Are your expectations constantly unmet?
Do you feel out of control?
Intentions vs Expectations
Intentions set us free, while expectations create limitations and suffering.
Whether we realize it or not we “intend” every day. When we wake up, we have intentions regarding the things we want to get done, the people we want to see, the feelings we want to convey, and the places we intend to go. And everyday we notice that our intentions were just that….intentions. For the day seems to have had it’s own path in mind. We may or may not accomplish the activities we intended to accomplish. But it is how we feel about that that frames our lives in an important way.
Intentions, sometimes referred to as plans, are an excellent way to keep our mind focused on the positive aspects in life. They help us to carve a path, energetically, before we take it on physically. We build our lives with intentions, just as a builder builds a building with plans or blueprints.
Intentions are the ultimate statement in freedom. We can intend anything we want…..anything. Whether considered good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, our intentions live in a place where we can be anyone, accomplish any task, or have any experience. We set our intentions in the future. They allow us the opportunity to dream and grow as we please. Intentions differ from goals in that they are more immediate, whereas goals tend to be more long term. They also have a bit of a stronger energetic tone – a solid, more pointed feeling. Goals, on the other hand, seem more logical, planned, far out in the future and lofty.
How do we intend? Most people know how to set goals, but were you ever taught how to intend? An intention, of course, begins with a desire. That desire could be for anything. We should all be intending many, many times a day. When we get in the car we should intend that we have a pleasant ride and arrive safely at our destination. When we go to work we should intend that we have a happy, smooth and/or productive day….and so on. An intention can be set for just about any experience we are having. Setting that intention causes our energetic vibration to travel out before us. It helps move the elements into place to accomplish our desire. Now here’s the tricky part – intentions can often lead to expectations, and expectations can wreak havoc!
Expectations are the thought or idea that an event, person, or activity will turn out a particular way. Expectations tend to imply a certain amount of control over our experiences. Depending on how exacting our expectations are, we could be setting ourselves up for real disappointment. Although we have the power of intention, we do not have control. Sometimes, despite our intentions, things will turn out differently than we might have expected. Creating intentions without expectation is a skill that is not easy to master, and it requires quite a bit of trust.
The trust we are discussing is the trust in universal forces, higher power, higher self, destiny or God. Trust that when our intentions do not come to pass, it is because there was an even better result in store for us. Trust that despite how things might look or feel, the very best is in the outcome of what we have received. If we focus too intently on our expectations, we may become disappointed that things did not turn out the way we thought they should. We may become disheartened and not see the beauty in the way things actually did turn out. We may stop setting intentions at all. And this is where gratitude comes in.
Intention and gratitude go hand in hand. When an intention comes to fruition it is important to recognize that fact with gratitude. When an intention does not meet an expectation, it is important to recognize that with gratitude as well, knowing that we are safely in the hands of our faith. Our faith knows that every cell in our body is a creation connected to God and the universe, and that whatever may transpire is actually in our best interest, whether or not we can recognize it at the time.
It is very important to understand that our perception of the outcome of a situation is not always accurate, but sometimes skewed based on past experiences and false beliefs that we hold. Faith is our best ally when we cannot see the truth and our judgment is clouded. So take pleasure in your intentions and intend willfully and strongly, with your whole heart, then give it to faith and let it go with gratitude, knowing that you have asked and you shall receive.
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