Ultimate Basics To Living Intentionally, And Why It’s Important
How do you know if living intentionally is for you?
There is only one you, one today, and one lifetime!
Would it not be great to live the life you desired within that time? Going places you want to go, having the kind of job you want, living where you want, and around who you want?
There is nothing better than achieving a goal you set your mind to. It makes you feel more accomplished and builds confidence in yourself. Living intentionally is SO important for living the life you want to live.
Here you will learn how to live intentionally, what is intentional living, and why you should be living intentionally. The Ultimate Basics To Living Intentionally, And Why It’s Important?
What is Living Intentionally?
Living intentionally means making choices and acting on purpose. It’s no longer if the wind blows or I don’t know. It’s doing something with a purpose is mind.
For example: If you want to be a veterinarian, you will take ‘intentional’ steps to get there. You would not just go to school and hope for the best. You would study anatomy, work as a vet assistant, etc. You would do things on purpose that align with your goal!
Yes, life is unknown, and getting intentional can be hard… scary even. But, without intentions, you’re just alive, not living.
Living By Your Values
Your values determine the actions and steps you take.
Values are what is important to an individual. These are things that are non-negotiable to your quality of life. For example, I value honesty!
Living by your values is essential to living intentionally. How do you know where to go if you don’t know where to start? Becoming familiar with your values will help you take intentional steps toward what matters most to you.
For example: If one of your values is family time: taking a job that requires you to be away from home for 250 days out of a year, may be detrimental to your well-being.
This is why you should become familiar with what (not who) matters most to you in this world. Once you have an idea of what is important, you can set boundaries around them to protect them.
Living Intentionally is all about being there on purpose. Saying yes on purpose or saying no on purpose!
Setting Boundaries
Setting boundaries protects your well-being.
Boundaries are like the perimeter of a garden. Just as a fence defines the space where plants can grow and flourish, boundaries establish the limits of our personal space, emotions, and relationships.
They help protect what is important to us, ensuring that we can nurture our well-being without interference from outside influences.
Just as a garden needs its boundaries to thrive, we need our boundaries to maintain our health and happiness.
Boundaries are the foundation of ANY relationship in life, even with yourself. It’s not a matter of being mean or controlling. It’s simply keeping your well-being in tip-top shape.
People will do what you allow them to.
If you are up happy with someone’s behavior, look at your boundaries. If you’ve set them with intentions and are still uncomfortable with the way someone is treating you, it’s time to take different actions.
Self-respect shows up in the way you allow others to treat you!
Without boundaries, you don’t have respect! Respect yourself and develop healthy boundaries to help keep yourself safe! (safe = healthy wellbeing).
Being Self-Aware
Living intentionally means being aware of who you are, your habits, your goals, and more. How will you know where to go if you are unaware of where you are starting?
Being self-aware is not a requirement to begin your intentional lifestyle. It is something you develop as you learn and pay attention to yourself… Your goals, dreams, likes, dislikes, etc.
Being self-aware is knowing what’s going on with yourself, and living intentionally is taking purposeful steps to achieve set goals! This will help you understand where you should begin your journey by knowing where you are.
For example: If you want to become a doctor, you will know where you are, so that you know where steps to take to get you there.
Let’s dive into this with an example:
Susan wanted to become a doctor. However, every time she decided to apply to go to med school, she would back away and make excuses as to why she couldn’t do it. Except that wasn’t the issue. Susan driving to the school (an hour) away wasn’t ideal because she has a child but no babysitter. However, starting online is more suitable for her lifestyle.
Do you see how knowing where you are starting is a must? You will not be able to get directions to your next destination if you don’t know where you are starting.
How To Live Intentionally?
Expressing Gratitude
Expressing gratitude can show up in numerous ways. You can journal, pray, meditate, dance, cry, scream… Whatever feels good to you in that moment.
Gratitude is being thankful for where you are, what you have or don’t have, and who you have.
It’s not complaining about what you don’t have, because you could not have the blessings you already have.
It’s saying, I know I may not be where I want to be… But I am where I desired I would be someday🤞!
