"Why Do Our Intentions Often Fail to Become Actions? What Does It Reveal About Us?"

Reflecting on decades of experience as an HR/OD professional and OD consultant in individual and organizational change, one striking and recurrent phenomenon stands out—the persistent gap between intent and action. At first glance, this gap may seem natural and even trivial. Many rationalize it with a relaxed attitude, suggesting it’s normal to sometimes fail to translate intentions into actions and advising not to overthink it. However, such rationalizations—sometimes even used to justify unethical behaviours—can pose serious dangers to collective well-being and personal integrity.

The repeated return of my focus to this “intent-action gap” suggests there is a deeper, more complex dynamic at play. After all, our goals, plans, strategies, and ambitions—whether personal or organizational—are essentially intentions. How much these intentions translate into real-world actions and outcomes often dictates our sense of success, fulfilment, and meaning. Conversely, failure to realize intentions can lead to lowered self-esteem, diminished confidence, and a loss of personal significance.

Observing this at various levels, it becomes clear that governments, corporations, and organizations dedicate significant resources to bridge this gap. Yet leaders often struggle to understand why some efforts succeed but lack repeatability, implying this phenomenon is far from a simple matter of common sense or experience. It is a sophisticated and multifaceted challenge.

To illuminate this complexity, it is valuable to draw on real-life examples and leverage the latest insights from the psychology of action, or action inquiry. The scholarly work of McClelland on implicit motives, Kuhl and Heckhausen on volitional processes, and Assagioli’s concepts of Will offer profound frameworks for understanding why intentions sometimes fail to become actions. These theories reveal that bridging the gap involves integrating unconscious, affect-driven energies with conscious, wilful Self-regulation—an alignment essential not just for personal achievement but holistic transformation. Exploring these psychological constructs through vivid real-life cases will unlock practical wisdom to help individuals and organizations convert intent into meaningful, repeatable action.

I . Live Illustration India – England Match 2025

Mohammed Siraj’s remarkable feat in the Test match against England — snatching three crucial wickets and reversing India’s fate in what seemed like a certain defeat — offers a powerful real-life illustration of the latest ideas in the psychology of action, especially how implicit and volitional energies interact to create extraordinary achievements. Siraj’s one-word summary, "BELIEF," is deeply aligned with the psychological understanding of inner resolve and the integration of different motivational energies.

Implicit Motives: Unconscious Energy

According to McClelland , Atkinson and others, implicit motives are unconscious, affect-driven sources of motivation developed through early experiences and emotional patterns. These motives — such as achievement, power, or affiliation — act as silent "push" forces, driving individuals toward actions that deeply matter to them, often without conscious deliberation. In Siraj’s case, his aggressive, instinctive response under pressure drew upon his implicit achievement  motive ( drive for unique accomplishment ) , energies that often reside untapped within each of us until activated by the right challenge or situation.

Volitional Energy: The Will to Act

Theories from Kuhl, Heckhausen, and Assagioli focus on volition and will power: the conscious, intentional "pull" that regulates, integrates, and channels psychological resources toward chosen goals. Volitional competence involves strategies like self-control, goal focus, and emotional regulation, all coordinated to execute intentions even under extreme stress. When Siraj spoke of "belief," he was referencing his capacity to rally his conscious will, activating attentional focus, persistence, and determination — Assagioli’s strong will — to direct both inner and outer energies toward a single outcome.

Integration: The ‘Magic’ of Unified Action

Cutting-edge research reveals that integrating implicit motive energy (unconscious drive) with volitional or intentional energy (conscious will) creates a synergistic force for action. When implicit motives are aligned and harmonized with intentional resources, performance can leap beyond ordinary capacity, often appearing magical or miraculous to observers. This integration enhances flow, resilience, and the ability to achieve goals against all odds. Siraj’s achievement was not pure luck, but an eruption of inner energy that was consciously directed — embodying not only the ‘push’ of deep motives, but also the ‘pull’ of a resolute will.

This synthesis of the latest psychological research beautifully explains how feats like Siraj’s are achievable and why his “belief” represents the complete integration of untapped inner energies with conscious resolve.

II Live Illustration : Amputee climbs Mount Everest

Arunima Sinha’s extraordinary journey—surviving a train accident that led to amputation and then becoming the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest—is a striking illustration of the interplay between unconscious (implicit) motive energy and conscious (volitional) will power, as described in contemporary psychology.

