Morning Gratitude Day 87-2018: Owning My Intent

Our intent can sometimes work against us. If we are not conscious, the little booger’s ego can make opportunity quickly sour. I am grateful I take responsibility for my intentions.

Intent is a Good Communication Tool

One of the things I’ve learned to over the years is to announce my intentions. As parents, aunts, teachers, managers, etc. we tend to have a plan in our heads, but we don’t verbalize it. And then good intentions lead to what looks like an orchestrated disaster to those around us.

My niece is going through the discomfort of riding the bus in the afternoon. She would rather stay in her safe zone—auntie at the front of the car line picking her up from school. If I did not share the reason she was riding the bus, she would view it differently. Why won’t Aunt Jowanna pick me up from school anymore? I am scared to ride the bus and she does not care about me. She must not love me anymore. Instead, I make her part of the goal—to not let fear immobilize her—and make her part of the operation to accomplish the goal.

Intention Gone Wrong

When we do not communicate our intention, it turns an opportunity into a self-made disaster. In the end, you feel unappreciated and the other person feels let down. You see the other person as unappreciative and they see you as a cold-hearted individual. Intentions may pave the streets that lead to hell, but it is also the tool that can ruin many of your relationships.

My Gratitude

I thank God that I have learned to use my intent in a positive way and it starts with ownership. When intent is not executed properly, your ego takes control. It breeds anger and frustration instead of ownership. It becomes everyone else’s fault but your own.

Instead, use your intent as the desired result—the goal. You and only you are accountable for reaching that goal. When you own your goal, you naturally communicate the intentions, you don’t forget why you are doing it, and you celebrate the person. It uplifts and inspires the both of you.

Gratitude has naturally led me down a path of keen awareness—a spiritual awakening. When I raised my younger siblings, my anxiety, immaturity, inexperience, and taller-than-life responsibilities left me in a cloud of good intentions gone wrong. My progress (since then) humbles me.

Gratitude is teaching me the meaning of life while I live it. So, remember to practice gratitude because it will lead you to a whole new world.