I intended to write a completely different blog post late last night, but it didn’t work out that way.

I started out with all kinds of high-falutin’ words about intentionality, about the difference between murder and manslaughter, and all that. Then my brain just shut down on me, so I went to bed.

This morning my alarm clock went off at 7 a.m., even though it’s Labour Day, because I intended to get up early, finish my blog post and get all sorts of things done. I turned it off, intending to get up in just a few minutes. Then suddenly it was 10 a.m., and I’ve been chasing my tail ever since.

So many intentions, so many broken promises to myself. Living life according to our intentions is one of the hardest things in the world. Is it because we promise ourselves things that we can’t keep? Or are we just too distractable? Do we ignore our needs (for example, sleep) and pile our to-do lists to the ceiling, pushing our bodies and our minds until they just can’t take anymore?

Nobody intends to hurt themselves or anyone else when they take on responsibilities, promises and intentions. But there’s a reason for that saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions.

A life of true intentionality would be more focussed, less littered with good intentions that turn into broken promises. It would be a life where our needs are honoured as well as those of others, we make fewer but more important promises, and we focus on keeping them.

That seems like a good intention to have for the new year, coming up in just a couple of days. What do you think?