Intent makes all the difference

Same essential action, two different outcomes. What’s the difference? Intent.

~Hilarion

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Sometimes it’s difficult to understand why our plans go right or why they going wrong. It may seem that we’re doing everything right, but don’t turn out as desired. It’s frustrating; it’s confusing. Why aren’t things working out the way we want them to? What are we doing wrong?

Often the difference isn’t in what we do, the difference is in our approach—how and why we do what we do. The beliefs and feelings we hold in our hearts and minds about our actions influence their outcome. Our reasons for doing something often shape the result.  Intent can make an action either successful or unsuccessful, either benevolent or detrimental.

We’ve all seen this play out in our lives. We may have a critically ill relative. We do everything possible to help support their recovery because they want desperately to live. Or we do anything and everything to help them get better because we’re afraid to let them go. In this example, our actions can be identical, but our reasons why are totally different. Supporting our relative’s choice with complete love and our best effort is certain to help us feel happier about the outcome.

Or we may need money from a relative to tide us over a difficult financial patch. We graciously accept a loan from a helpful sibling. Or we embezzle funds from a family business. Either way, we’re taking cash from a relative, but the way we do so—the how—varies considerably.

The reasons why and how we do something delineate our intent. They define whether our actions are grounded in separation consciousness (belief that everyone and everything is separate and flawed) or in connection consciousness (acknowledgment of benevolent interconnection of everything).

Actions based in connection consciousness are more likely to have an outcome pleasing to us. Deeds based in separation consciousness are more apt to end in further experience of separation and lack. Supporting our relative’s health choice with complete love and our best effort is certain to help us feel happier about the outcome. Illegally taking money from a family company is likely to have an ugly result, whether or not we are caught.

When our actions are based in loving reverence for ourselves and all life, we are ready to let go of controlling the outcome. We are willing to believe that the eventual outcome will be the best possible result. We’re happy to allow the power of serendipity create exactly what we need out of the resources of all existence, out of the sharing. We cease striving and start enjoying life as it is.

Let’s take a few moments to connect with the divinity within us—our sharing within—to explore intending together with the divine. We will start by taking a deep breath in. We’ll let it out with a sigh and relax and drop our shoulders.

We’ll establish a slow and steady breathing rhythm as we picture our sharing within as a glowing ball of golden light in the center of our chest. Our connection to the divine fills the ball with conscious love. Each inhalation feeds the love and light, making the sphere dense and bright. Every exhalation spreads love and light from the ball throughout us and our environs.

We will continue the visualization and breathing pattern until we sense calm, serenity, and sureness overtake us, a sign that we have established conscious connection with our sharing within.

From that place of conscious connection with the divine, we will think of a current issue for which we have a strongly desired result. Perhaps our child is considering quitting college. Perhaps we hope to receive a promotion at work. Perhaps we want our spouse to lose weight.

We will set our intent for the issue by wishing that the outcome be in the highest good for all concerned. We will trust that the divine can create this through the power of serendipity, without our management of events toward our desired end. We will center all our actions in this situation in love—loving our willingness to accept the situation, supporting ourselves and others involved with loving actions, loving the results in the knowledge it is the best for all involved.

Our intent, our loving intent, will create beauty in the circumstances, no matter the result. This will make all the difference.

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Divinely unique and beautiful reader, what do you intend? Please share…