When you have decided what you want and set an intention, you get all fired up and start out with great optimism and lots of energy. Maybe you are successful for a while and what you want seems to be happening. And then, for no apparent reason, everything fizzles out. You don't understand what is happening. You still have your intention, but you just aren't getting anywhere now.

Maybe you have read a lot about the importance of motivation. You have learnt how to get all fired up and direct a lot of energy. What you haven't learnt is that motivation can be an away-from strategy and, if so, will not succeed in the long term.

When someone sets an intention, they are doing one of two things: they are either moving away from something or they are moving towards something. They have either an away- from strategy or a towards strategy.

The difference between them in terms of how successful they become is that with an away-from strategy, once a person gets sufficiently far enough away from what they don't want, they feel comfortable and they relax. There is no reason to continue, whereas a towards strategy becomes more attractive as they move towards it. The away-from stops what they were doing and goes right back to where they don't want to be.

How often have you read of a successful business person who came from a poor background and determined not to be poor any more? They put a lot of energy into achieving success and then, once they were successful, they lost their business and all they had gained. And then had to start all over again. And again. They continue this pattern of success and loss, success and loss, unless they just give up.

It's the same with people wanting to lose weight. If they don't want to be fat, they can possibly sustain a weight loss programme until they lose weight, but then they put it all back on again.

So, when you set an intention, make sure it is an inspiring one. How will having that improve the quality of your life? Focus on the positive qualities your outcome contains.

The towards strategy is fuelled by inspiration. It is based on what your heart truly desires: those qualities, and attributes which enhance and expand your life.

When you are inspired, anything is possible, and you will sustain your intention until you create your heart's desire, because the more you move into your inspiration and live your inspiration, the more attractive and compelling it becomes. And of course you want to continue.

When you are clarifying what you want, it can be very helpful to be aware of what you don't want. However, once you have decided, it is important to change your focus to the qualities of what you do want and how they will enhance and expand your life. You will then be inspired to take appropriate action to attract your desired outcome.

You may think that by identifying what you want, you are automatically moving towards it, but if the underlying motive is an away from, you are likely to yo-yo and never achieve what you say you want.

So how can you find out whether you are operating an away-from strategy or a towards strategy - if your underlying reason is really to avoid something or to embrace something?

You can ask yourself why you want this. Perhaps you have decided that you want to have more money in your life. When you ask yourself why you want this, notice which direction your answer takes you. Does it take you backwards to what you don't want, or forwards towards what you do want? If you answer, along the lines of," Because I've had enough of being broke ", then you're looking backwards to where you don't want to be.

If, on the other hand, your answer is along the lines of "To give me greater choice and more freedom in my life", then you are moving towards what inspires you. Maybe travelling and exploring the world inspires you, and with more money, you can do this. And you start noticing the increasing choice and freedom in your life.

An inspiring outcome uplifts you and expands your awareness in a joyful way. It offers you those qualities that you really value, that really make you come alive, and the easier and more joyful your journey becomes.