Gosh, that title is a mouthful. I’m not even sure it really
makes sense, but allow me to explain.
Unfortunately, sometimes our goodness comes with strings
attached. How many times have you done a good gesture secretly expecting
something in return? Wanting a pat on the shoulder for your nice deed doesn’t
make you a bad person. It’s natural to want someone to applaud you for your
actions. But a lot of the times when we do good and expect something in return,
we just end up disappointed. And when we’re disappointed we almost forget about
the great intentions we had.
Today, I wanted to remind everyone—including myself—to keep
intentions pure. Treat others and the world with respect with no strings
attached. Do good for others because it comes from the heart. If you find
yourself saying, “How could she do that to me? I’ve always gone out of my way
for her.” Do not take it personal. People have their limitations. And remember
to lead by example.
And if you ever catch yourself going out of your way for
someone simply because you want them to accept you, stop yourself. Stop and
accept yourself, instead. If you can do the gesture with genuine intentions
then follow through. If you can’t, don’t follow through. It’s like the story of
the girl who goes does a boy’s homework every day hoping one day he’ll fall in
love with her. This is an action with strings attached.
Remember, there’s a difference between expecting someone to love you because you’ve been good to them, and trusting that the Universe will bring you good things because you’ve treated others with love and respect. Trusting good will come your way is a good way to live. But putting expectations on others is pretty tricky. You have to look at others with compassion and understand their limitations before deciding if they filled your expectations or not.
So the next time you feel disappointed after doing good, ask
yourself what your intentions were. This way, you’ll make a habit of being good
for the sake of being good and not because you want something in return. You’ll
live with more peace. Trust me.
xoxo,
Loren
