Are you living with intention?
Your Soul Essence or Higher Self is the perfect expression of you. It embodies the best parts of you that have chosen to take on the physical experience to develop itself in this lifetime.
One of the most important questions many human beings ask is ‘what is my purpose?’ If we were to be honest, this is arguably one of the most difficult questions to answer. Unsurprisingly, most of us go through life without really knowing what on earth we are here for. This can often lead to feelings of depression, stress, and disillusionment.
On the other hand, realizing your life purpose can be one of the most joyous, uplifting, and liberating feelings. When you discover your purpose, you are living with intention. Forget running around in a confused maze filled with unnecessary drama, want, and anxiety.
Living with intention means to live a purpose-driven life that is characterized by all-knowing ease and gracefulness. This does not mean that you will never experience hardship. It means you will be in a position to embrace uncertainty. You’ll fully trust that the Universe is always supporting you in your journey.
In many ways, the moment you discover your life purpose is the moment you begin to live in alignment with your Soul Essence and vice versa.
You might wonder:
Why should I seek to live in alignment with my Higher Self?
Although it might not always seem true, your Higher Self wants you to be happy. It wants you to realize your biggest dreams. Your Soul Essence holds your life script and knows, better than anyone else, why you are here on earth. In every moment, your Soul Essence is guiding you to fulfilling your purpose, no matter how small or big it is.
You are always connected to your Soul Essence. However, when we take on the physical experience, we forget who we truly are. This then becomes the start of living in misalignment with our truest self. The result? Chronic stress, malaise, frustration, unhappiness, emotional pain, and many other unnecessary negative experiences.
In this article, you will learn:
- What it feels like to be in alignment with your Soul Essence
- How to live with intent and in alignment with your Higher Self
What It Feel Like to Be in Alignment with Your Soul Essence
When you are living with intention and in accordance with your Higher Self, you will feel it. You will know. You will flow through life with ease and grace. Most of the time, life will feel effortless.
Surely, you will encounter hardship, even adversity but somehow you will continue to feel deeply supported. You will navigate life’s curveballs with a quiet but deep-rooted knowing that in the end, all will be well and the Universe is working for you, never against you.
When you are in alignment with your soul, prioritizing your physiological and psychological wellbeing will come easily. After all, Soul Essence is whole, complete, and free of burden.
Look around and you will see that those who live intentionally prioritize their overall wellbeing with extraordinary zeal. At some level, they understand that their body is the holy place where their Higher Self has chosen to reside in this lifetime.
Soul alignment also allows you to notice interesting synchronicities. One might call these nudges and nods from the Universe helping you to navigate life with greater ease and success.
On the other hand, when you are not living with intention, chances are you will barely notice or take heed of the signs the Universe sends your way. Unsurprisingly, when you miss the signs, you will likely end up going down the wrong path. You will not leverage critical opportunities at the right time. The result? Getting through life becomes incredibly difficult. You might feel unlucky but the truth is that you are just not yet aligned with your essence.
Finally, alignment feels good. Your truest self is rooted in goodness, therefore, all that is truly good is worth pursuing and embodying.
Now that we have a sense of what it is to live with intention and in alignment with your Soul Essence, here are a few practical tips to help you do just that:
Living with Intention: Get Very Clear About What You Want
Many of us have no clue what we want. It is therefore not surprising that we are not where we want to be, are constantly feeling out of whack, and are not living a life that feels purposeful.
Ask yourself this question: If you could live your best life, what would that look like? The answer will tell you what the intention of your Soul Essence is. It is then up to you to take the necessary steps to make that a reality for yourself.
To live with intention requires ‘selfishness’. You must identify and pursue what you want and not what your family, friends, teachers, or society wants or says you should want. Intentional living is about letting go of all pretenses. It’s choosing to live a life that serves your whole self, which includes body, mind, and soul.
If you do not know what you want or are unclear about your soul’s intentions, you can ask your Higher Self for the answers. It is said: ask and you are given; knock and the door is opened. Meditation and prayer are two effective techniques for asking for spiritual guidance.
Your Soul Essence knows you better than anyone does. If you ask, your purpose will be revealed. You will be guided onto the path of intention. The answers may not always come to you so clearly; your Essence will mostly speak to you in signs, synchronicities, dreams, and other nudges.
Say you prefer to meditate. Whatever your meditation style is, when you begin the process, welcome the Higher Self to sit (or stand) close by you and then simply ask them to reveal to you the many gifts and capabilities that are hidden inside you. Ask for wisdom, strength, and courage to live with intent. The answers will come to you, without a doubt.
