Intentions of the heart – gets you every time, doesn’t it? My trifecta is that intentions underlie motives and motives underlie behavior. Yes, there is a difference between intentions and motives. We begin with intentions which requires us to be honest with ourselves as to our why. You can’t hide from your intentions nor feign lack of knowledge – they will stare you in the face. You can’t misplace them but you can ignore them. The next issue then becomes how you understand your motives.
Can you identify your motive(s) for doing or not doing something? I’m of the belief that no act, no word is motive-less. And being spontaneous is not void of motive. Can you describe for yourself what is happening when you are ‘in’ your defensive motive stance? Primarily altruistic motive? Avoidance motive? Each will be associated with an emotion (fear, anger, hurt, joy, pride, etc.) that accompanies the motive. And each brings further clarity to your character.
My belief, that each action has an undergirding motive associated with it, is based on my contention that there is no total random based way of acting and interacting. When you act (and even not acting is an act) on your motive(s) then you are also making a statement about not only the issue at hand but yourself, your character. You really can’t divorce character from motive. For me, the ‘why’ has always been more important than the what. As you act on your why you demonstrate who you are (character).
And at the basis of all is intentions. It will always be your intention that determines your motive and how your motive is acted upon. Webster defines intention as: “determination to act in a specific way”. ‘Determination’ and ‘specific’ – neither are words that are weak or inconsequential. Both define purpose. And ultimately, that will speak of character.
