Intent in Hindsight

A fundamental tenet of mindfulness is aligning our actions with our intent. This is why intent plays such a crucial role in the six harmonies of kung fu. Yet what is often missing in a person’s approach is an awareness of realtime intent.

We all can identify instances and situations where we are embroiled in a pursuit that we used to have a deep passion for but now we just seem to go through the motions. What used to stimulate us has just become white noise. What we used to do for pleasure and benefit is now an inconvenient responsibility. What used to be a career is now only a job.

Even though they seem to be polar opposites, the difference between mastery and mediocrity is surprisingly small. That small difference can be found primarily in your intent. Completing the exact same actions with two different attitudes will generate two different results.

If I am completing a task as if it is a hoop to jump through as opposed to it being tool to help me improve myself, the outcome I experience from completing that task can be vastly different. Maintaining a positive intent in our actions is crucial for mastery.

Positive intent cannot be in hindsight, it must be present when we take action. This is where many people fail. They complete their task and reflect after the fact on the benefit of doing such a task. If the awareness of the benefit arrives only after the task is completed, the proper attitude at the time of action was not in place.

Differentiating between a hoop and a tool cannot be an analysis that takes place after action. Your action is what is important so what you are thinking at the time of the actions is just as important. Therefore hindsight is not helpful when analyzing whether or not you did something because it was a hoop or a tool.

Intent must be maintained in realtime, not hindsight.

“How you look at it is pretty much how you’ll see it.” - Rasheed Ogunlaru (b. 1970)