Right & Wrong Intentions

Sorry you had to be greeted with a pair of thick legs, haha. I had to take a picture because I completed the very popular two weeks shred challenge by Chloe Ting that was all the rage in the internet. I took more than two weeks because I could only commit to working out 3 times per week, max 4. Actually, I could have chosen not to do since I had been sleeping soundly earlier for like 2 hours I think, so after half an hour of being awake, of course I would sooooo darn lazy to workout.

But thinking about the good food I had earlier during lunch time, and then this being the last day of the programme, I have no excuse not to do. 

So that brings me to, why we do what we do. By having the right intentions. Starting something with the hope of completing it to the best of our abilities. 

I am sure there are many times we asked ourselves why are we doing this, when we get overwhelmed, or get demotivated. 

For instance, in my handmade order, there are multiple steps to do, and then making TWO at the same time because I am just pressed for time is a little overkill. It's not all the time but sometimes things happen where the orders I receive are within a day or two. If I don't try to finish at least two, I will struggle to complete.

So this is where I will remind myself that I am doing this to serve the community by making the personalised gift boxes, and with the small income I make, I can save or buy food for the fam and on a spiritual side, I am serving God.

That is when I get more motivated to complete it in time when I get overwhelmed like I take it one step at a time. First, I do this part, and then the following part and so on.

I also love to write here but sometimes I feel like oh, nobody is going to care if I am going to write or not. But nowadays, I like to steer my posts towards writing stuffs that hopefully, inspire a little to those who read it.I know my posts are in no way comparable to those who reflect a lot and out of these reflections, their own personal encounters and extensive reading, they have many nuggets of wisdom to share.

But if I were to have such thoughts, my writing hobby will just fizzle away. That's why I try to write at least once a week. So back to why we do what we do. If I put aside my self doubt that I can never be a good writer, as compared to others, I can't share my experiences and things that I learn from life in general or from other people's knowledge.

So doing what we do, is one of the things I have learnt, when I came across this IG feed and then a podcast, where we don't think less of our actions but to view it in a bigger picture. For example, why do I even bother to do those killer workouts, times 3 depending on what was the programme for that day, when I could just continue to snooze or go into a rabbit hole of youtube videos. To me, it's more than just physical exhaustion but the mental aspect too like trying to push through despite being tired. When the workout ends, I feel like I just climbed a mountain, literally..lol. It's for the sake of health and if possible, to lessen my risks of major illnesses. 

Many share the same sentiments as me when I view the IG feed of some people I follow. It's more than just weight loss. It's about taking the steps towards healthier living. Actions speak louder than words and even if it's just doing one thing such as avoiding eating a whole donut or following a 15 minute exercise routine, at least we are in line with what we hope to achieve for the sake of our betterment.

Of course, we can't predict what our future holds and even when we have tried our best taking care of our finances, health and so on, we can still face with difficulties or tests in life that make us question, why do these things happen to us when we have already done our best to serve God, the community, our family etc.

But these 'tests' are ways to see how we trust God and ourselves that we can do this and that every test, has something in it for us to learn and to be better individuals. Perhaps we have been too 'blinded' by our actions that we don't seem to realise how toxic they are or how much hurt we have caused to others. Then it will be a moment of realisation such as not taking care of our health, our finances or that we haven't been the most grateful or nice person around.

Does this mean the 'good' people don't suffer as well? They are free from hardships or problems in life? No. Because life itself is full of ups and downs, sometimes more of the latter, but we can't give up on life half way. We look for answers while at the same time, we turn to God. We also need to strengthen our faith, our relationships with the people we care and to serve the community more.

To be honest, sometimes I feel perhaps people will be less angry or less salty, if they can self reflect more and thinking first instead of easily jumping to conclusions or hurt other people with the words they say, indirectly or not. Maybe we don't have the intention of hurting that particular person but we can get carried away because we let our emotions dictate our anger or our disappointment. And then worse part, is that it can be just a misunderstanding.

At one time, I was angry and disappointed with one of my friends who posted a meme on Facebook that was indirectly talking about me and another friend. And then how quick people were to jump on us by talking cr*p about it and coming to her defence without knowing the actual picture. 

So sometimes I also think about what are the intentions of people when they do or say things that aren't really nice or just morally wrong. Is it coz it's their own life so they can say or do whatever they want to. Many people of course get into trouble for saying things they shouldn't but at times they don't regret it coz they mean what they say even if it hurts other people's feelings, and whether they have the intention to hurt or not, we don't know.

None of us are perfect so it's best to think ahead and to know the why we do it and what we stand to lose or gain from it. But what about thinking we have the right intentions to call out someone but actually, it just causes more damage? It depends on what we stand for; our principles. We can do a little self reflection before taking the next step, ie 'schooling' another person, if it's the right thing to do. If that someone is going to get upset but it's for their own good, perhaps we can do it in a nicer way, rather than in a harsh manner.

Every day of being alive is a gift for us. I pray that each of us are able to do our best each day and set the right intentions in each of the things we intend to do. And also, that we are guided spiritually in doing the right things to reap benefits and to gain His trust.