The Road to Hell, or to Happiness…?

The road to hell is paved with good intentions… Hm. But you know what, it could also be said that the road to happiness is paved with good intentions. So what’s the difference? Hell had no follow through, whereas happiness had action? Can it really be THAT simple?

Yup. It sure can.

Intention without action is kind of like vanilla ice cream. Nice, but better with something hot. Or sweet. Or chocolate. Intention WITH action is like having chocolate lava cake with strawberries and vanilla ice cream – the full experience.

Part of the challenge that most people (including myself) have, though, is trying to figure out which action to take. Which action is appropriate and which one isn’t. This is where it’s all about the options in front of you. Some questions you can ask yourself here are:

• What options do I have?
• What else could I do?
• What if I had some…? (this would be the money, time, power etc spot)
• Do I need suggestions?
• What are the benefits and costs of each of my options?
• Who can help me, and how?

Usually at the point where I am asking myself all of these questions, I’m all worn out, and a glass of wine and conversation with one of my friends or family members will help me let go of the emotional attachment to the challenge and maybe also point out something I didn’t think of already. Remember - new people offer different perspectives & ideas.

So what do you want? This is your intention. This is your goal. Make a list – this is always fun. I’m going to start making my long list tonight. I know what my short list looks like, but there are also a lot of other things I could do, see, feel, experience, and try to obtain, that I don’t have listed anywhere.

Now that you have your list, how are you going to go about getting (seeing, being, doing, experiencing and so on) the things on your list? Are you being creative? If this thing you want is something you have wanted for a while, are you trying different things, different angles? Or are you doing the same thing, over and over? Share your list with someone. It never hurts to let someone else see what you are striving for.

This week I challenge you to set your intentions. Make a list and take some action.

With love across the waters,