Implicit Motive Energy: Unconscious Drive

After her accident, Arunima lay for nearly 23 hours on the railway tracks before help arrived, surviving immense physical trauma and psychological uncertainty. In this phase, the energy that kept her alive was not purely rational or intentional—it was an instinctive, unconscious drive to survive, an inner “fighter” energy. According to McClelland’s theory, such implicit motives are affect-laden emotional propellants developed through life experience, pushing individuals to seek achievement, mastery, and meaning even when the odds seem insurmountable. Arunima later channelled this inner urge into a new, bold goal: to conquer Everest. This decision emerged from a place deeper than mere conscious thought—her implicit achievement motive had been awakened and was fuelling her quest.

Volitional Energy: The Power of Will

With intentional focus and will power—what Assagioli, Kuhl, and Heckhausen call volitional energy—Arunima transformed her raw urge to survive into a concrete plan to climb Mount Everest. Despite her disability and repeated rejection from trekking schools, she refused to surrender. Meeting Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to summit Everest, provided her with mentorship and helped her mobilize her wilful resources: setting goals, persisting through setbacks, and maintaining disciplined practice. Volitional energy enabled Arunima not just to dream, but to systematically pursue her ambition with unmatched persistence.

Integration: Turning Inner Urge into Action

The “magic” of Arunima’s triumph lies in how she integrated her implicit motive energy (unconscious drive) with her intentional will. The implicit urge—the deep emotional need to prove her worth, reclaim agency, and defy limitations—provided boundless psychological resources. Her strong volitional will—committed action, unwavering focus, and resilience—channeled these resources toward her goal. In training and execution, implicit motive energy ensured she never lost hope or identity, while conscious will allowed her to take step-by-step action, manage risks, and persist in the face of suffering.

Psychological Essence

Arunima’s story teaches that each person possesses vast reserves of unconscious energy that can be harnessed, especially when integrated with intentional action. The true breakthrough occurs when the implicit urge to achieve (McClelland) is consciously harnessed and directed by the strong will (Assagioli, Kuhl, Heckhausen). Arunima Sinha’s feat is thus a living testament: when inner drive and intentional will merge, even the greatest of human limitations can be transcended. Her life illustrates the essence of psychological integration—transforming unconscious motivation into purposeful, heroic action, and inspiring millions in the process.

The inspiring feats of Mohammed Siraj and Arunima Sinha each offer compelling illustrations of how the integration of unconscious (implicit) energies and conscious (intentional/willful) energies catalyse human greatness. When viewed through the lens of Jung’s process of individuation, these stories create a living map of how personal wholeness is achieved—by consciously uniting what is felt deep within (the unconscious drive) with deliberate purpose and will (the intentional energy).

The Essence of Implicit and Intentional Energies

• Implicit/Unconscious Energy: Siraj’s and Arunima’s achievements began with a surge of inner energy—what McClelland termed "implicit motives," or Jung described as the personal unconscious—powerful, affect-driven urges rooted in past experience and necessity. This ‘fire’ is not reasoned out, but emerges as an instinctive compulsion for survival or achievement.
• Intentional/Volitional Energy: Both individuals then called upon conscious will—what Kuhl, Heckhausen, and Assagioli labelled "volitional energy" and Jung called the "ego’s organizing force". This energy sets goals, persists through setbacks, plans, regulates emotion, and transforms motives into actual deeds.

Integration: The Pathway to Individuation

Jung’s central concept of individuation is the lifelong quest to unite the unconscious and conscious aspects of the self, creating a harmonious and authentic whole. The journeys of Siraj and Arunima reveal how the ‘magic’ occurs precisely when the deep, unconscious urge (to fight, to achieve, to survive) is recognized and honoured—not repressed or ignored.

• The wilful, conscious mind embraces this energy, translating it into concrete, purposeful action, despite external doubt or inner fear.
• This unity or congruence between the two energies not only enables remarkable achievement, but leads to profound personal transformation—one’s fullest, truest self emerges as a result.

Illustration in Action

• Siraj’s crucial wickets turned the tide for India, an act impossible without first surrendering to his unconscious drive (‘belief’) and then channeling it through his willful discipline.
• Arunima’s survival and her Everest ascent began as a primal will to live, later integrated with conscious training and endurance—transforming trauma into a new, chosen destiny.

Individuation: The Universal Path

According to Jung, individuation is not just the integration of opposites, but an active, dynamic interplay—a process involving self-reflection, courage to face one’s shadows, and the will to unify all parts of oneself. This ongoing journey is the source of psychological health, creativity, and the realization of unique human potential.

In essence, the lives of Siraj and Arunima show that greatness is born when the unintentional wells of inner energy are harnessed with conscious will. This congruence is the engine of individuation—the pathway by which every person can become whole, resilient, and truly themselves.

 #implict motive # explict motive# Achieveemnt motivation # Congruence of implicit & explicit motive energies # Individution