Two people can be oriented towards the same goal, yet receive different outcomes if they act differently. For example, many people in the Book of Mormon desired that the Lamanites would come to know and love God. Nephi, his brother Jacob, and Jacob’s son, Enos, all desired this outcome, and took many actions to secure it, but they each failed to obtain it. Enos’ reflections were typical of the three. He made many excuses for why they were unsuccessful:
And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a bloodthirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey; dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax. And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to destroy us. (Enos 1:20)
The truth is less flattering. Many years later, Ammon and his brethren, having the same goal, were successful where others before them had failed. Ammon and his brethren worked against the same exact challenges their predecessors faced. Ammon and his brethren were willing to sacrifice far more than Jacob and Enos. Every action Ammon and his brothers took lay beyond what their predecessors had considered possible. Ammon and his brothers gave up the kingdom they were heirs to, moved into Lamanite territory, and offered themselves up as prisoners and slaves to the Lamanites until God’s justice afforded them the opportunity to preach to the Lamanites and convert them through the visible miracles that they could have obtained in no other way.
Action can be quantified by production, which is the confluence of magnitude of effort and accuracy of approach. Effort and accuracy of action could be called “intentionality.” Focusing on just one aspect of intentionality is insufficient, as discussed in the chapter on action.
Intentionality is the measure of how aligned your actions, desires, and reasons are. Intentionality is reconciliation to one’s beliefs. It is coherence. There is tremendous power and peace in coherence, which comes from the constant assurance that you are on the right path, doing the right things for the right reasons, no matter what the rest of the world says or does or thinks, so far as you know. It is the key to accomplishing amazing things while being totally free from anxiety, depression, and guilt.
Intentionality is the degree to which you reconcile your desires to your actions. Intentionality means you don’t just occasionally consider what it is you want. You hunger and thirst after it (see Matthew 5:6). You take the time to honestly assess what you want, prioritize the list, write it down, and actually act accordingly, all the time, until you explicitly decide to make a change. It means not lying to yourself in the moment by excusing deviations from what it is you say you want because it is easy, convenient, or comfortable to do so.
Intentionality is the degree to which you apply your capabilities of reason to your actions. Intentionality means you explicitly formulate and analyze the results of your actions. It means you act intentionally. It also means you don’t act unintentionally. You abstain from those things that detract in any way from what it is you want, why it is you want it, and how it is you think you’ll get it. If your intent is to lose weight, you won’t just act to work towards your desired outcome in the form of exercise. You will also avoid acting in ways that detract from it, such as drinking lots of alcohol or eating too much or the wrong types of food.
One who does precisely what they have a good reason to do, and does nothing they have a good reason not to do, could be called an intentional, authentic, honest, upright person. These types of people will do things that other people are unwilling to do because they are willing to submit to reason instead of being swayed by the desire to be comfortable, or popular, or ignorant. The greatest blessings are reserved for those who react to the earliest, weakest signal suggesting something better. God holds back everything he can for as long as he can in order to favor the righteous, who will obtain what can only be obtained by those who react early and completely to the weak signal.
Intentional people will also abstain from things that other people readily do. They won’t do things just because other people are doing them. They won’t act contrary to their principles, even if everyone else does.