Our desired present and future life is dependant on our actions. Action is at the core of finding meaning in life. Actions impact us short term, long term events in life.
Short term actions last only short time and their benefit is temporary usually. This means that we either get distracted and lose interest, or the task itself is required short term. Long term actions is where we either are interested in them for a long time or that we have a responsibility to do them in the duration of the task.
Our character is a summary of our short, long term actions. And our actions to a large degree are determined by our desires. And our desires are made up of our decisions and our reflections on what we enjoy or need in life. Our desires create derives within us, then throughout our life we try fulfil these desires. These derives may be result of external environment or they may be the responses of our inner wants and needs. Also our desires might be result of our internal reflections. In our life our choices are influenced by desires, therefore we need reflections in our life as a balancing factor.
Our desires are also our urges, things we want to achieve, we want to get to and we want for ourselves. Desires need to be channelled in ways that benefit our overall wellbeing, they should be controlled and managed appropriately so that they benefit us. We get to know and live our life optimally as long as we manage and understand our desires and address our need appropriately. Desires are the beginning and end of life influencers – From the day we are born till the day we die we have certain desires that we want to fulfil. These are things we both have and have not got control over. These are what impact us in ways unimaginable, some we get to be aware of, and some that are out of our control.
Our goal in life is to fulfil, manage and control these desires, to have a better awareness of our life and our desires. We need to look after ourself and understand that our purpose in life is to try and balance external desires and internal desires in accordance to life forces. This is essential for our happiness and achievement in life, therefore more you live in harmony with nature and nurture your desires the better. This needs to be done while accepting limitations in place by society, and by our common sense. More we acknowledge and accept this, the better quality and magnitude of our life will be.
We make decisions in life based on our understandings, knowledge and experiences. These decisions are direct reflections of our past life. We are part of what we have done and what we have been. Therefore when we want to change ourselves we need to work on ourselves and change the present. By changing the present we can then change our future and make better decisions. Our desires are result of our past desires and decisions therefore it is important to understand our past.
We experience many feelings in our life, some are positive feelings and some are negative feelings. There are different in intensity. Some feelings may belong to us and some may be projected to us. Our desires are partly result of our feelings. We want to bring good feelings forward and avoid bad feelings when we desire. Therefore in order to have the desired result we need to work towards our goal. Our desired result is possible and helpful when we channel it to help us in our life and decision making.
Desires play an important role in our decision making. They shape our choices and goals in life. There are basic needs desires such as need for food and shelter. There are emotional desires such as need for love and belonging. There are aspirational desires such as desire for success and personal growth. Also there are immediate gratifications such as need for rest or pleasure. And there are social desires such as need for social status and recognition. Throughout our life we try to meet these desires and they effect our decision making in our life.
Desires impact our decision making in many ways such as prioritization, where desires influence which options we prioritize (for example success or leisure). Also desires impact our motivation, where it pushes us to take relevant action. They also create difficult circumstances where we need to take risk to achieve our desire, or they may create conflict for example balancing life and career. Also we need to align our desires with our values, so if against our values then those desires are not for us.
In order to make good decisions we need to self reflect to ensure our desires are aligned with our long term goals and values. This needs to be done by analysing pros and cons our our desires, prioritizing and balancing our desires with our life short and long term goals. Lastly this is a process and we need to evaluate and change our decisions according to the results we get. Therefore we need to know certain signs that show us we may not be making right decisions. These happen when we want instant gratification and not seeing the bigger picture. It can also be when we focus solely on certain desires and ignore others. And lastly fear of failure and societal pressure not letting us make decisions and act accordingly.
In order to ensure we make good decision in life while taking account of our decisions, we need to set clear goals, making sure they are specific and achievable so we can work towards achieving them. Thereafter we need to create a plan and to follow it through and check our progress, this needs to be done while incorporating our desires in our decision making. And also to be willing to adjust our plan as our priorities change according to our goals and desires. Understanding and controlling our desires effectively can lead to a more fulfilling and purposeful decision making, contributing to our life and our wellbeing.