Quick question, how many people practice intentional living already and know what I am talking about? I bet not many of you because if anything, we all struggle with intentional living every day. I won’t say I am not a woman trying to live her best life – working on a fixer-upper, going to school, building a career, and also being an exceptional wife. My time is mostly spent on the daily grind! But unfortunately, I’ve had many life experiences that have begged me to actively re-evaluate my life. I asked questions like “Do I really need to own a house? Did I like being married? What did I want to do with my life? Do I really like my lifestyle as it is or are there changes I could make daily?”

Before all this happened, it was easy to just go through the motions, let life decisions be made based on what everyone else was doing and what was socially acceptable so that I can just skate by. I dreamed, pleaded that I could be anywhere else but never did anything or went anywhere else. That, my friends, is a scary thought.

So, how do you do it? Well, let’s take a quick look at 3 tell-tale signs of living an unintentional life.

3 SIGNS THAT YOU MAY BE LIVING AN UNINTENTIONAL LIFE

Sign #1: Are you doing the best you can just to get through the day because you are so overwhelmed by everything that is required of you that you cannot see a way out?

Sign #2: Do you feel too busy to focus on anything besides the most pressing task set in front of you at any given moment as it feels as though there are never enough hours in the day to break free from the cycle of living in survival mode?

Sign #3: Is downtime hard to come by, so you fill it with distractions that add no real value to your life because you’re not sure what matters most to you, so you drift through life with no purpose or direction?

1 – IDENTIFY YOUR PRIORITIES

Intentional living is asking yourself why you do what you do and being happy or content with the answers to the “hard questions”. It is about living your “why”.

Life is made up of choices. Every morning that we wake up, we get the chance to reset from yesterday’s events. We don’t have to dwell on them because they don’t matter because they are in the past. We get the opportunity to pick our attitudes and decisions. We don’t have to let any negativity determine our pattern of life for the future.

We need to ask ourselves, “What does the life of your dreams look like?” What are the areas of your life that will stand the test of time? When you reflect on your life, what will stick out in your mind as the most important times?

Reflect & list those top five (or ten) areas of your life that you would most love to devote your time to, above all else. These are your priorities. What lights a fire in your soul and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning? What are the things that will cause the most regret at the end of your life if you do not take the time to focus on them now?

2 – SIMPLIFY YOUR SCHEDULE

It is not about having everything figured out but it does mean being intentional about the direction and purpose behind your actions.

Evaluate the culture that you’re living in. The world is very consumeristic. Life is not lived in a vacuum. It will knock you over if you’re not mindful of what’s going on around you!

It all stems from core values. Doing what matters most with the people that you love the most surrounded by the things that we love and that reflects who we are.

Take a good, hard look at what is taking up your time. If someone from the outside looking in had to list your priorities based on how you spend your time, would they come to the conclusion that you did? If not, you need to evaluate your schedule and look for ways to simplify it. What are your biggest distractions? Are there things that are keeping you from spending time on the things that bring you joy?

Do less of things and more of the things you do love.

3 – LEARN TO SAY NO

Sometimes you have to say no to good things in order to say yes to even better things. How you spend your time will vary from season to season. Some things are easy to say no to, such as time-wasters and simple distractions, but other things may require a little forethought. If you have stuffed your schedule full of commitments that take time away from intentional living, list those things out, and decide which ones you can cut.

Do not feel obligated to continue doing something to make someone else happy. There are seasons of life in which you must be ruthless with your time.

Accept Responsibility.

Decide how you are going to live life and stop comparing yourself to others. I have struggled with this for well, ever. It’s no fun and there is no sense in wasting your time. Believe that you were born to live your best life and determine today to be good at it.

4 – ESTABLISH ROUTINES

I am a big believer in being productive and hustling, but when life feels out of balance, most often it is because our routines have given way to a hectic schedule and chaotic lifestyle. Good routines eliminate that sense of overwhelm that comes over you when you are living life as it happens to you rather than choosing to chase after the good life.

Make Small, Repeated Decisions.

Intentional Living is about making the decision every day to live the life you want most. I’ve heard that it takes 21 days to make a habit. So, ask yourself every day, “what can I do today that will point me in the direction of my dreams?” Because of this, there are no right or wrong answers to these questions. It is all based on you

To set up a basic routine, decide what time you will wake up and what time you will go to bed, then choose 3-5 things you want to make time for each morning and each evening.

5 – DECIDE TO TAKE ACTION

We have to stop making excuses for not doing the things we want to do or even have to do! Your time does not control you. You control your time. If you keep telling yourself you are too busy to focus on the things that matter, you will look back one day and realized you missed your opportunity to live the life you desire.

In Conclusion…

Intentional Living is a lifestyle and therefore…

There is no finish line. Living with intention means being in constant communication with yourself, deciding what’s working and not working for you, and making small adjustments every day. It’s hard work but it’s the best kind of work because it is about creating a life you truly love.

Love,