Sometimes it’s good to set an intention without having a goal.
In the darkest days of the pandemic, I embarked on a project to publish a book with my paintings with the sole intention of bringing beauty and joy to people.
Even though I am a very goal-oriented person, particularly in my professional life, I didn’t set any goals for sales, or for engagements, impressions and likes on my social media accounts, excluding LinkedIn.
I haven’t shared much on LinkedIn about my love of art and the pastel paintings I create when I am not working, because art is a hobby, not a professional pursuit.
💡 But today, I am sharing what I have learned from suspending my usual practice of setting rigid goals and working only with an intention.
👉 Setting a good intention leaves us open to many possibilities that surpass expectations. In every interaction with people, in every social media post and in all written descriptions of the book, I have stated clearly, my intention to help people see beauty and feel joy when they see my paintings and read the stories that inspired me to create them.
👨👩👦👦 I reached out to my personal network of persons, who understood my intention and they in turn reached out to their social circles… more people were reached than I could imagine
😀 The cost of publishing the book was almost fully recovered before the official book launch…
👩🏫 My art club asked me to do my first art demonstration… it went well and sparked interest in my book
📚 The local library opened up an opportunity for a small exhibition over 3 months… greater public awareness without paid advertising
🎙 The library offered to host an event to officially launch the book…the logistic support and publicity were more than I could imagine
🤝 The room was filled to capacity at the launch event… even though there were last-minute cancellations by some guests
📅 The book is now in the library … and is on loan…
🎁 The municipality is considering purchasing copies of the book as a gift for citizens celebrating special occasions…
💡 And how does this apply to us professionally?
Being clear on goals is necessary and good but may limit outcomes.
Setting intentions and open-ended goals can lead to infinite possibilities of outcomes that surpass expectations.
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
For more information on my book Pastels & Prose, visit www.camilleisaacsmorell.com/pastelsandprose
See the BIG picture. Focus on what’s important.
theBIGpicture Camille 