Good Intentions, When Accompanied By Actions, Change The World

Good intentions abound in the human being. The vast majority want the best for the world, they want peace, harmony, well-being and balance. However, we forget that good thoughts without actions remain in smoke, in mere wishes thrown into the wind after blowing a dandelion. But for something to really change, commitment, courage and, above all, actions are needed.

Why is it sometimes so difficult for us to be that real help, that close support that confers changes on those who need it? We could talk about lack of time. Also of insecurity, of lack of knowledge or resources, of not really knowing how to go from simple desire to action. Because let’s face it, it is not always easy to know how to give the other what they need when they go through a bad time.

We all know that type of person who loves us very much, but when they seek to give us a hand what they actually achieve is to make everything worse. Indeed, sometimes the act is worse than the intention. We therefore know that in matters of support, assistance and help, not all of us are experts. However, it is also true that when good intentions fall to nothing it is also due to lack of will.

That concept, that of willpower, is the engine that promotes everything and that everything can change. That magic ingredient is what the world needs now to guide it towards progress, a more humane, empathetic, sensitive and beneficial future for all.

Good intentions accompanied by actions can transform reality

Good intentions abound in WhatsApp times . When one is bad, there is no lack of good wishes of ours, kind words and emoticons that blow kisses in the shape of a heart.

All of this is good for us, but most of the time it remains just that, in simple little tangible wishes, little transformative. Many people end up experiencing bewilderment and even see a certain emotional coldness on the part of their loved ones.

We have gotten used to thinking that messages are enough. However, virtual affection is not always enough for those who have a bad time, for those who live difficult moments alone or in company, for the adolescent who does not know how to ask for help or the elderly person who does not want to ask for it not to bother.

Good intentions start from noble desires and we feel them because we want the best for the other, but often the end result is not what is expected and everything remains in absolute nothingness. This is what Viktor Frankl called the paradoxical intention. A less interesting concept and to keep in mind. Define those circumstances in which we neglect the meanings.

That is, if I wish someone to cheer up and that things go better for them, we should rethink whether that phrase, if that wish has authentic meaning. Is just wishing it really enough? Can I do something so that this desire is effective, real and generates authentic well-being in that person? It would therefore be a matter of valuing our good intentions a little more.

The world needs more willpower

Gollwitzer and Bargh (1996) have a very interesting work entitled From good intentions to force of will , in which a fact is evident.

Going from desire to action requires psychological dimensions that we do not always activate; not at least the first time. Thus, for good wishes to act as a transforming energy of society, we need the following:

• Compassionate empathy. It is one in which the person is not only capable of feeling what the other feels or understanding their reality. In addition, he feels committed thanks to a genuine compassion that prompts him to move, to provide practical and real help.
• Commitment to others. The commitment to whom I have in front of me drops selfishness, as well as that gaze that only focuses on one’s own being. That form of blindness disappears to see the other from the heart.

Willpower is clothed with these two dimensions and also with motivation, with the drive to do good.

Feeling and seeing the good intentions of others improve our quality of life

Seeing that those around us are capable of giving up everything to help us is comforting. Perceiving that the good wishes of our family, friends, partner and coworkers are real and are often transformed into actions that improve our reality, gives a direct boost to happiness.

Few things can so much change the course of our world as stop being indifferent. It is true that from home or through the screens of our mobiles it does not cost us anything to wish the best to those who have a bad time. We would love for everything that is going wrong now to be solved, for every problem to find its good port, for every deficiency to be satisfied.

However, mere desires do not clothe, or relieve, or heal, or feed, or quench fears and anxieties. We must go further. We must inject ourselves with good doses of willpower, nutrients for action, encouragement for commitment and real change.

Sometimes the smallest actions if done from the heart, can change the world.