What’s the Difference Between a Goal, an Intention and an Outcome?

Yay it is new moon time and I am writing my goal, intention and outcome for the next month. As I was filling out my monthly development and personal growth planner template, I discovered I hadn’t written a post on the difference between a goal, an intention and an outcome, so here it is. In this post I will discuss –

• What is a Goal?
• What is an Intention?
• What is an Outcome?
• What is the Difference Between a Goal, an Intention and an Outcome?

Let’s get started!

What is a Goal?

The definitions of goals I discovered were –

• “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.” ~ Google and Oxford Dictionaries
• “the end toward which effort is directed.” ~ Merriam-Webster Dictionaries
• “an aim or purpose” ~ Cambridge Dictionary
• “the result or achievement toward which effort is directed” ~ Dictionary.com

Generally goals follow the SMART process – S for Specific, M for Measurable, A for Achievable, R for Relevant and T for Time-Based.

What is an Intention?

The are many definitions of an intention including –

• “the thing that you plan to do or achieve: an aim or purpose” ~ Merriam-Webster.com
• “a thing intended: an aim or plan” ~ Google and Oxford Dictionaries
• “an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result” ~ Dictionary.com
• “Your intentions create your reality.” ~ Wayne Dyer

I think of an intention as a way of BEing, more an internal process or “I Am” statement based on your values – who we are on our deepest level.

What is an Outcome?

The definitions of an outcome include –

• “the way a thing turns out; a consequence” ~ Google
• “a final product or end result; consequence; issue” ~ Dictionary.com
• “a result or effect of an action, situation, etc.” ~ Cambridge Dictionary
• “something that follows as a result or consequence” ~ Merriam-Webster.com

What is the Difference Between a Goal, an Intention and an Outcome?

As you can see by the above, I see the key difference between a goal, intention and an outcome as –

• a goal is what you want to DO (i.e. the BEFORE). An example of a goal is by June 29, 2019, I will have developed a greater knowledge and understanding of mindful self-compassion, so I can share the practise and tools with my clients.
• an intention is who you want to BE. For example – I am BEing compassionate towards myself and I am investing the time to reflect and look after my needs.
• an outcome is what you ACHIEVED by the actions you took (i.e. the AFTER). An example of an outcome is I am a trained teacher of mindful self-compassion.

Over to You…

I hope this post has given you some insight in to the difference between a goal, an intention and an outcome. Are there any other differences your would add? If so, feel free to share them below.

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