INTENTION is all about getting clear about what you want. You see most people don’t really know what they want and certainly can’t articulate it clearly enough to be able to take decisive action to get it. Instead, they either take no action at all or repeated half-hearted action that consistently leaves them short.

 

The power of getting clear is enormous. This clarity relates to a part of the brain called the Reticular Activation System or RAS for short. Our RAS is the part of our unconscious brain that filters all the information coming in to prevent overwhelm. How it filters though relates to the conscious part of the brain that tells it what to focus on. Now what influences this filter is our repeated self-talk and patterns of thinking or in other words the clarity we have about what we want. When our conscious mind is clear our unconscious mind makes it happen.

 

You see our unconscious mind is a bit like Google. Whenever we use Goggle we always find what we are looking for. Whatever our conscious mind consistently thinks good, bad or ugly, our unconscious mind seeks to make it so. Our dominant thoughts, therefore, really do become our reality (or at least shape it). And not in some mystical way but because our dominant thoughts and feelings influence what our RAS focuses on so that we get more of it.

When we shape our RAS more purposefully it will help us to notice more opportunity, stop the self-sabotage, stop the doubt and help us achieve our potential.

 

So first get clear about what you want your career in fitness to be like (not generally thinking I wouldn’t mind getting a level 3 PT qualification but a bit more specifically and emotionally engaged in your ideas). In your ideal world, assuming you could not fail, what would you want it to look like? Is it to be your own boss, to be that sought-after reputable trainer who knows their stuff?

Is it to own your own studio, convert your garage or offer a mobile, at-home PT service for people to get fit without needing to go to the gym? Or is it to have a robust online fitness business or something completely different – the sky is the limit?

 

If it is your weight or wellbeing you are concerned about, do you want to take back control once and for all? What does feeling back in the driving seat of your nutrition, health and regular exercise regime feel like? First get clear. Otherwise I fear you will continue to keep trying new products, potions and lotions in the hope one will really work, but inwardly knowing (remember your RAS) that they don’t really work, not in the long term and you will always therefore self-navigate back to set point.

 

Now the second part of addressing your Intention | Attention balance is what you find yourself most frequently ATTENDING to.

 

Once we get clear (our intention) we need to focus our attention to accomplish it. And the thing is “stuff” gets in the way. Life gets in the way. That’s why we so strongly advocate getting away from distractions, once you are indeed serious about what it is you really want, to focus on it.

 

If your intention is about clarifying what you want, you attention is about prioritising it. Consistent and constant affirmation, proper goal setting and setting up clear accountability to move you towards your end goal are all important. Mindset is indeed key. But having the right strategy and the right tools to make things happen is important too. And that, of course, is what our residential PT school and wellness retreat focuses on to ensure our students and guests get clear about and prioritise achieving exactly what they want.