The Four Levels Of (New Moon) Intentions and Goals

There are four levels of intention and goal setting but most people stop at level 1, only a few go to level 4, are you one of them?

What you'll discover in this episode:

• The four levels of intention setting and goal setting
• Why most people stop at level one or two
• Why level four is the easiest one to reach your goals and intentions

Opportunities to work with me 1-1 are available. Send me an email at conny 'at' connygraf dot com or schedule a complimentary Chaos to Peace Consultation and we'll see if working together is a great fit.

Don't worry, I'll never be pushy or talk you into hiring me. 

Let's talk about goal setting or setting intentions.

We have a very powerful New Moon and solar eclipse coming up (April 19, 2023 here in the Pacific time zone) and as you know it's advantageous to set intentions on a New Moon because every New Moon has the energy of new beginnings in it that rubs off on us.

This New Moon is very special for a variety of reasons but this is not an Astrology blog so I am not going into the details of why and how other than: 

the powerful planet of transformation, Pluto, is involved in this New Moon making it extra juicy. But Pluto also means we most likely have to let go of something, leave something behind, in order to get what we want.

Before we get into the 4 levels of setting intentions I want to give credit to the Ikario Podcast episode 22 called The 4 types of goals. That episode got me inspired to think deeply about my own intention setting process and I wanted to share what I learned and realized with you and how it relates to getting organized in your office, files and finances.

This concept of the four levels explains in a really great way what I mean when I say "the magic lays in a few minutes a day to keep the chaos away". I wrote about that magic here: Why a few minutes a day are like magic.

Lets start with a quick overview of the 4 levels of intentions or goals, with level 1 being the lowest and level 4 the highest.

• Level 1 - having goals: example: I want to HAVE an organized office, files and finances
• Level 2 - being goals: example: I want to BE organized and on top of my finances
• Level 3 - becoming goals: I want to BECOME organized and in control of my finances
• Level 4 - doing goal: I DO something every day to organize my office, files and finances. 

Now that you have an overview, let's unpack these 4 levels one by one so you understand what I am saying and how you can get from the lowest level, level 1, all the way up to the highest level, level 4 and actually succeed in reaching the goal of having an organized office, files and finances, being an organized person that became this way by doing.

Level 1 - Having Goals 

Example: I want to HAVE an organized home and office

So having goals are about what you want to have, and that is a low level goal, because often having goals are like wishing, you wish you have the thing already, preferably without having to do anything for it.

When I talk about intention setting on New Moon I don't mean what others call New Moon Wishing, where they come up with their wishes during the New Moon, write them down on a piece of paper and then put the paper somewhere, forget about it and hope for the best.

In level 1 of the 4 levels we hope that we wake up one morning and poof we have what we wished for. I certainly have been this way in my life before and I also come across a lot of people like this when it comes to organizing and taking charge of finances.

These people want to have a supportive home, an organized office, and understand their finances but are not really willing and committed to do anything for it. They are searching for someone with a magic wand, for a solution that doesn't require them to change or do anything different.

We all have been here, wishing it would pooff just happen for us and we waste a lot of time and energy finding that someone with the magic wand or pill or that something that gives us what we want. I also talked about that in my podcast episode 56 called: It only works if you do the work.

As Shane Melaugh in the Ikario podcast points out, this kind of intention or goal doesn't give us any direction, or like my guest Jen Anderson said in episode 64 Perfectionist to Accomplist we are told to not be perfectionist but nobody actually tells us what to be that, or how to do that,

There is nothing wrong with having a goal

Now, there is nothing wrong with starting with a HAVING goal or intention, we are often inspired when we see someone have something and we want it too.

But just know that's only the beginning, if we are serious, we have to go deeper, or higher, and give ourselves directions.  This leads to

Level 2 - Being Goals

Example: I want to BE organized

We are understanding that we cannot just have it, that we need to first be someone that has what we want. Now we can start thinking about who we need to be compared to who we are right now.

Maybe right now you think of yourself as a messy person but you realize that you want to BE organized. So you moved one level up from wanting to HAVE an organized environment to understanding that you need to BE an organized person.

I hear this a lot from people: "I want to BE as organized as you are, Conny". But when I ask them if they have prioritizing it and are taking steps towards it, often the answer is no.

In this level we are still searching high and low for the magic wand or magic pill on how to overnight be someone different than we really are. Wishing that something magical happens to us that we are all of a sudden organized, that we are over night in control of our finances.

It's still a level up because we are not like a little kid just about having something, or dreaming of having something. It brings the goal and intention back to us. It's realizing that in order to have something we need to be a certain way.

