Do you wake up every morning ready to face the day? Are you generally happy? Do you feel engaged and excited to live your life?
I do. Every day I practice living an intentional life I experience happiness, engagement, and excitement just to wake up and greet the day.
My life isn’t perfect and yet my life is great! My day doesn’t always go the way I want but I learned long ago getting my way isn’t the secret to loving life. The secret is living intentionally.
What does it mean to be intentional?
It means you are purposeful in word and action. It means you live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling to you. It means you make thoughtful choices in your life.
Being intentional means you actively interact and engage with your life. You wake up every day and ask yourself, “how am I going to make this day great?”
You respond instead of react. You love instead of fear. You embrace instead of expect. You accept instead of resist.
Why be intentional?
Be intentional because you want to do more than just get by. Be intentional because you dream. Because you aspire. Because you care about something- anything! Because you live.
Sure, it’s easy to do what others do.
It’s easy to complain about Mondays because Monday is the most lovingly loathed day in our society.
It’s easy to live to work because we buy into the idea that we have to have more- more money, more credibility, more authority, more success. How often do we want these things because we think these things will make us happy?
It’s easy to trudge through life cursing the things you don’t like but staying stuck there. Is that the life you really want to live?
How to be intentional in all you do
Know yourself
What’s important to you? What do you love to do? Which people are meaningful to you? What motivates you? What lights you up? Do more of that! As much as you can do.
Embrace imperfection
Strive to grow and improve but don’t expect yourself or anyone else to be perfect. Embrace being perfectly imperfect and enjoy every minute of it!
You’re a human being- not a human doing. Be just who you are today and go from there.
Discover your choices
You may feel stuck sometimes but the truth is you have unlimited choices. Widen your perspective. Consider all the possible choices from the irresponsible and painful, to the inspiring and honest choices.
Make a list of your choices- even those that you would never choose. Sometimes just knowing you have choices frees you to make the best possible choice you can.
Declutter your life
Get rid of the habits, attitudes, situations, and people that you don’t fully embrace. Rid yourself of those things that hold you back from living a purposeful life.
If something doesn’t have meaning or value in your life, if it doesn’t add to your life but takes away, why are you hanging on to it?
Forgive
Forgive yourself and forgive others for past wrongs- those things are in the past. Holding onto resentments holds you back.
Live in the moment
Life isn’t lived when…. when you get the raise you deserve, when you have the car you always wanted, when you find love.
Life is lived in this moment, enjoying what you have here and now- not what will be in the future, what is today.
Stop worrying about everyone else
It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing. What matters is what you do!
It doesn’t matter what anyone else is thinking. What matters is what you think about you!
Keep living the good life!
The good life is the life you live today. Live it today and do it again tomorrow.
Keep practicing. Keep learning. Keep exploring. Keep thinking. Keep choosing. Keep living. Be intentional in all you do!
Image courtesy of F.C. Photography
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