Ever feel like you’re stuck on a life-roller-coaster, soaring one moment and crashing the next? This isn’t just chaos—it’s a calling to align.
Ever felt like your life’s a chaotic loop—just when things go well, you self-sabotage, lose focus, or feel cursed? You're not alone. This isn’t a random pattern; it's your life-roller-coaster screaming for alignment. In this soul-stirring guide, we unpack intentional living, upper-limit sabotage, karmic healing, and mindful action. Let's realign your life—one intention at a time.
What is intentional living and why does it feel so elusive?
When I first heard the phrase “intentional living,” it sounded like one of those Pinterest-perfect mantras—sip your matcha, set your affirmations, and poof, life transforms. But my reality looked more like a mess of to-do lists, skipped meals, and chasing deadlines with a vague hope that someday, things would “click.”
Intentional living isn't a buzzword. It's a mindset. It’s the conscious decision to steer your daily life with clarity, values, and alignment. But here’s the truth no one tells you: Living intentionally is simple—but never easy. Why? Because most of us aren’t driving our own lives. We’re passengers, holding on tight as the life-roller-coaster speeds up and crashes into our blind spots.
The elusive feeling comes from the internal tug-of-war between desire and distraction. We intend to wake up early, journal, call our parents, drink more water. But the phone buzzes. The inbox screams. Suddenly, we’re doom-scrolling Instagram and wondering how it got dark outside.
Intentional living doesn’t require a life overhaul. It begins with awareness. The small, seemingly insignificant decisions you make in each moment add up to a life story. You’re already writing it—why not do so on purpose?
👉 Related inspiration on conscious living: Ideas Wanted
Are your actions out of sync with your true intentions?
Let’s get brutally honest. Ever felt proud after making a list of goals... only to do the exact opposite the next day? That’s because intentions live in your heart—but actions? They’re stuck in your habits. And many of us are sleepwalking through our routines.
Here’s what I discovered in my own journey: I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t undisciplined. I was unconsciously conditioned. My nervous system was addicted to chaos. Even when I intended to rest, my body panicked in stillness. Intentions without nervous system safety are like planting seeds in concrete—beautiful dreams that never sprout.
Let’s do a quick self-check:
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Do your daily choices reflect your long-term desires?
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Are you reactive (constantly responding to crises) or proactive (creating space to act with clarity)?
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Is your energy aligned with your schedule?
If you're answering “no” to most of these, you’re not broken. You’re simply misaligned. Intentions need a structure—a home to thrive in. It’s like wanting peace but living in a war zone. You’ve got to rebuild the space inside and out to host the life you crave.
This is where tools like journaling, mindful planning, and somatic awareness come in. They bridge the gap between your inner desires and outer behaviours.
What does purpose alignment really look like?
Let’s bust a myth: purpose is not one big “aha” moment. It’s not a job title, a passion project, or a viral TED Talk. Purpose is quieter. It’s the feeling you get when your actions whisper “yes” to your soul.
I remember nearly ignoring mine.
I was working a stable 9-to-5, ticking all the societal boxes, yet something inside me kept screaming. I ignored it, telling myself, “Be grateful. Others have it worse.” But the more I suppressed that whisper, the louder the disconnection grew.
One night, sitting in traffic after yet another pointless meeting, I felt hollow. That moment changed me. I began asking better questions: What lights me up? What drains me? Slowly, I started choosing alignment over approval.
Purpose alignment is micro. It’s choosing the tea that soothes you. Saying “no” to that draining phone call. Honouring your energy. It’s less about having a “big life” and more about having a true life.
Start with one aligned action per day. That’s it. The more you live on-purpose, the clearer your purpose becomes.
Can a simple framework help you align your life daily?
Absolutely—and let me show you the one that changed everything for me.
Step 1: Awareness
You can’t fix what you don’t notice. Start tracking your patterns. Notice when you’re stressed. When you self-sabotage. When you feel joy.
Step 2: Intention
Set a clear, soulful goal. Not “be more productive” but “move with peace today.” Not “make money” but “serve with integrity.”
Step 3: Aligned Action
Take one small action that supports that intention. If your goal is peace, maybe don’t scroll Twitter before bed. If it’s health, drink that water first thing.
To make it easier, I created a planner system based on this:
| Time | Awareness Moment | today’s Intention | One Aligned Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Feeling anxious | Embody calm | 10 minutes breathwork |
| Noon | Distracted at work | Focus presence | 5-min walk |
| Evening | Overthinking | Let go | Journal + music |
Why do we sabotage ourselves when life gets too good?
