In my last blog (December 2024) I shared with you my intentions for 2025; to journey from Ph.D. into working within research. It is both daunting and exciting to start a new stage in my career, and these blogs will chart my journey, which I hope will also be of help to others who might be on their own journey. Over the last month or so I have been working on a process that will help me shape my intentions and also manage the fears, self-criticism, and overwhelm. I call the model ‘Intentions and Preventions’. I want to share with you what I have learned from developing it, and maybe it will help you in your journey.
Over the next few blogs I will present each part of the model. Firstly, I want to give you an overview and explain my thinking in developing it.
Model: Intentions and Preventions
The figure below sets out the four parts of the model. Its aim is to set out what the Intentions are for the goal or aspiration, with the Inner Vulnerability, Preventative Actions, and Emergency Actions in place so that the journey towards the intentions can be managed.
Figure: Intentions and Preventions Model
I split up the model into the four sections as it made sense to have a clear set of intentions that could inspire to action and keep me on my path, but to also acknowledge that I will wobble sometimes. I knew I could be doing things that help me keep well during the year, and also I knew my own inner demons would be shouting at me. I think getting to know your shadow side, the parts that tell you things are awful, is important. And I know that despite all of this, things will still happen, so I wanted to be prepared with emergency actions to keep me from getting sucked into the fears.
Intentions
This part of the model encourages lots of detail and aspiration about what; the things that you want manifested and worked towards. I suggest for this to be as creative as you like; draw, write, speak, shape what you will have when you achieve your intentions. The word ‘intention’ is important because it indicates that it is an intended action, and not just a wish. Wishes are fine, but action and achievement is what will create the success! Bring to life all that you want to happen.
In the next blog I will share some tools, processes, and interventions that can help you bring your intentions to life.
Inner Vulnerability
This part of the model recognises that we hold within us an emotional vulnerability. You might think of it as the inner child that gets scared, or a critical adult that berets you for getting things wrong. It is important that we do not push away these uncomfortable feelings. I will suggest that you face it, give it a name, a face, a physical presence. That way you can talk to it, be on its side so that it doesn’t topple you. It wants to protect you, so in a future blog I’ll share some ways to turn this vulnerability into a resource.
Preventative Actions
Rather than wait for you worse nightmares to come true, prepare for them. This means to do things now that you know will help you manage the things that you fear. For instance, if you fear becoming burned out in your work, then start doing things that will help you, such as daily meditation, meeting up with friends to chat regularly, or talk to your spouse after work each evening to get the tension out so that you can relax. Prevention is the best cure and I’ll share some ideas in a later blog.
Emergency Actions
No matter how much you prepare, you will likely hit the wall or feel the fear and overwhelm at some point on your journey. So when the emotions rise up, have a plan of action that will mean you are taking care of yourself and moving through the discomfort rather than getting stuck within it. These are likely immediate actions that help soothe the situation. I’ll share some suggestions on what these might look like in a future blog.
So that’s the model. I will be developing my own intentions and preventions which I will share as examples with you, and I hope these blogs will help you shape and achieve your own intentions.
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