Choosing to live on purpose isn’t just a style. Being deliberate about what you do, say, and how you live can help you stop going through the motions and work towards your goals. Balancing work and personal life can be hard because of all the things we have to do every day. Making choices about how you live can help you take time for yourself and stay away from things that stress you out. Think about how what you do will affect your health and the health of those around you.
It got higher between 2016 and 2020, but now, more than half of workers say they are moderately stressed. One way to lessen that stress is to be purposeful. When you do things and make choices with purpose, you can be more present and build a life you’re proud of, no matter what stage of life you’re in. In order to improve yourself, you should be more deliberate. Here’s what you need to know about the power of intentional living.
What is intentional living?
A lifestyle known as “intentional living” pushes us to identify our goals, be clear about what we want out of life, and live each day in accordance with these objectives. Living intentionally, to put it simply, is deciding what you want out of life and going after it!
Intentional living is becoming more and more common, which is certainly not surprising in today’s hectic society, where many of us are overworked and juggling “all the things.”Living with intention is a rather subjective concept, as your interpretation and implementation of it will differ based on your personal beliefs and environment. To put it simply, intention is the process of being aware or in the moment with yourself when you make decisions or go through experiences, with the ultimate objective being to be loyal to your principles and the things that are important to you.
Here are two instances of what various people may mean by intention:
Intentionality, according to therapist and coach Sarah Normandin, MSW, is about living “authentic to my own experiences, aspirations, and goals.” It means living a life that is in line with my values rather than living up to the expectations of others. Living deliberately involves letting go of all our brains tell us to do to validate our worth and then acting as though we already know it.
According to Kristina Gonzalez Sander, founder of In Bold Company, living purposefully “feels like a sense of peace and ease.” It appears to involve setting boundaries and making deliberate judgments—living for me, not for other people. Over the last few years, I’ve changed my ways about what I put in my body, how much money I spend, and how I spend my time. I have a greater understanding of who I am and what I desire.
Whatever your meaning, intention affects every aspect of your life, including how you handle your finances, the occupations you pursue, the people you spend time with, your travel destinations, and much more.
Why is living intentionally important for us?
Making choices on purpose can help you get in shape mentally and surround yourself with things that are important to you. When you live on intention, you can also:
Reduce your stress:
Making choices based on your values can help you feel better. Focusing on your goals will help you reach them, which generally means staying away from things that make you feel stressed.
Strengthen your resilience:
One study found that college students who practiced making conscious decisions were more resilient.
Improve focus:
To improve your attention, get rid of things that are distracting you, like people who have negative traits. Being intentional means doing things that matter to you. For now, think about the people and things that are most important to you.
Become more Persistent:
Instead of thinking about what might happen, make decisions based on what is happening in your life right now and how you want to improve it.
Encourage Optimism:
To be intentionally positive, you should also think about the good things you already have. Being thankful can help you see the good in things and give you hope for the future.
You should also check out our blog on “How Spirituality Amplifies Your Optimism“.
Set beneficial limits:
Being aware of your choices helps you say no to people and things that drain your energy. When you take care of your energy, you choose things that make you happy and calm.
Is living intentionally relaxing and comfortable?
The power of mindful living can sometimes be happier, peaceful, or easy. It can be difficult and even awkward at times, especially at the start.
New York art therapist Jackie Tassiello says that it “can be hard to navigate” when you understand that the traditions and values you learned from your family, culture, or society no longer make sense to you.
As you get closer to what really means to you, Tassiello says, you might also move away from things and people that numb or distract you and toward new, healthier patterns. At first, that might feel strange and unnatural.
Keep in mind, though, that many good things can be hard at times. Focus on keeping going and telling yourself that you are creating a life that is in line with your highest values.
Key Strategies for Living Intentionally
Pay attention to one item at a time:
Focusing on a single objective, strategy, or task at a time is known as intentional progress. For this reason, I always close my lectures, videos, and posts with a crucial query.
You’re more likely to take action when you concentrate on one issue at a time. Splitting your attention makes it more likely that you won’t get anything done. On the other hand, your chances of finishing a work increase significantly when there is just one in front of you.
Get rid of the Distraction:
You must invest effort in detecting and removing proverbial noise in order to concentrate more effectively on one task at a time.
Sidebars, bright objects, and other distractions shouldn’t be allowed to keep you from completing your tasks. It’s time to simplify, gather, and focus on the primary objective. Take away any distractions so that you can return to concentrating on that one item.
Start with the second most important task on your list:
When we attempt to advance intentionally, the highest priority can be too much to handle. When this occurs, we decide to focus on the task that is second in importance.
The most significant objective is frequently complex, and achieving it with a single activity is impossible. It’s usually easier to finish if you go to the second priority. After that, you may find yourself completing a few more activities that help you achieve the main objective. Go down to the second most important item if you need help deciding what to do next.
Report and allocate responsibilities during meetings.
Meetings are crucial if you use them to assign tasks and report on progress. However, they are not intended to investigate topics that require attention.
Inquire during meetings, “What did we do? What action is required next?
One of the conclusions can be that more investigation calls for a meeting. Your life will be easier if you keep exploration meetings apart from task and reporting meetings. You’ll be more productive and spend less time circling about the subject.
Give up trying to be perfect.
The secret to making deliberate progress is undoubtedly knowing what is “good enough.” Goodness is opposed to perfection. Although it’s been said before, a lot of us allow the notion of perfection to prevent us from producing quality work. Perfection should not stand in the way of achievement.
Benefits of Living Intentionally
Present Moment Awareness:
When you adopt an intentional lifestyle, you learn to live in the present moment. Living with intention is being conscious of the things that make you happy, inspire you, and feed your passion. By doing this, you become hyperaware of what is making you happy right now, which naturally makes you more present in ordinary moments.