Ah, the most uncomfortable truth: we don’t fear failure as much as we fear success.
Ever got a promotion, then missed deadlines and got demoted? Or entered a loving relationship, only to pick a fight out of nowhere? That’s the Upper Limit Problem, a term coined by Gay Hendricks.
Here’s how it works: You have an internal “thermostat” for how much joy, love, success, and peace you think you deserve. Go beyond that, and your subconscious slams the brakes.
I lived this. I was offered a speaking gig—my first paid one. I was thrilled… for 3 hours. Then came the spiral: “What if I mess up?” “What if they regret choosing me?” Within days, I pulled out, citing “a scheduling conflict.” Truth? I was terrified of expansion.
This isn’t stupidity—it’s survival. Your brain is wired to keep you safe, not successful. But what feels safe is often just what’s familiar. If chaos, stress, or rejection are your defaults, you’ll recreate them even when things go right.
Healing begins with noticing. The next time something good happens and you feel uneasy, ask: Am I expanding or resisting?
That’s the first crack in the cycle.
👉 For deeper understanding, explore this insight on self-sabotage healing
What if joy triggers unhealed fears instead of gratitude?
Let’s flip the narrative for a second.
What if the very joy you’re praying for is the same joy your body fears receiving?
I’ll never forget the day I finally felt happy—like, genuinely lighthearted after months of grief. It was just a sunny morning, my dog curled beside me, a warm cup of chai in my hands. I should have felt gratitude. Instead, my stomach dropped. My brain whispered, “Something bad is going to happen.”
Sound familiar?
That creeping dread after a good day? That twitchy discomfort when life feels “too quiet”? It’s not intuition—it’s trauma. Unhealed memories telling your body, “Don’t get used to this. You know how this ends.”
Our nervous system has memory, just like our mind. If past joy was followed by abandonment, failure, or heartbreak, your body might reject happiness before it even settles in.
It’s heartbreaking.
But here’s the silver lining: what was once encoded in trauma can be rewritten through safety.
Try this: next time you feel joy, pause. Put a hand on your heart and whisper, “It’s safe now. I can hold this joy. I’m allowed to feel good.” Simple? Yes. But powerful beyond words.
Breathwork helps too. Just five minutes of intentional breathing sends a signal to your body that you're safe. It quiets the alarms long enough for your joy to stay.
Could you be expanding or just resisting growth?
Expansion often feels like resistance at first. When your soul stretches into new capacity—more love, more rest, more abundance—your body tightens. That’s not a sign to stop. That’s a sign to breathe.
Think of it like a butterfly breaking from its cocoon. If it didn’t push through the resistance, it would never fly. Yet, the pushing hurts. It feels like death before rebirth. And most of us? We quit halfway through. We sabotage. We numb. We retreat to what’s familiar—stress, self-criticism, overachievement.
Here’s how to know you’re resisting:
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You procrastinate on things you actually want.
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You pick fights with people who love you.
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You binge on things that numb you—food, scrolling, busyness.
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You feel irritated without knowing why.
Now, here’s how to shift:
🌿 Mirror Work: Look into your eyes each morning and say, “I trust myself to grow.” Watch what bubbles up.
📝 Journaling Prompt: What am I afraid will happen if I get everything I want?
🧘🏽 Somatic anchoring: Lie down, hand on your heart, and breathe into the fear. Don’t fix it. Just witness.
Growth is messy. But so is rebirth. And trust me—you were not meant to stay the same.
Is your life blocked by karma or just family patterns?
Let me tell you something most people don’t dare to say: Not everything wrong in your life is “your fault”—but it might still be your responsibility.
Ever feel like no matter how hard you try, life circles back to the same heartbreak? The same job loss, the same arguments, the same loneliness? You’re not cursed. But you may be carrying karmic and generational energy that isn’t yours.
My own family lineage was steeped in scarcity thinking. Even when we had enough, we lived like everything was about to disappear. I absorbed that. I grew up believing money was unsafe. Love was conditional. Joy was temporary.
It wasn’t until I read the Lal Kitab that things started shifting. Its ancient remedies weren’t just rituals—they were resets.
But karma also breaks through action. Not dramatic gestures—consistent ones.
Start by noticing the patterns:
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Do you always fall for emotionally unavailable partners?
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Do you sabotage good things just when they begin?
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Do you feel heavy even in light moments?
These are signs of karmic repetition.
To learn more about breaking karmic loops, check out this powerful resource on cursed life signs.