Don’t take for granted what you have now because, at some point in your life, you hoped and prayed that this is where you would be. Intentionally, or not! This is one reason why being intentional is so important.
Being Mindful
Living intentionally means being mindful of the world around you. It’s being present and seeing where you are and what is going on around you.
Mindfulness is simply being present and noticing what’s going on.
Being mindful is essential to living intentionally because it helps you to focus on what’s important to you. It keeps you grounded like a balloon weight.
Being mindful helps create peace. You’re no longer focused on everything or nothing, you have a plan that keeps you grounded in what is important.
For Example:
If you were a balloon, you would be weightless and blow whichever the wind takes you until you lose air (aka momentum/motivations/etc.).
However, if you add weight (values, goals, intentions, etc) you no longer just blow with the wind because everything you do has a purpose.
This is why living intentionally is SO important… You don’t just live without a plan or purpose in mind.
Did You Know?
You were not made without a purpose!
Being Honest with Yourself
Knowing where you are going is essential to living an intentional lifestyle. Being honest is your GPS. It determines what you ‘allow’ to happen, what actions you take, where you end up, etc.
Being honest about who you are, what you like or don’t like, what makes you happy etc will determine where you will go next.
It’s not a general term to be used lightly. Being honest with YOURSELF does not mean you need to tell everyone everything, all the time. It simply means building self-trust, and confidence to be self-sustained.
It can be hard to be honest with yourself sometimes. I know, it’s painful. But it’s nowhere near as painful as NOT listening to yourself and suffering the consequences of that later.
Being honest with yourself is like having water, it can soothe your soul and help you to flourish, or it can drain you and make you feel tired weak and dehydrated.
Prioritizing You
You are a priority to you! Simple as that.
I am sure you’ve heard me say this before… “You cannot take care of someone until you take care of yourself” If not buckle down because I say it a lot! (That is what an intentional, self-discovery journey looks like, prioritizing yourself)!
First, let me start by saying… “self-care is not considered selfish”, because how can you take care of someone else if you cannot get out of bed?
Putting your needs above everyone else is not a selfish act. This is because when you take care of your needs, only then will you be able to assist someone else.
*You cannot share water you do not have to give…
When you are living intentionally, you are choosing to put yourself first. You are choosing to show up for YOURSELF and be of import in your life.
Stop waiting for someone to prioritize you above themselves because it won’t happen. And if it does, be wary because NO one can help anyone until they help themselves.
This does not look like “taking” from someone else. This is not “downing” someone else for personal gain. It is simply filling your cup up, so that you may share with others.
Having Routines
This topic may make some run for the hills. Especially, if you are not someone who is willing to build a habit or change a habit.
However, if living intentionally is your goal, then this topic is for you. Why? Because it’s essential for intentional living.
Let’s look at it this way…
Creating routines is like setting an alarm clock, and then going to sleep. You don’t have to wake every 2 hours to make sure you did not oversleep. You don’t have to worry about sleeping with one eye open.
It’s a set-and-forget. Now, this DOES NOT mean you forget to do the task, it just means you don’t have to worry about it.
Wouldn’t it be nice to set the goals that are important to you, and just do it intentionally without worrying about getting it done?
For example: Waking up and brushing your teeth every morning will mean you don’t have to go through your day worrying about if your teeth have stains on them from the night before because you intentionally completed a routine.
Routines help you build a habit, and habit helps you move more and worry less.
You may already have multiple routines you complete every day but are not aware of it.
Routines are a set of tasks you do in a timely fashion. Like, a morning/nightly routine or an exercise routine, etc. It’s anything you do constantly in a pattern.
Being Decisive
Doing it on purpose.
Being decisive means making a decision with a purpose in mind and sticking with it. Living an intentional lifestyle means making decisions that align with what you want out of your life.
For Example:
If you want to eat oatmeal when you first wake up… choosing to make it and then sticking with that decision is being decisive.
Your goals are more like to come true if you are being decisive in the decisions you are making. This means no more “if the wind blows”.
Yes, it’s true! You CANNOT control the world around you or what happens to you. However… it is also true that you are where you are because of the choices you made previously. Even deciding not to make a decision is considered a choice.
