The Power of Intentional Success: Building a Life with Purpose
When I hear John Maxwell speak, two things come to mind. First, he always seems positive, intentional, and genuinely happy. Second, I’m both amazed and a bit overwhelmed by the idea of actually putting even a small part of his advice into practice. He learned to be intentionally successful early on and keeps working at it every day. He is a best-selling author, leader of a very large organization, is in high demand, and has written over 70 books - very intentional and successful.
I see myself as successful in many ways, but honestly, most of my success happened by accident and often caught me off guard. It’s like walking into a dark room and feeling along the wall for a light switch—that’s how I found success, with very little planning. Sometimes I wonder what I could have done if I had been more intentional earlier in life. But here’s the good news: as long as you’re alive and breathing, it’s never too late to start being intentional. I decided to begin my own path to become intentionally successful.
When I lead a R.E.A.L. Success mastermind group, I always start by saying that success is a journey, not a destination. It keeps unfolding as we keep learning on purpose, through both wins and losses. I used to see failure and loss as bad things. If I didn’t get what I wanted, I would get upset. I’m sure some of you can relate. Now, I see that failure is just a step toward bigger success in life.
What if you started being intentional every day? Everything we’re talking about comes down to this: being intentional. Decide what you want, take actions that move you toward it, and adjust your path as you go.
Being intentional is a choice we make all day long. We choose when to eat and drink—no one accidentally drinks a cup of tea or water. I might doze off at my desk without meaning to, but most of what I do when I’m awake is intentional, even if I don’t always notice it. The real question is, what am I being intentional about? Spending hours on sports or reality TV might not help me reach my goals and could even pull me away from them.
Speaking of reality TV reminds me of a story. We recently built a cabin on our farm. There is a large Amish community in this area, so we engaged one of the local Amish construction firms to have a “barn-raising.” As you may know, the Amish do not use electricity, and there is no television. Their relationship and communication between husband and wife are a bit different as well. So when my wife and I would be in a discussion or dispute, I would often catch Levi, our Amish foreman, smiling or laughing at our exchange. One day, after a heated discussion, I saw him laughing, and I said,
“Levi, you may not know about this... But there is something on television called reality TV, and people pay a lot of money to watch it. But you’re getting it. For free!”
The way we came to build a cabin on our farm was an unfolding accident. But the actual construction was very intentional. There is no way to build something of great value and wing it. You may end up with something, but it will more than likely be a mess. In the same way, our lives call for intention. Some of you here today are a mess. But the good thing is that you are here, taking an intentional step toward your goals, which can only lead to greater success.
