to grow as you go through life? How do you think growth happens? John C. Maxwell understands that growth operates by certain laws. One of those laws\u2014the Law of Intentionality\u2014says that growth doesn’t just happen by itself; it happens when you make it happen. You have the power to grow by planning strategically and taking thoughtful action. Read on to learn why thoughtful action helps you on your journey of personal growth and to discover four ways to take thoughtful action effectively.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":8232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,43],"tags":[959],"class_list":["post-97405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motivation","category-self-improvement","tag-the-15-invaluable-laws-of-growth","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Law of Intentionality: The 4 Ways to Grow on Purpose - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Law of Intentionality says growth doesn't just occur; it happens when you make it happen. 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