Happy Sunday!
And welcome to today's edition of "Conscious living with Purnima". In today's post I share my thoughts on Intentions and Outcomes - On how we can approach them to add more ease into our life. I hope it brings about a mindset shift for you.
Oftentimes we act without much attention to our deepest intentions behind our actions. What we do often have clarity about are the outcomes we wish to achieve.
We may want to become healthier or wealthier or have the best of relationships. But if we have not taken the time to dig into our deepest intentions then our actions will not have the support of a strong purpose and may therefore be inconsistent.
If we were to take the analogy of a tree, then intentions would be the root, actions would be the watering of those roots and the bearings of the tree, the outcome.
Let’s get specific.
Intentions are not goals. Your intention cannot be 'to run a marathon' - that's a goal. The intention would be to unlock your latent potential.
- Not to lose weight (that’s a goal/ outcome) but to feel more confident in your own skin
- Not to increase income by x% (goal/ outcome) but to enjoy financial freedom & independence
- Not to meditate for 20 mins everyday (action step) but to cultivate awareness and awaken to what your life is all about
- Not to go to the gym 3 days a week (action step) but to feel strong & capable
- Not to exercise everyday (action step) but to experience physical autonomy
- Not to eat 3 cups of vegetables daily (action step) but to use food as medicine to heal the body
These are just some examples off the top of my head to help you better understand what an intention is and how it's not the same as a goal or action step.
Applying the idea to your life
Look at some of the key areas of your own life and begin to dig into your deepest intentions for those areas. You can even have an overarching intention for your life - how you want to show up & live.
Once you have done this put all your effort into aligning your actions to those intentions.
Be conscious & aware of the things you do that don't align with your deepest intentions. It’s bound to happen as being human we are forgetful. But you should be aware of when this happens and why so you can help yourself better by realigning yourself the moment you realise you have veered.
Outcomes
Outcomes are the results of what we have done or not done. You can choose to approach them with curiosity over control.
If the outcome is not in line with your expectation, after having aligned your actions to your deepest intentions, then look back to see what you could have done differently. So, while you stay rooted in your intentions, you can choose different action steps. And once again be curious about the outcome.
This way we can be scientists in our own laboratory of life - taking control of what we can while freeing ourselves from anxiety about the outcomes.
Leaving you with a quote from Jack Kornfield for further reflection:
"Our heart is the garden into which we plant seeds and nourish them. Depending on our intention, gradually, we shape the patterns of our life. What's important then is not so much what we say or do, but what is the intention with that?"
Gr8 examples to start with!
Nice writing Puri. Good one. Missed last two weeks editions.