The Intention of Understanding
Welcome to Sunday Intentions. With the world challenging us in so many ways as individuals, we have a powerful choice to make for ourselves everyday that begins with stating an intention.
This Week’s Intention:
I will be intentional about how I feel in the world as a single, individual person before associating myself with the outside world & biases. I will ask myself what all of this means for me, to me, and what I am willing to do to take action about the way that I feel.
The world has changed- forever. What have you noticed? What was the biggest change you’ve seen in your life and in the lives of others? How has the progression & activism in all of these movements touched you, personally?
As I try to continue to be open minded, but very vocal and active with how I feel and what I am doing to lead, I invite you to not shame yourself for where you are. Instead, assess what you are feeling and what you are willing to do about the way you feel. Stay authentic and tap into your greater purpose here.
“The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding.”
For me, I’ve dove into a new category of personal work around the topic of racism. Tears, emotions, and so much pain is not even adequate enough to talk about with what our African American neighbors, friends, coworkers, colleagues, family members, & community members have experienced firsthand. What I have experienced could never yet be accepted as “understanding” - but I’m willing to make a start. It has been a huge intention of mine to stay quiet about imposing my thoughts, feelings and ideas and instead, do the work to try to understand as much as I can.
Some of this work has been posting resources or questions vocally & publicly on social media for all friends, family, and business clients & colleagues to see, but the true powerful work has been individually donating, reading, watching movies/ documentaries, listening to podcasts, asking more questions, doing abundant amounts of researching, having 1 on 1 zoom, phone, or in-person discussions with other perspectives.
I believe the concept of racism starts to really shift starting with what we are doing as individuals and then growing it outward. We have to come from an intentional place of understanding. This is only the beginning for me in efforts to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and to seek new conversations that I’m having that once had been very difficult to have felt like progress in a small, yet impactful way. We still have so far of a journey ahead.
If you have felt one way or another, I just want you to understand how you feel and get closer to it, but I don’t also want to impose myself or my beliefs onto you or others. This is all of our world, I just hope you get more intentional with how you approach these things.