Define
What It Means to Name a Goal Precisely Enough to Govern Behavior
A defined goal introduces constraint.
It separates intention from commitment by forcing choices, exposing tradeoffs, and making alternatives harder to justify.
Definition is the moment possibility begins to give way to responsibility.
Chapter One: Define
You already know what an intention feels like. It feels flexible. It leaves room. It allows you to speak the language of commitment without forcing the behavior. You can hold multiple intentions at once, even when they contradict each other, and nothing in that tension requires resolution.
That is the appeal.
An intention does not require a choice. It allows you to move in several directions at once, to distribute effort without accepting consequence. You can describe progress without excluding anything that undermines it. The intention remains intact, regardless of what you do.
A definition does not work that way.
The moment a goal is defined, it begins to govern behavior. It introduces constraint. It draws a line that actions must answer to, and once that line exists, certain uses of time become indefensible. The shift is immediate. What once felt productive must now justify itself. Much of it will fail.
That failure is not inefficiency. It is cost.
Through Six Lenses
Clarity
Courage
Conviction
Goal Setting
Leadership
Ethics