Thursday, July 29, 2010

Living Intentionally

Have you ever tried to live intentionally? It's actually quite an experience. To live intentionally free's you of unrealistic expectations on yourself and other's, and creates a new way of thinking in your every day life. You see when you live having unrealistic expectations you will find yourself unhappy, frustrated, sad, angry, and even disappointed over a circumstance or how someone responded to you.To think that this doesn’t really matter, you are fooling yourself. When you allow people and circumstances to control how you feel or react you can live your life in a constant state of unhappiness with things around you. 


Example: A friend of mine had an expectation of how she wished her relationship with another friend would be or how their relationship would last over the years. She would phone her friend, try to reach out to her, and there
would be no response. She would confront her in disappointment and hurt and hopefully try to resolve any differences but things would only get worse. This friend would not respond, would not show care or compassion, and would lie to her on occasion. This woman would get repeatedly hurt, frustrated, angry, and disappointed over the reaction she would get for simply reaching out, when it should not be a surprise to her because the behavior was always the same. She wanted to see a different reaction, desired to have a relationship, and share life's victorious, however, as much as she desired that and expected that it did not change the other person's personality or behavior. Do you see how this presents a problem? 


Expectation is what we believe should happen as a result of what we do, say, or think.
Living in expectation can cause hurt, sadness, disappointment, and even anger. How do you know if your living in expectation? Ask yourself, “Am I attached to the outcome?”
Like the example above, my friend would get hurt based upon a situation she was not in control of with this other lady. Even though she went out of your way many times, it never changed the situation. The response controlled the way she felt and by staying attached to the expected outcome she was releasing control of herself and placing it another one’s hands.

Have you been in a situation where you feel attached to the outcome? How did you feel? How did you react when it had not gone as you anticipated?


Reclaim the authority you have over your own life and emotions.
Expectations=disempowerment and bondage
Intentions=empowerment and freedom


Know in advance that many situations, people, or circumstances disappoint and if it does not turn out the way you would like it to…..are you still going to live victoriously?
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thechristianmeditator.com





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