Healing karma isn’t about punishing yourself—it’s about seeing clearly. And once you see the chain, you have the power to break it.
How can you practically heal karmic blocks in daily life?
Karma heals not with grand gestures, but with sacred consistency.
Each morning you choose patience over reaction, generosity over greed, and truth over avoidance—you rewrite your soul’s story.
Let’s get practical. Because healing karma doesn’t need incense and Sanskrit. It needs intention.
Here’s a daily karmic healing ritual:
| Time | Action | Karmic Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Light a lamp and say 1 intention | Ignite clarity and purpose |
| Noon | Donate a small amount anonymously | Neutralise past selfishness |
| Evening | Forgive someone mentally | Cut energetic cords of resentment |
The real shift happens not in rituals, but in mindset.
If you want a deeper dive on healing relational karma and emotional boundaries, explore this link on love and boundaries—it changed how I showed up for myself.
So let me ask: Which karmic loop are you ready to break today? Write it down. Say it out loud. Comment it below. Declare your healing.
Can you rewire your capacity to receive more from life?
Let’s get raw. You might not be struggling because life is hard. You might be struggling because you’re blocking how good it could get.
I know. That hurts to hear. It hurt me too.
But for years, I begged the universe for love, abundance, ease—and then pushed it away the moment it arrived. Compliments made me shrink. Money made me anxious. Rest made me feel guilty.
Sound familiar?
Here’s what was really happening: I didn’t feel safe receiving. My nervous system was stuck in survival mode. Goodness felt suspicious. Joy felt like a setup. Peace felt boring.
But you can rewire that. Step by small step.
Here’s how:
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Name the fear: What scares me about things going right?
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Anchor safety: Use touch, breath, and movement to ground yourself in joy.
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Practise micro-receiving: Let someone open a door. Accept a compliment. Enjoy a meal without guilt.
Receiving is a muscle. The more you flex it, the more life flows in.
Are you designing your days with purpose or panic?
Let me ask you something quietly, like a whisper in the chaos: When was the last time you truly felt your day belonged to you—not your inbox, not your boss, not the guilt... but you?
For most of my life, I didn’t design my days. I survived them.
Mornings felt like warzones—coffee in one hand, existential dread in the other. Afternoons were fuelled by pressure. Evenings dissolved into digital numbness. And sleep? Well, I couldn’t even remember what rest felt like.
Then one morning, I cried brushing my teeth. Not because of pain. But because I realised I’d spent years of my life reacting—to demands, to moods, to expectations that weren’t even mine.
That’s when it hit me: Living without designing your days is like giving away your story to strangers who don’t even read.
Now? I live by a different rhythm—a sacred one.
Let me show you how.
💡 The “Purpose-First Planner” (Your Daily heartbeat)
| Time Block | Question to Ask | Purpose Anchor |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | What energy do I want to feel today? | Intention |
| Midday | Am I still acting from that energy? | Alignment Check |
| Evening | What one thing made me feel most alive today? | Reflection |
So pause now and ask yourself: Am I living by design—or default?
Share your answer. Let others know they’re not alone.
How can you reconnect with your original intentions?
Do you remember the first time you felt truly alive?
Not productive. Not useful. Not approved of. Just... you.
For me, it was at seven years old, reading under a mango tree, lost in a world where everything made sense. There were no metrics. No performance. Just wonder.
And somewhere along the way, I forgot.
That’s what happens, right? We start chasing goals we never chose. We inherit intentions like hand-me-downs. Be successful. Be liked. Be responsible. And while we’re busy being everything to everyone else—we become strangers to our own soul.
But your original intention? It never left. It’s whispering beneath the noise. Waiting for you to ask again.
So let’s do that.
✍️ A Guided reconnection ritual:
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Light a candle. Sit quietly.
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Ask yourself: When do I feel most like me?
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Journal the first memory that comes.
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Then write: What have I been doing instead?
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And finally: What can I do this week to come back home to myself?
Sometimes the answers come like lightning. Sometimes like gentle rain. But they always come.
You don’t have to pivot your whole life today. Just take one small step back toward the wonder you forgot you were worthy of.
If this stirred something in you—share your memory. Let’s remind each other what magic feels like.
For more tender explorations of soul truths and real love, I urge you to explore The whispering birches love story. You’ll thank me later.
What’s the role of spiritual energy in intentional living?
Ever walked into a room and instantly felt drained? That’s energy. Ever had a conversation that left you buzzing for hours? Also energy.
Living intentionally without managing your energy is like trying to row a boat with a hole in it.
Let me share a personal story.