If you want to live intentionally, you need to be decisive in the choices you make and stop handing your life over to 10 million people to decide for you!
You are NOT them, and they do not know your inner desires.
Be brave and live intentionally!
Self-Reflection
Reflect on how far you’ve come!
Self-reflection is a great place to reflect on how far you’ve come. How many of your goals you’ve accomplished, how many dreams come true, what are you doing that’s working or what did not work?
It is also a tool you should use to check in with yourself.
Reflect on what hurt, or what helped!
Self-reflection is like an audit. You’re just reflecting internally for the sake of your well-being.
You must take the time to reflect on your life, so that you may know what to do to help yourself. Maybe it’s time for a change of scenery, or maybe you are just moving with the wind, and feeling down or depressed.
Check in with yourself and make yourself a priority.
No matter what’s going on, make sure you are taking care of yourself. And to do that, you MUST self-reflect. This way you know HOW (what) to take care of yourself.
Taking Responsibility
When things happen in your life, how you respond to it, determines the outcome. Which means you are responsible for the WAY you act or react to a situation.
Living intentionally means taking responsibility for your actions. If you didn’t mean it, don’t do it.
Of course, everyone makes mistakes. However, when you act on something without a purpose in mind, you are not being intentional.
Being intentional means acting on purpose. So, if you are hurt by something someone did, and you thought… “I’m going to get them back”, this is a decision, and if you turn this thought into an action, it has become intentional.
If you don’t intend to take responsibility for it, don’t do it! Because every action has a reaction. Your life reflects your choices. If you’re unhappy about it, change it!
Take responsibility -> Get Intentional!
Live life on purpose!
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is being aware of your emotions and being able to control them while feeling them.
Having emotional intelligence is being able to recognize, understand, and control your emotions. Everyone has feelings, and feelings do matter. They are an indication (a signal) of how something made you feel.
Feelings are a measuring tool that determines how well or badly something affects you. This is what makes feelings important.
How can you know how to respond to something if you ignore how it made you feel?
Feelings are a unit of measurement; they are not meant to lead a life.
So, being emotionally intelligent is vital. Knowing how you feel about something or how you feel after something happens will determine your reaction.
Being emotionally intelligent is knowing how something made you feel, evaluating it, and then processing it.
When living intentionally, it is essential to know how you feel about things.
The danger to not being emotionally intelligent is 1. ignoring how you feel which can lead to a ton of baggage/problems, and 2. reacting without much thought to how you should respond.
Not Making Excuses
There is NO room for excuses in living intentionally!
Excuses are roadblocks used to prevent people from accepting the truth. How can you learn, grow, or be intentional about your life if you’re making excuses for why it’s not working?
This is simply refusing responsibility, and as we previously discussed, accountability is a must-have in living intentionally.
Instead of making excuses for why something happens, take responsibility if it falls on you. You cannot control the weather, so if it rains on a special day and you forget to cover your decor… own it, learn from it, and move on.
Excuses keep YOU from progressing. You know how I said excuses are like roadblocks, keeping you from the truth… It also keeps you from moving any further than where you are currently sitting.
Examples of Excuses:
- “I can’t because…”
- “I would but…”
- I can, but…”
Either you can or cannot, you either do or you don’t do.
If you are unsure as to if you can commit, then don’t, or ask for a grace period… “Can I check back in with you on that”. Yet, remain intentional, keep your word, and check back in with them.
Under NO circumstances should you make an excuse…
Be upfront, honest, and loyal to your word! Excuses don’t just keep you from taking responsibility, moving forward, or accepting the truth.
It also keeps you from living intentionally!
Because living intentionally is the complete opposite of living a life of excuses.
Having Healthy Habits
When you’re living intentionally, you notice what habits are holding you back or down.
Habits are tasks you do without much of a conscious thought to it. You’ve learned when it’s time to use the bathroom, you go. You really don’t have to focus on the task itself while you do it.
Another great example of a habit is brushing your teeth. This you probably do without putting much thought into it.