Enhanced your relationships:
All of my relationships got better after I began to live consciously. We tend to assign blame quickly, respond defensively, and add unnecessary drama to our relationships without even realizing it. Your relationships will improve when you begin to live consciously, accept responsibility for the things within your control, and let go of the things outside of it.
Value alignment
You are in line with your principles – living purposefully starts with bringing yourself into line with your principles. Knowing your North Star and what matters to you in life makes you inherently more content, joyous, and in alignment with your surroundings. You discover serenity when you make choices that are completely consistent with your inner essence. It is astounding how many people are unaware of their life’s purpose. If this describes you, don’t feel guilty about it; we weren’t taught this, but it is a necessary skill for leading an intentional life and is easily learned.
Establishment of Healthy Boundaries:
It is much simpler to feel confident setting up appropriate boundaries when you are living a purposeful life that aligns with your values. You get better at saying no to things that don’t bring you joy and yes to ones that do. You start to identify the relationships that are consuming your energy, creating drama and poison in your life, and you gain self-assurance in establishing boundaries that are beneficial to you.
You speak with confidence:
You will become more conscious of how you speak to people and express your demands as you develop your ability to live with intention and start accepting responsibility for your actions. This will improve communication with the people we care about.
improved mental and emotional well-being
When you live consciously, you become aware of your mental and emotional well-being. You start to realize how crucial it is to take care of your emotional and mental health, as it affects every part of your life and is indispensable. You discover how to achieve the long-lasting emotional equilibrium you desire by quitting using temporary self-care fixes.
Boost your Physical Health:
Stress has been repeatedly shown to be a direct cause of up to 70% of all physical health problems. Living a more purposeful life reduces stress and helps you move from worrying and fear to living in the now. Your physical health starts to balance, as does your mental and emotional well-being, and no, a rigid diet is not necessary! Everyone should start adopting the whole, holistic lifestyle known as “Intentional Living.”
Practical Steps to Begin Living More Intentionally
Set up a daily plan:
Set up intentional, regular routines for the morning and evening to end and begin your day. You will get closer to your goals if you make habits that help you plan your day around them. Eating better is something you should work on so you can make a healthy breakfast before going to bed. You want to eat healthy, so making this a habit is a good way to do it. Plus, you don’t have to worry about making breakfast in the morning, so you can focus on something else, like being thankful or working out.
Make a vision board:
Making a picture of your goals helps you remember what you’re trying to achieve. Make a vision board that shows your goals, whether they are for your job, your finances, or your extracurricular activities. To help you remember what you’re working towards and why, add pictures and quotes that go with it. It’s okay to put a sticky note on your mirror to tell you.
Save time:
It’s simple to get too thin. Save your time; each day has 24 hours. Also, remember to take time for yourself. Don’t say “yes” to things that won’t help you reach your goals. You can turn down a late-night party if you’re tired and want to rest instead. Do the things that are most important to you with the time you have left: your relationships, your goals, and your responsibilities.
Get rid of unnecessary things:
You can also be intentional about the things you own. Look around your house. Do you keep things because you’ve had them for a long time? Can you sell or give away anything? Cleaning up our space by getting rid of junk can make us feel better and help us see other places we need to clean up.
Think about what you can give up:
In the event that you realise you are not where you want to be, you might need to think about what you can give up or change. For me, that meant cutting costs so I could have more free time and not feel like I had to work all the time. For another reason, I chose a small, cheap apartment over a big house. “I don’t think those choices will be the same for everyone else. The point is to honour what feels good to me.”
Trust your Self:
You are the only one who can tell me what I want and what will make me happy. Listen to your gut if it tells you to go in a certain way. “Getting to know my intuition better was a big turning point for me,” Normandin says. “I learned that my gut was usually (and sometimes annoyingly) telling the truth, no matter what stories my mind was making up.”
Welcome the Challenges Along the Way:
Berger says to take things one day at a time. There are times when other things start to fall into place after you make an effort to change something small. And don’t be afraid of the problems that you’ll face along the way. Have faith that you’ll learn from them. “A quote says that if something doesn’t push you, it won’t change you,” Berger says. “That has been on my mind a lot, especially in the past year.”
Keep in mind that living on purpose takes time:
Remember that you won’t figure out how to live more carefully all at once. If you feel like you have too much to do, think of the good things: amazingly, you can make your life better whenever you want to. Amazingly, every day, you can start over and make new decisions, even if you’ve already made some.
It takes time to start living on purpose. To ensure you stay true to yourself, your ideals, and the life you want to live, you can take small steps now and as you go.
Take a break:
He says that living with purpose also means being kind and patient with yourself and permitting yourself to make mistakes. It would help if you talked to yourself in a way that makes you feel good, like a friend, instead of like a judge. When you feel like you can’t be kind to yourself, it can also help to listen to practices that teach you how to do it.
Get your money and time in order:
Clearing out your space and being aware of how you spend your money and time will help you make smarter choices about these things. Look at your schedule or make a plan of how you spend most of your days. You still spend time on things that don’t interest you, right? Are there parts of that that get really messy or need to be fixed? Can you get more organised and use that extra time for something else?
Also, examine your spending habits and see if they match up with what you say you believe in. If you care about charity, can you start giving programs? Do your spending habits show that you value experiences over things?
Surround yourself with people who will help you and let go of bad relationships:
Co-founder of High Vibe Collective Jennie Berger thinks it’s important to have people in your life who are there for you and support you. She says, “You’re only as strong as your weakest link.” “I finally understood that you don’t have to be friends with someone just because they’re in your life or you’ve known them for a long time.” “Let them go if they’re not good for you.” Robinson agrees and says, “I only hang out with people who really want me to win.”
