Do You Have a Start Point? The Case for Deliberate Intent

We have all found ourselves in situations where the circumstances and people around us dictate what we end up thinking, feeling and doing. Some of this is inevitable. Yet it doesn’t have to be a foregone conclusion.

Deliberate Intent is the decision, made in advance, about how you choose to respond to a situation you are likely to face. Not a reaction. Not a default. A considered, pre-planned response that you have already rehearsed in your mind before the moment arrives.

So how do you do it?

You don’t need specialist tools, a particular location or anyone else present. You need three things: a situation you are likely to face soon, your imagination and a few minutes of focused thought.

Take the situation. Play it forward in your mind. Ask yourself: how would I like to respond if this goes the way I expect? How would I like to respond if it doesn’t? When you do this, your brain stores the rehearsal. When the real moment arrives, it recognises the pattern and gives you a head start toward the response you chose.

Consider something as simple as booking a flu jab. Most of us intend to do it. Many of us don't. Research has consistently shown that people who are prompted to decide in advance exactly when and where they will get vaccinated are significantly more likely to actually follow through than those who simply intend to. The difference isn't motivation, both groups wanted to do it. The difference is the pre-planned Deliberate Intent. One group had a start point. The other was waiting for the right moment to arrive on its own and as a result left themselves at the mercy of other people and situations.

This isn’t just intuition. German Psychologist Professor Peter Gollwitzer has spent decades researching what he calls implementation intentions, the simple but powerful act of deciding in advance that if a specific situation arises, you will respond in a specific way. His research consistently shows that people who form these if-then plans are significantly more likely to follow through than those who rely on good intentions alone. Deliberate Intent is that principle made practical.

It won’t be perfect.

People and events rarely unfold exactly as we imagine. But Deliberate Intent gives you a start point and a start point is often the difference between responding and simply reacting.

Try it now

Think of one situation you will face in the next 48 hours. It doesn’t need to be high stakes. Spend two minutes imagining how you would like to show up. That’s it. That’s deliberate intent in action.