Once something becomes a habit, it can be completed without much thought going into it. For example: if you are driving home, and have been for 5 years, you may be able to drive home yourself without much thought about the route you are taking.
It becomes second nature!
Habits will help set up a foundation for living intentionally. When you build healthy habits, you are essentially building blocks. It’s one less thing you have to focus your attention on.
Once you’ve built a healthy habit, you can set it on autopilot and learn a new healthy habit that will get you one step closer to your goal/dream life.
For example: Sally wants to write every day. So, she intentionally sits down and writes in her journal every day for 5 mins. A month later, she realizes how she is writing within a routine without much thought. Every morning before coffee/tea she writes.
This build habits. -> Doing something consistently over time, becomes a habit.
It’s easier to build a habit than it is to break one. So, make sure you get intentional about your life and choices.
Tip ~ you would want to audit your habits every once in a while, to get rid of the habits that are not suitable for your lifestyle change.
Living intentionally means knowing what needs to be done and doing it!
Practicing Self-Care
Taking care of yourself is a must!
You are special and when you take care of yourself it is evident.
You must be in tip-top shape to offer help to anyone else. This means you cannot help ANYONE before you help yourself.
For instance, you will see on an airplane they tell you to put your oxygen on first and then help someone else. Do you know why this is?
If you are having trouble breathing, how can you help someone else breathe? If you are drowning, how can you help someone else who is also drowning?
Self-care is no different. How can you take care of someone else, if you can’t (or if you need taking care of) take care of yourself?
Self-care is more than just taking care of yourself. It’s showing yourself love, compassion, grace, mercy, etc.
Being Authentic
There is only one of you!
Showing up as your authentic self means living an intentional lifestyle. This is because living intentionally means always showing up as yourself.
As you learn who you are and choose to be that person, you are choosing to live intentionally. Living authentically is being yourself 100% of the time.
You are unique to the world.
There is something about you that the world requires. But, to provide that uniqueness you would have to intentionally choose to be yourself on purpose.
No one is going to be you for you or wait until you decide to be yourself. So, get intentional and choose who you are. And if you don’t know, let’s discover it!
Setting Goals
Humans need to have something to look forward to. This keeps us from being idle.
Idleness leads to trouble.
So, you should have goals and dreams you look forward to in life. Your goals will be unique to you. No need to copy and paste them.
Of course, you may have dreams or goals you share with others, but they will be unique to YOUR taste and experience.
For example: You may want a lake house, and your cousin does as well. The difference is not in the objective, it is in the detail. You may want a green barn on the side, and your cousin may want sheer curtains on the patio.
Whatever the difference, there are slight characteristics that make your dreams unique.
Goals are steppingstones towards where your ultimate destination. Life is a journey. You only get one, so let’s make the best of it.
Setting goals and executing them is a characteristic of living intentionally. You are actively making decisions that lead towards where you want to go.
To keep from having an idle life and an idled mindset, get intentional about your life and set goals along the way.
Continuation In Learning and Growing
The world continues to evolve. Why can’t you?
Learning and growing adds value to who you are. There is always a reason you should be learning. If you’re not learning, you’re living life.
Intentionally living is choosing to grow and get better. This is not limited to school or grandma’s lectures.
It can be bettering a skill you already have, or learning a new one, like crocheting.
There is an abundance of topics to learn and an abundant number of paths you can take to learn whatever you want.
Remember, living intentionally means learning what you like and doing it on purpose. So long as it isn’t harmful to you or anyone else.
This is your life, learn as much as you can. So that when a situation calls for it, you’ll be ready with what you know.
You are important and what you do is necessary. You just have to remain committed to the task, you never know… it might be what changes your life for the better.
If it makes you happy, do it! Just be careful not to be hurtful!
Why is Living Intentionally Important?
Achieve Goals
Without having something to aim towards, you will hit nothing… or worse everything.
Not living intentionally makes achieving your goals harder. Without aiming at your goals, you may or may not reach them.
It’s like a game of chance.
Well, you have more control over your goals and whether you achieve them, or not.
What you focus on is where you end up. If you are focusing on debt, then debt is where you will be. On the flip side, if you are focusing on your goal, you will inevitably end up there.
