Intentional Living
“We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day.” – Richard G. Scott
Do you ever feel like you are an observer in your own life? Do you believe that life happens to you instead of through you? Answering yes to either of those questions most likely means that you are not living your life intentionally. By intentional living I mean that you have a meaningful and significant life that is planned in such a way that you are leading your life instead of accepting your life.
“The choices you made are the choices that made you.” – Tim Rhodes
Intentional living allows you to gain a level of satisfaction, knowing that you are creating the life that you want. Intentional living is about grabbing the bull by the horns and moving in a direction that you believe will lead to your happiness. You can’t find out where you are in life and then draw the target. Most people make the mistake of trying to find themselves rather than creating themselves.
So let’s dive in to some ways in which you can live a more intentional life:
Realize that good intentions are not enough. In order to live an intentional life you need to shift from the thinking that says,“I could,” to thinking that says, “I will.” You can do this by sitting down and creating a list of your most important values and determining whether or not you are doing enough to fulfill those values.
Schedule your priorities. How many times have you heard people say “I need to prioritize my schedule.” You will never get as far as you want in life if you don’t schedule your priorities. Look at the list of values that you made after point number one, and then place those in the calendar first before all of the extra miscellaneous stuff takes over. Check out this 6-minute video to drive this point home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FbWb3f-jLQ
What is your one word? Do you believe that you were created for a purpose bigger than yourself? If so, you will never find fulfillment until you find that purpose. One of the secrets to discovering that purpose is to try and describe your life in one word. For example, my one word is teacher. Whether I am working with my children, coaching soccer, teaching high school, public speaking, or leading workshops I am teaching. I no longer try to be a different person in each area of my life. My one word is my purpose and allows me to live with a high level of intentionality.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this. If you have other questions or comments feel free to reach out.