Intentions vs. Goals: Why How You Choose Matters More Than What You Choose

From "The Harmoney Method" The YIELD Exercise - Intentions

“The holidays don’t slow life down. They turn the volume up. And when everything is louder, how you choose to show up matters more than what you manage to accomplish.”

For many people, this moment quickly turns into goal-setting season. Lists are made. Numbers are assigned. Deadlines are drawn. And while goals absolutely have their place, they’re not always the most powerful place to begin.

The Difference Between Goals and Intentions

A goal is outcome-driven. It’s something to achieve, complete, or measure.

A goal says: “This is what I want to accomplish.”

An intention, on the other hand, is identity-driven. It’s about how you choose to show up—regardless of the outcome.

An intention says: “This is how I choose to be.”

Goals live in the future. Intentions live in the present.

Goals can create pressure. Intentions create alignment.

Why Intentions Can Be More Empowering

Here’s what often happens with goals:

We tie our sense of success—or failure—to whether we hit them. If we fall short, we don’t just miss the goal… we question ourselves.

Intentions work differently.

They give you agency right now.

You don’t have to wait for perfect conditions. You don’t have to control everything. You don’t even have to know exactly how things will unfold. You simply choose how you’ll meet what’s already here. An intention can be practiced on a hard day. A chaotic day. A day that looks nothing like you planned.

That’s what makes intentions so empowering—they’re always available.

The Quiet Strength of Choosing Intention First

When you set an intention, you’re not avoiding action. You’re grounding action in something deeper.

For example:

• A goal might be: “Grow my business by 20%.”

• An intention might be: “Lead with clarity and trust in every conversation.”

The goal gives direction. The intention gives integrity. When intention leads, goals become expressions of who you are—not tests of your worth.

A Simple December Exercise: Choosing What Guides You

Before the year turns, try this short exercise. No journaling marathon required.

Step 1: Name One Word. Ask yourself:

If I could choose one way of being that would serve me in the coming year, what would it be?

Examples:

• Ease

• Trust

• Courage

• Presence

• Clarity

  
  

Choose the word that feels grounding—not aspirational.

Step 2: Anchor It in Choice. Complete this sentence:

“No matter what this year brings, I choose to meet it with ______.”

Step 3: Practice It Daily. Each morning—or in the middle of a busy day—ask:

“What would this look like right now?”

That’s it.

No pressure. No performance. Just a conscious choice, practiced again and again.

Moving Forward With Intention

As December draws to a close, you don’t need a perfect plan. You don’t need to have it all figured out. What matters most is not what you’re chasing—but what you’re choosing.

Because when you choose your way of being first, everything else begins to organize itself around that truth.

And that's where real change starts.

Wishing you and yours a blessed, peace-filled holiday and JOY and PROSPERITY in the New Year!