CLARITY

“Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what he loves.” — Blaise Pascal

I recently returned from a week in Las Vegas where I worked closely with the leadership team of Wyndham Desert Blue. What I most appreciate about this team is their dedication to excellence, and where they really excel is in today's Magic Word: CLARITY

Aside from the 3 hours we spent together in an intensive Corporate Positivity Workshop, I also spent two nights at the resort as a guest. During that time I challenged myself to guess what their Intention Statement is. An Intention Statement is a blunt statement that speaks to core values and desires.

For example, if you want to discover your own Intention Statement then a good place to start is with these two simple questions:

1. What is your core conviction?
2. What effect do you want to have on others? In other words, how do you want others to be different because of you or your work?

Think of it as a one-sentence summary of your life's purpose. Or your company's purpose. Or the purpose of whatever activity it is you're working on. Truly, an Intention Statement can apply to anything and everything. You could write an intention statement for writing an email, for cooking dinner, driving to the store, or meeting with a friend, or truly anything else!

At a recent conference I met a man who had the amazing opportunity to be mentored by Robin Williams. He said that Robin would often say to others: "Don't be afraid." It's even said that his journals were found with the blunt statement: "I want to help others to not be afraid." Now that is an intention statement! How beautiful that this gifted man was able to use his humor and kindness to encourage others in such a unique, memorable, and meaningful way.

And that's the key for an intention statement: it gives you clarity to leverage your activities in a memorable and meaningful way that you are uniquely positioned to employ. What's your Robin Williams Statement?

By the time I left Las Vegas I believe I figured out what Wyndham Desert Blue's Intention Statement is: They want to help welcome people home. With that kind of intention, they don't see their property as the typical hotel; rather, they see it as owned by the people who stay their, and they are simply working to keep it running smoothly. So when someone walks through the door they are not simply walking into another hotel; rather, they are truly coming home!

Knowing their Intention Statement gives the Desert Blue team clarity to identify unique ways to bring that intention to life without being held back by the "default" activities that might otherwise keep them from making a real difference in the lives of the people they serve. It even helps to identify activities that can be eliminated in order to stay true to the desired effect without being marred by design.

The Magic Word Clarity reminds us that our days are filled with conflicting influences, so in our own quest for excellence—after we've used our creativity to explore all the amazing possibilities—our next step is to take some time to reflect on what our desired effect is, and then leverage our energy accordingly.

REFLECTION

1. Identify the area of your life that could use greater clarity and write an Intention Statement for this area.
2. List everything you can think of that could contribute to this intention. Remember to use your creativity!
3. List everything that's in your schedule for this coming week.
4. Reflect on whether your current time and energy is contributing to your Intention Statement.

Are there activities you might want to add to your schedule?
Are there activities you might want to take out of your schedule?

The point here is not to create overnight transformation, but rather only to serve as an opportunity to gain clarity on what is most important, and see where you might want to make changes moving forward to more effectively meet those self-prescribed values.

In the meantime I encourage you to share your progress. You never know who you might inspire by showcasing how you apply these Magic Words! And who knows—maybe others can share valuable insights to further impact your progress.