Maybe not tomorrow, but it’s where you’re headed.
It’s like typing an address in a GPS. The navigation system will take you to that destination. If you are typing in gibberish (nonsense), then gibberish (nonsense) is what you will get.
You become what you think about or focus on.
Let’s get intentional so that you may be able to achieve those goals you are reaching for.
Opportunity
How do you know what you are looking at, or where you are going if you are not familiar with what you want?
For example: If you are not intentional about your choices you may end up choosing an opportunity (like a job) that is not for you and will add more misery to your life.
Your life should be unique and beautiful to you! It can be easy to get distracted by others and their lives. But if you are living a life YOU desire, you are more likely to be content and happy with where you are.
*Your life was made to uniquely suit you! If it’s not suiting you, time to audit and redirect your life towards your goals, and visions. (This is not to say you won’t experience trials. It is to say that YOUR life will not be too much for you).
Opportunities are in everything you do!
Whether that is in the parking spot you found, the job that became available, the people you hang out with, or events you go to.
By knowing what you want, you are setting yourself up to be aligned with those opportunities that will add value (things that matter to YOU) to your life!
Opportunity is always there, but if you don’t know where you’re going, how would you know which path to take?
You have everything you need to get where you want to go in life, but it starts with you choosing to go there.
Let’s say you want to be a doctor, but you’re not intentional about it, so you take a job at an accountant firm. How will working in accounting get you closer to being a doctor?
Instead, you are intentional! So, when an opportunity to shadow a doctor comes up you are ready!
Opportunities are doorways that open to something new, but every opportunity is not for you! So, knowing what opportunities would best serve you, is why living intentionally is important.
Happier
Intentionality -> Accountability -> Accomplishment -> Feeling Happy
Getting intentional motivates you to get things done. Not because you must, but because you want to. You are doing things that matter to you, things that electrify you.
This brings happiness because you are intentionally doing things that make you happy.
You are no longer wasting time, which will open and allow for time to do things that will bring even more happiness into your life.
Whether that is getting done the to-dos so that you may make time for reading, bungee jumping, lunch with friends, etc.
Whatever you like to do or want to do more of, living intentionally makes that easier. Which leads to living a more satisfying life.
Once you complete your goals, you will feel more confident in yourself. Also, leading to you being happier.
Gives Directions
Clarity.
Not knowing where to go can be frustrating or worse, stressful. When you are living an intentional life, you are purposely doing things that will lead you to the life you desire.
The joy, happiness, peace, your goals, dreams, etc.
It is important to be intentional in your pursuit of life. This will give you a better understanding of who you are and what you want from your life.
When you are not intentional, it can be easy to be unsure of what you are doing, why you are doing it, or if it’s important to you.
You want to be confident in what you’re doing and who you are. But how can you do that if you are not intentional about the things you are doing?
Calm
Not knowing where you are (no sense of direction) can be stressful. Have you ever tried to move forward with something but had no clue which way you should go?
Left, or right? Right or left?
You only have 2 legs and two feet! You’re not designed to be able to go in two directions at once.
So, it can become frustrating to want to move forward but have no sense of direction. This can lead to settling where you are. By ignoring the fact that a decision is needed to be made, you can get stuck.
This can lead to frustration, anxiety, uncertainty/confusion, irritability, and more. When you choose to ignore something, it does not go away, you just refuse to see it. The danger is still there, the loneliness is still there, the pain is still there, you just don’t see it.
However, let’s take a step back…
When you choose to live intentionally, you are choosing to be intentional. This means no more maybes, if the wind blows, or indecisiveness. You are consciously making a choice and sticking with it.
Living intentionally blocks out the confusion. They are opposites. When you choose to live intentionally, you are waking up and acting with a GOAL in mind.
I know you cannot predict how the day will go, but this does not mean you shouldn’t do anything and sit still until you are forced to move. Especially, if you desire to move as well.
That’s not intentional living. So, let’s not wait for the wind to blow you where you want to go because it never will.
Living Intentional = Clarity -> Calmness.
