Are you drifting through life? Days, weeks and months disappear and you feel like you have nothing to show for it? Live intentionally and with purpose. YOU matter. And, you have the power to make your life as miserable or as wonderful as you want it to be. Countless seniors who have lived long enough to learn from their mistakes say – take control of who, what and why you do what you do. Take the if out of life. Live intentionally.
Living intentionally is about knowing WHY you do what you do, and why you don’t do what you don’t do. To figure this out, you have to be willing to take a step back and re-evaluate how you are living your life. Be able to see the things that you are doing, or the things that you see others doing, appreciate them, and then choose the ones that are the best fit for you. Your goal is to live more from intention, and less from habit. Intentional living is to set a course for your life rather than wandering aimlessly through life. There are no do-overs. There is no re-wind. You get one shot – so put some effort into it!
How to get started:
1. Introspection? Know who you are. Defining your values and making choices that reflect those values. Know your priorities, responsibilities, and limits. Knowing your innate strengths and weaknesses, tendencies and preferences, both good and bad, can only deepen your understanding of your thoughts, feelings and reactions. With a strong sense of self as your foundation, you can move forward with intention.
2. Life is about choices. Unlimited choices. Widen your prospects of what those choices might be. Choices aren’t one and done. You make choices and continue to evaluate them along the way of life. The influence we have over the quality of our life lies in your hands.
3. Purpose matters! Purpose is about how we are able to contribute and be generous to others, how we feel needed by and of value to others. You may not be created for a singular, highly-focused purpose. But, you may be here to fulfill several smaller ones. The purpose of life is a life of purpose.
4. Examine your environment. Who, what, where, when, and how. Evaluate what you are doing on a regular basis. Is that activity or habit adding to the value of your day or your well-being? After all, how we spend our days is how we spend our lives. Who are you spending time with? Surround yourself with people whom you admire and have similar goals, purpose and values. What is your physical environment like? Positive, organized, inspiring – or cluttered, overwhelming and anxiety inducing? Only you know what works for you – just make sure it does.
5. Set goals. Design your perfect day, month, year. What does that include? What does it look like? Start small. Small daily actions create substantial change over time. Small but consistent actions make the most impact in transforming you from drifting to staying on course.
Live intentionally. Live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling to you. Say no to the things that aren’t important so that we can say yes to what matters most. There’s no IF about it. You only get one life. Make the most of it!
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