GNH Community

Community, Nonprofits and Businesses sharing Information

Integrity Check: Are Your Intentions Aligned with Your Actions?

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Your Intentions should matter to YOU because they impact your integrity. But they DON’T matter to others if the impact of your behavior on them is negative.

Why your intentions matter to you. 

Let’s say you’re doing something because you want someone to like you versus doing the same exact thing because you want to be kind and good. The impact on your integrity will differ based on your intent.

Running errands for someone just to make them like you chips away at your integrity. Why? Because you're trying to manipulate their opinion of you. Yeah, I know – it sucks to learn that, doesn’t it?! I felt the same way when that was pointed out to me. Keep in mind, this is info, not ammo (i.e., information to grow from, not ammunition to beat yourself up).

When you run errands for someone so they’ll like you, your intention is to get them to think a certain thing about you. Your intention is not to be good and kind. You may TELL yourself you’re just trying to be nice (which is what I used to tell myself and others) but that’s not what’s going on. I was trying to manipulate their opinion of me. I wasn’t aware of that until I got into recovery, but that’s what had been going on for decades.

If you run errands for someone and your intention is to be good and kind, that maintains or possibly even increases your integrity. That’s because you’re living your life according to spiritual principles like goodness and kindness. It’s also because you’re being honest with yourself and others about your motives.

In recovery, we learn to apply spiritual principles like honesty and kindness to everything we do. It’s about living with integrity, even when no one is watching.

Why your intentions don't matter to others.

Others don't care if you were “just trying to help” if what you did impacted them negatively. For example, if you’re white and you ask a dark-skinned person, “What are you?” they don't give a shit what your intention was. The effect is that it made them feel alienated and unwelcome. 

The implication is they're not from here or are something foreign because they’re not white. Your intention might be to get to know them but the impact is that you've alienated them. You’ve made them feel like they don't belong. That is so much more important to them than your intentions. They’re feeling alienated and unwelcome, so they don't really give a shit about your intentions.

This is really important to understand. Many people, especially those of us who are codependent, say things like, “I was only trying to help” to excuse bad behavior. As a recovered codependent, I can look back at my behavior and see that what I meant by that was, “You should give me a pass no matter what the impact is because my intentions were pure.” And thus the often repeated saying, “The road to hell was paved with good intentions.”

What was really going on was that I was often trying to be helpful so I could control the situation.  I wanted things to come out the way I wanted them to. In most cases, I wanted people to like me or think I was kind, so I said my intention was pure (to be nice or helpful). In fact, my intention was to manipulate people into liking me. I was blind to all this back then, mind you, which is why I’m sharing this now – so perhaps you’ll see your motives through stories of my former behavior.

Other people don't care about your intentions, but you should care about your intentions. Others can't see your intentions, they can only see your behavior. Even if you tell them about you, what they see is your behavior.

 

How to get clear about your intentions.

  • Run your plan by a trusted person before you go through with that behavior. Tell them what you intend to do and ask if that sounds like a good idea to them. 
  • Get the consent of others when you want to offer help. Make sure they actually want your help and agree to it before giving it. Give them the autonomy to choose whether or not to accept your help, which is respectful of them. 
  • Wait to be asked for help. Don’t act like you know what’s best for others. 
  • Try to think from the other person's perspective. Do your best to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Imagine how they might receive the thing you want to say or do. 

Doing these things will either maintain or improve your integrity. That’s because you’re being clear that your intention is to help in ways they want to be helped, not to help others no matter what they want. Being respectful of others is high-integrity behavior.

When it comes to your intentions, you may have to do some real soul-searching. I figured out that I was doing things to get people to think I was nice rather than doing them because I was nice. In other words, I was more focused on the perception that I was nice than actually being nice. Yikes!

I came to see this when someone in recovery asked me, “Why are you helping? Is it to be helpful or to get them to like you?” My initial response was that I was not doing it to get people to like me. But once that question percolated in my mind, I started asking myself what my motives were. That’s turned into one of the most important questions I ask myself when I'm trying to decide what the right thing to do is. 

Another question that I often pair with “What are my motives?” is “Does this serve my highest good?” These questions keep me in alignment with my integrity. Your integrity matters. Integrity is another word for wholeness. And who doesn’t want to be whole?

Your intentions may not matter to others, but they deeply affect your integrity. Take the time to reflect on your motives, and you’ll build a life rooted in honesty and self-respect.

For more posts like this go to: Fridayfragments.news

Views: 10

Comment

You need to be a member of GNH Community to add comments!