A few years ago, I was doing all the right things—vision boards, affirmations, hustle. Yet everything felt... blocked. Until a Vastu expert gently asked me, “Which direction does your bed face?”
I laughed. Then I moved it. And life changed.
Here are some energetic tools to support your intention:
🌿 Daily energy hygiene
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Clean your space: Physical clutter = mental clutter. Start small.
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Salt water bowl: Place in corners to absorb stagnant energy.
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Open windows: Let stale emotions flow out with the air.
🧭 Vastu alignment Tips (From Tushar Mangl’s Book)
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Sleep head facing south: Grounds energy, improves clarity.
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Keep NE corner clean: This is your “Ishaan” zone—your soul’s antenna.
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Avoid mirrors facing beds: They scatter energy and disturb rest.
🌀 Spiritual anchors
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Light a diya at dusk: Honours transitions.
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Play mantras: Sound heals vibrations.
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Speak intentions aloud: Words manifest frequency.
Your energy field is like a garden. Tend to it, and watch your life bloom in alignment with your highest path.
Tell me—what’s one energetic practice you already do? Or one you're curious to try? Let’s build this toolbox together.
What if your ‘failures’ were actually feedback?
Here’s a thought that might shatter you, in the most healing way: You didn’t fail. You learned exactly what you needed—just not in the way you expected.
When I lost a relationship I thought would be my forever, I spiralled. I called it a failure. I blamed myself, the universe, even the moon. But what I later realised was this: that heartbreak wasn’t punishment—it was preparation.
Failures are soul feedback. Not proof that you're unworthy, but clues that something deeper wants to be born in you.
The spiritual term for this? The soul’s curriculum.
Each painful event isn’t a random tragedy—it’s a tailored classroom. One you didn’t choose, but your soul did. That job rejection? Teaching you alignment. That burnout? Showing you boundaries. That silence from someone you love? Reminding you to listen inward.
Let’s reframe failure together:
| What Happened | Old Label | New meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Got fired | I'm not good enough | I outgrew the environment |
| Relationship ended | I'm unlovable | I’m growing into deeper love |
| Health breakdown | My body betrayed me | My body begged for care |
This reframe alone can restore your power. It turns pain into poetry.
And if you’ve felt like your heart has failed you again and again—read this reflection on love and boundaries. It will hold your heart gently.
I ask: What if you didn’t mess it up? What if you’re just in a lesson meant to become a legacy?
What happens when you finally align action with intention?
Everything shifts.
When your actions start matching your deepest intentions—life stops feeling like a battle. It becomes a dance. A rhythm. A quiet confidence in your bones.
You no longer chase alignment. You become it.
Suddenly, rest doesn’t feel lazy—it feels earned. Boundaries don’t feel rude—they feel sacred. Joy isn’t suspicious—it’s normal.
You begin waking up not with dread, but with devotion.
And the best part? Others feel it. Your relationships deepen. Your voice softens. Your eyes shine differently. You start becoming a living permission slip for others to align, too.
It’s not perfect. You still fall, forget, and freeze. But now you return faster. With more grace.
So let this be your reminder:
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You’re not too late.
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You’re not broken.
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You’re just being called back to yourself.
Let your next move be intentional, not impulsive. Purposeful, not performative.
Because the world doesn’t need more people chasing success. It needs more people choosing soul-aligned action.
You were never meant to stay small
Dear reader—if you’ve cried, paused, questioned, or whispered “that’s me” at any point in this article, know this: You’re not alone on your life-roller-coaster.
You are healing. You are remembering. You are rising.
This isn’t just a season. A sacred invitation to reclaim your joy, rewire your worth, and rewrite your patterns.
You were never cursed. You were never too much. You were never too late.
You are divinely on time.
And if you need support beyond this page—book a paid consultation. Let’s sit with your story together. Let’s realign your life.
👉 Book a Consultation with Tushar Mangl
❓ Frequently asked questions
Q1: How do I know if I’m self-sabotaging?
Q2: What is the “Upper Limit Problem”?
Q3: Can karma be healed in this life?
Q4: How does Vastu help with intention alignment?
Why does intentional living feel exhausting at first?
✍️ Author
Tushar Mangl is a counselor, vastu expert, and author of I Will Do It and Ardika. He writes on topics like food, books, personal finance, Investments, mental health, Vastu, and the art of living a balanced life. Blogging here at tusharmangl.com since 2006, he helps unseen souls design lives, spaces, and relationships that heal and elevate—through ancient wisdom, energetic alignment, and grounded action.
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