When you ask your Higher Self for guidance, do not be concerned about how it will come about. When you do, you might start to worry and doubt. Just ask and accept the guidance given to you.
Do the Work Needed to Heal Past Wounds?
Past wounds and limiting beliefs are some of the biggest blocks to listening to your soul. Getting past these traumas and faulty narratives will help you gain clarity about your life purpose. It will change your narrative, and choose a new belief system that aligns with your soul.
We all have wounds. Even if you had a brilliant childhood, at one point or another in your life, you have suffered emotional wounds inflicted by a loved one, a friend, a colleague, a stranger even! Sometimes, these wounds can come from cultural conditioning.
You carry around these invisible wounds. The corresponding beliefs and depending on how deep they are, they can cause you to live your life in a complete blur—not with intent. If they are not addressed, these hidden parts of you can sabotage your entire life. Renowned psychologist Carl Jung called these wounds the shadow.
Several methods, collectively known as shadow work, are available for unearthing and healing past wounds. One of the simplest shadow work technique is paying close attention to your emotional reactions in your day-to-day life.
How does this work?
See, the way you react to something will tell you how much power you have given to that thing and this will, in turn, reveal parts of your hidden self. In short, what you dislike in others is a reflection of your shadow self because it triggers your hidden old wounds.
Every time you react strongly to something whether it is something someone has said or done, it is an invitation to examine your limiting beliefs and wounded self. Ask yourself: what am I feeling and why am I feeling this way? Then, patiently wait for the answers to be revealed to you.
Emotions play a major role in our lives and they are one of the most powerful ways through which the soul speaks to us. This particular shadow work exercise will help you to become aware of your thoughts and feelings and to question those that are not serving you. This is known as conscious living and it is the biggest sign that you are in alignment with your Soul Essence.
Bear in mind that shadow work might reveal some unpleasant things or conjure memories that you would rather leave in the past. But, would you rather illuminate your life with awareness or live in darkness?
Living with Intention: Do Things That Challenge You
Are you stuck in a soul-sucking job and are too scared to leave?
Do you hate your city but moving somewhere else feels too daunting?
Perhaps you feel trapped in an unfulfilling relationship but you have not mustered the courage to end it?
It could be anything. These situations do not bring joy, happiness, grace, peace, and all good things. They are stress-inducing and are therefore not in alignment with your Soul Essence.
Very often, living with intention requires getting out of your comfort zone. Have you ever wondered why you feel closer to a higher being (your preferred deity) when you face some kind of hardship, challenging situation, or crisis that seems to threaten your comfort zone?
Although it might not look like it, these situations come into your life to jolt you to get onto the path of intention. They are powerful nudges pointing you in the right direction. This is why it is said that in every difficulty lays an opportunity.
Most of the time, we know what needs to be done to start living an authentic life that wholly serves us but we are too scared to do it. Here’s the thing: what you are most scared of doing is very likely what you need to do to see the changes you want in your life.
This is a new way to view difficult situations in your life: Invitations to come close to your Soul Essence and live out your purpose.
Be Prepared to Let Go of Your Old Life
Once you start living with intent and in alignment with your authentic self, many aspects of your life, especially those that no longer serve your purpose will begin to fall apart. Do not be alarmed, you are becoming new and to fully blossom in your newfound path, the old must give way.
Relationships that no longer serve you might crumble and fall. Bad habits you thought you could never get rid of will no longer be as appealing. Your (spiritual) eyes will open and see unhealthy patterns for what they are.
Even if it feels like you are losing everything familiar to you, trust that the Universe has your back and that you are on the right path.
Often, breaking old conditioning, challenging the status quo, or walking on a different path can be a lonely endeavor at first but a new life is awaiting you. You will attract a new tribe, new opportunities, new habits, and a new way of seeing the world.
Living with Intention Summary
Every human being is on a quest to live a purposeful, intentional life. Whether or not we know it, we all are on a mission to live in alignment with our unique Soul Essence.
However, doing so unconsciously is fraught with all kinds of difficulties but choosing to be conscious and intentional in the way you live will bring you closer and closer to experiencing the goodness of your true self.
The good news is, through channels such as meditation, prayer, and shadow work you can always ask for and receive guidance from your soul to help you realize its intention for you in this lifetime.
It will not be easy; you will have to let go of some of the things in your old life but you will see that the benefits of living in soul alignment far outweigh anything you will have to let go of.