Good Intentions

Good Intentions

This fitbit has me a bit obsessed with walking.  So I assumed regular exercise and better eating were a natural combination. I had good intentions for each; better intentions, actually, than results.

Regular exercise: getting out of bed early and, no matter what, power walking early every day.  That’s one good intention in the plus column.

Better eating: what was I thinking?   I’m fairly disciplined when alone, but when I go out, my stomach, hands and mouth conspire with more desire than conscience.  That’s one good intention wobbling into the negative column, (it’s weighted: no pun intended).

Good intentions are, well....good to have but hard to do: tthese two apparently competing good intentions seem to require daily negotiations between doing what one likes versus doing what one should.  In other words, balancing proverbial opposites: doing more of what you know you should is a good start on good intentions.

Good intentions are all too often influenced by all the information – both straight and biased – available 24/7 (it's like drinking from a fire hose).  Smart, skinny, young, active, cheerful, and blissfully happy: that’s the target audience they want us all to want to be like.  But, life isn’t that orderly: maybe we should ignore those more superficial attributes found in the media and focus on some better attributes we can control: like what we know, how we act, how hard we try, how much we care, and what kind of attitude we have. Maybe those are more appropriate good intentions to have.

And when good intentions fall short: look at that less as a failure and more as an opportunity to learn, grow and improve. Reflect on who and what you really are, and learn to be comfortable with that.  Know that you’ve done your best, and will try to be better tomorrow. Those are good intentions too.

My message this week is about being determined to do what’s right:

“You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction.”  George Lorimer

How determined are you to do a good job today? Not many people get up in the morning with the thought of doing less than what’s expected.  But it takes determination throughout the day to dot your I’s and cross your t’s: you’ve got to be focused on what you’re doing and why, attentive to all the details, compliant with all the requirements, observant of the many processes, attuned with the people you’re working with, mindful of customer expectations and satisfaction, and sensitive to the perceptions of the finished product (or service).  That’s a lot to look out for, but at the end of the day you’ll have the satisfaction of having done things right. Part of integrity, then, is doing all you can or should to do things right.

Stay well!