You are anchored down when living intentionally, and don’t just blow whenever the wind blows you, you are anchored to your hopes, goals, dreams, desires, etc.
Healthier
Your actions and choices affect your well-being. How you show up in this world, what you choose to do etc., determines where you go in life.
Health is more than physical, or mental. These are a part of your well-being, but not the full picture. To live a healthy lifestyle, you must live a life that is healthy.
Living intentionally helps you to build healthy habits. You will be focused on the things that make you happy, feel whole, healthy, and more. Improving your overall well-being.
Greater Relationships
Living intentionally means being present and paying attention to what’s going on around you. Not every relationship is healthy nor be entertained.
If you want to have meaningful relationships, you will want to get intentional about who you are allowing into your bubble.
Who you surround yourself with will determine how your life will be affected. If you want to be happier, limit how much you hang around negative people.
Your life is affected by the people you surround yourself with.
Be intentional about who you allow close to you because, your goals, values, dreams, and desires will be affected. If you need to get up early to make your dreams come true, hanging out with all-nighters, may be detrimental to your progress.
Benefit: You will not be desperate for ANY and ALL attention. In order to be intentional about your relationships, you will need to know who you are. ↓
- What are your values?
- What brings you Joy?
- What are your dreams?
- Etc…
In other words, know who you are, and what matters to you. So that you may be surrounded by your ideal people.
If you’re not intentional about your life, you settle for whatever comes to you. Even if it’s not meant for you!
Less Stressful
Being intentional is having an idea and planning it out as you see fit. This will inevitably make you feel less stressed, even when things don’t go your way.
No, intentional living is not about having control over things you cannot change. Nor is it about not having obstacles.
It simply means to do it on purpose until you no longer have to consciously think about doing it.
Living intentionally is less stressful because you will realize everything won’t always go your way. And when you have setbacks, you’ll bounce back and reevaluate.
Setbacks and no’s are a part of life. But it also sets the scene for a new level in your life. So, even if you are told no or have a major setback, you won’t be as stressed as you would have been without being intentional.
You will also be more organized. Life won’t be as chaotic.
Less Regretful
When you live an intentional lifestyle, you are making decisions with a purpose in mind. It’s no longer maybe or I guess. You are intentionally making decisions that will lead you toward where you want to go.
When you just let life happen and are not intentional about it, you have more regrets. This is because you don’t have a target in mind. So, naturally, you hit everything or nothing.
Time is wasted while you’re just sitting and waiting for the wind to blow you into your dream home or land you your dream job.
You are going to have to do something, and that something is getting intentional about your life.
Being intentional is a secret weapon to those who are living their dream lives. It’s not impossible, it’s just taking intentional steps.
Once you become intentional, you will begin to see and notice things that you haven’t before.
Peaceful
Life is a choice! You don’t have to choose to settle for something in life that is not you. For example: If you don’t like to curse, don’t curse. (Get familiar with your values and start living a more intentional life).
Your happiness depends on it!
Living intentionally is choosing to live a life that is authentic to you.
In response, your life would be more peaceful because you are not chasing the crowd or the idea of someone else life. You are remaining grounded in who you are and what you are doing.
Peace is the state of not being phased or worried when things around you change. You are anchored in a place of knowing/intentionality and do not move when circumstances shift!
You have permission to live an intentional life and live a life that is fulfilling you. It is also a quality of life.
Final Remarks,
No matter what you choose to do, or who you choose to be… living intentionally is important to your overall well-being and lifestyle.
By living intentionally, you are prioritizing who you are and making time to do and be what makes you happy.
You don’t need to have all this to start. You can learn as you go. Living intentionally means grabbing ahold of life and living it according to who you WANT to be, not exactly who are.
Start now, where you are! You have everything you need to move closer to your dream life.
You just need to become intentional and lead a life you would be proud of. Don’t allow excuses and society to determine how far you go. Get intentional and set aside those excuses for why you can’t do something.
Continue to learn and grow on your journey!
I am here and my resources are available to you to help you. You can find more resources on my resource page here.
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Remember Butterfly… you can do anything you set your mind to!
