If intentions are so powerful, why don’t they always pan out? What if you swear you want to make more money, but try as you might, nothing changes?
For one reason: You get what you want, not what you ask for. The distinction is critical.
We all have numerous intentions, many we aren’t even aware of. You run into trouble when your expressed intentions are at odds with your unconscious ones.
When an implicit desire–say, to feel safe–is stronger than your spoken intention–to be profitable (which always requires going outside your comfort zone)–you’ll stop yourself at every turn.
You’ll water down your efforts, make misguided choices, and justify your actions with a variety of excuses (“I’d love to, but…).
You may say, and believe, you want to make more, but that’s not the message that’s reaching your brain.
If you want to know what your strongest intention is, regarding money, look at your life. If cash flow is tight, if your job pays too little, if your debt is spiraling out of control, then you either have not set an intention, or you actually intend not to be financially successful.
Why in the world would any one intend not to be successful? In part, because it’s scary. Think about it.
You may say you want something, but deep down, a muted voice is persuasively arguing, ‘No you don’t.’
Part of this is human nature, says psychologist Abraham Maslow. “We crave and fear becoming truly ourselves.” Which is what’s required to achieve and sustain financial success.
This is why the inner work is so critical, especially at the outset. Doing the inner work will help you make sure your declared intention is an authentic reflection of who you are and what you want. It will also reveal conflicting intentions that may inadvertently impede your progress or an intent to profit that runs counter to your values and beliefs.
Looking through this lens, can you see a time when you sabotaged your success and didn’t even realize it? Tell me about it below.
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