But it also means we are often not really ready to buckle up, taking responsibility and doing the work. Still, from this level we can now at least start thinking about the how, how can we become such a person, which leads to

Level 3 - Becoming Goals 

Example: I want to BECOME organized

Becoming goals or intentions are more constructive than the first two levels, the having and the being, because it's the first time we acknowledge that there is a journey and a process to reach our goal, that there are certain things to do, in order to reach our goal.

When we are here on level 3 we really get that it's not just going to happen over night, that it will take a while to achieve it. Like the saying "Rome wan't built in a day..."

Now we are not just passively wanting to HAVE it or waiting to BE it one day. With the word 'becoming' we start to realize it is up to us to DO the work to BECOME who we want to BE and HAVE what we want.  

This is really powerful because it means things are in our control, situations or fate is not imposed on us, instead, we are in control, we have control.

This is why I say "I take you on a journey from chaos to peace" the journey is understanding you can't just have it or be it, you have to go on a journey to becoming organized and in charge of your finances.

But as Shane points out in the Ikario episode there is still a flaw in this third level. By focusing all our energy on getting here, on getting to the end of the journey to the goal, we don't think passed this point. We invest all our energy into getting here but then what?

Maybe you have experienced this in your life, you had a goal and you pushed really hard and focused and worked hard until you reached the goal. After celebrating for a bit you then you fell into a dark hole because all of a sudden you achieved your goal and you had nothing to work towards anymore.

But what also happens is, you stop pushing yourself, you start to relax and pull back and you start loosing again what you worked so hard for. With my clients that is when the chaos starts creeping back in because they stopped doing what got them to become organized and in control.

So that's why we need to set intentions and goals from yet another higher level, the DOING level.

Level 4 - Doing Goals 

Example: I DO something every day to organize my office, files and finances.

This is where are getting somewhere and keep it, because here we start thinking what we need to do on a daily basis that is sustainable.

This is the highest level, because we intentionally decide what we want and need to do every day to reach our goal and then do for the rest of our life to maintain that goal.

It's the most practical level, the level where we are not just wishing and dreaming to have it, being it or becoming it.

Here is where we do something every single day go have, be and become
And by doing "a few minutes a day.." we move towards our goals, with baby steps maybe, and we might feel it goes too slow, but nevertheless we can see and acknowledge that we are moving forward, now we are not stuck anymore. 

I said many times, a few minutes a day every single day will move you faster to an organized and supportive environment. This level 4 IS the magic solution that we are looking for, that you are looking for to get organized.

The Advantages Of The Level 4 Doing Goal And Intention

A few minutes a day is way more effective than doing a fire drill every few months that leaves you exhausted and doesn't last because the chaos quickly creeps back in and keeps you struggling.

Doing goals let us also win every day because we experience a sense of organization and peace daily. When we did the few minutes we win, we can celebrate, we can be proud.

Doing goals gets the momentum going, and they help us train our organizing muscle, they help us build supportive habits over time that keep our environment and finances organized effortlessly and easily.

Doing goals let us be in control, they are very practical, we either do it or we not, no wishing or dreaming involved, no good luck needed, no broken magic wands to fix, just doing the thing every single day.

We can measure the progress with doing goals, we either did it or not, it's yes or no. And as long as we did the few minutes, we know we are moving towards our goal.

That's why my friend, I say: A few minutes a day keep the chaos away.

This is the level of goal setting or intention setting you need if you really want to reach your goals. What ever you write in level 1 and 2 are not goals but just wishes and dreams. There is nothing wrong with wishes and dreams as long as you understand now you have to move up the ladder and get to the doing.

Everything starts with a thought, a dream or a wish. 

We see someone having something and we wish or dream to have it too. That is great if we can use it as inspiration in level one and then move up the ladder to the 4th level where we figured out what we can do daily to eventually have what we want.

When you are standing solid on top of these 4 levels you can see: with doing a few minutes a day, you automatically BECOME the person who can BE organized, soon you ARE the person who IS organized, and in no time you then HAVE an organized office, files and finances.

Summary

• Level 1 - having goals, the lowest: I want to HAVE an organized space
• Level 2 - being goals: here I understand it starts with me, but now I want to BE organized without having to do anything for it
• Level 3 - becoming goals: now I understand there is a journey and a process involved, that I have to do something ifs I want to BECOME organized
• Level 4 - doing goal: here we identified the HOW and then we are DOING the right thing a few minutes a day to keeps the chaos away. 

If you struggle with chaos in your home, office, files and finances and you realize you are stuck in one of the lower levels, most likely level one or two, where you want to HAVE an organized office, files and finances or you want to just BE organized 

contact me, because I can help that's my superpower. Together we will  figure out what's the best thing FOR YOU to do 'for a few minutes a day, to keep your chaos away and get organized and in control'.