Join GNH Community

Welcome (Bienvenido, Benvenuto, Powitanie, Bonjour! Willkomme,歡迎, ברוךהבא أهلا وسهلا, Bonvenon) to GNH Community. Traducción de esta página

Si no habla inglés, puede
leer el contenido de este sitio
web haciendo clic en
"Select language" arriba y
eligiendo "Spanish".
El contenido, excepto los
archivos adjuntos, aparecerán en español.

~

Non-English speaking residents can read the content of this website by clicking on "Select Language" above and picking their preferred language. Once a language is selected all content with the exception of attachments will appear in that language.

OPPORTUNITY + EQUITY

Imagine. Inform. Invest. Inspire. Working together to build a stronger community - now and forever.

The Community Foundation office at 70 Audubon Street is open to visitors by appointment only; Foundation staff are available by phone and email Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. to conduct business or to schedule a time to visit. To contact a staff member, view our staff directory.

 

 

 

Open Street Project

An Open Streets Family Reunion: Reflections from the 2018 Open Streets Summit

By Ryan O’Connor, Director of Programs, 8 80 Cities Recently 8 80 Cities wrote a blog post about open streets being a labour of love. That being the case, the 2018 Open Streets Summit in New Orleans felt like a family reunion of sorts. It was rejuvenating to see old and new friends who share our passion for open streets and are working tirelessly to create healthier, happier, and more connected communities across the world. The event, which took place on September 15-16, brought together more than 50 leaders who currently organize open streets programs or are interested in bringing the...

The post An Open Streets Family Reunion: Reflections from the 2018 Open Streets Summit appeared first on Open Streets Project.

Open Streets Summit Draft Agenda

We hope you are getting ready and feel excited about the Open Streets Summit in Gretna/New Orleans! Taking place from September 15-16, 2018, the Summit will feature tours, presentations and networking opportunities with open streets champions and organizers from across the continent. Attendees will learn about the nuts and bolts of starting or scaling up open streets programs, including: Route design and planning Partnerships with business and officials Social inclusion Safety and logistics Marketing and promotion Program evaluation through measurable goals and metrics If you haven’t done it yet, click here to register for the Open Streets Summit only or...

The post Open Streets Summit Draft Agenda appeared first on Open Streets Project.

Open Streets Summit Speakers Announced!

The Open Streets Project is proud to announce that Ed Solis from Viva Calle (San Jose, CA), Romel Pascual from CicLAvia (Los Angeles, CA), Jaymie Santiago and Charles Brown from New Brunswick Ciclovia will join us as speakers for the 2018 Open Streets Summit in New Orleans and Gretna! Taking place from September 15-16 2018, the Summit will feature: Behind the scenes tour of the City of Gretna’s inaugural open streets program. Workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities with open streets champions and organizers from across the continent. Training and inspiration for both -novice and experienced- open streets organizers and supporters...

The post Open Streets Summit Speakers Announced! appeared first on Open Streets Project.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Dallas Housing Opportunity Fund Reaches $41.5 Million

With new investments from BOK Financial, Charles Schwab Bank, and KeyBank, the Dallas Housing Opportunity Fund will expand its support for quality affordable housing across the city. In partnership with the City of Dallas, LISC Fund Management and TREC Community Investors, the fund has already supported nearly 500 units of affordable housing.

NFL Foundation – LISC Grassroots Field Grant Program Funds 15 New and Refurbished Community Football Fields

Over the last 25 years, LISC has teamed up with the NFL Foundation to award nearly $65 million in grants to create or refurbish more than 435 community football fields where youth can play and stay active. The latest round of the Grassroots Field Grant Program will fund new fields or field enhancements in 15 cities and towns across the U.S.

Mass Timber Housing Brings Sustainable and Affordable Hope to a New Haven, CT Community

Beulah Land Development Corp. is working in partnership with New York-based construction company Spiritos Properties, and housing nonprofit HELP Development Corp., to develop vacant lots at 340 Dixwell Ave. into a 69-unit mixed-use project. The $28 million project was partly financed by the National Equity Fund (NEF)—a LISC affiliate focused on LIHTC and other housing investments. 340 Dixwell is the first Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) project on the East Coast utilizing mass timber, an eco-friendly alternative to steel and concrete, and will include 55 affordable units for low-income households earning 60 percent or less of the area median income, and an additional 20 units for people experiencing homelessness.

© 2024   Created by Lee Cruz.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service