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Are you living your life with intention?

 There’s a lot of talk about intentional living. But what does that really mean? Intentional living is living with purpose and making decisions that support that purpose.

 

It’s the opposite of what most people do. Most people are satisfied with the status quo and only take action to deal with their disasters as they happen along the way.

 

Intentional living is about choosing the type of person you want to be and the type of life you want to live and then holding yourself to it.

 

Steps to living an intentional life and stop relying on luck:

 

  1. Understand that choices matter. An intentional life is all about making choices that make sense for you and your beliefs. Your choices determine the direction of your life and are the first step to creating the results you experience.

●      Your greatest power is the power of decision.

●      Your past doesn’t have to be an issue. You can change how you view the world and live in a new way.

  1. Describe your dream life. Have a target in mind. Think about how you’d like to live. Like the saying goes, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Be choosy, be bold and leave your limitations behind for a moment.

●      Think about your ideal day. How would you spend your time? Who else would be there? Where would you live? What would your finances be like? Give it some thought.

●      Having a target gives you something to aim for. If you don’t have that, how will you know if you’re living your best life? How will you know if you are succeeding or need to make some adjustments?

  1. Know your values. A big part of intentional living is living according to your values. It’s not about reacting to everything in the most expedient fashion. It’s about living on your own terms. It’s necessary to be intimately familiar with your values to accomplish that. What is important to you?

  2. Set goals for the major areas of your life. These typically include your finances, career, relationships, and health. Of course, you can add as many categories as you need, depending on your aspirations and values.

·       Take each goal and break it down to bite-size, more manageable goals that are measurable (more on that in my motivation course)

  1. Choose habits that support those goals. Intentional living is much easier with supportive habits in place. You’ll run out of willpower otherwise. Pick a couple of simple but effective habits that will help you attain each of your goals and begin implementing them.

·       For example, suppose you want to have a better career. In that case, you might want to create personal development habits, networking in your field, or updating and improving on your resume and interview skills. You might want to see what the future career of your choice looks like and sharpen your skills for the future of that field.

  1. Choose how you spend your time. Most of us don’t give much thought to what we do each day. Keeping your dreams and values in mind, what is the best thing for you to do at this moment? What do you need to accomplish today? Make choices and avoid operating on autopilot.

·       Keep a journal of daily, weekly, and monthly goals

·       Tell friend’s, loved ones about these goals to help keep you accountable – I sometimes will commit on live video!!

  1. Gain control over your impulses. Most of our impulses lead us in the wrong direction. They’re often habitual and related to pleasure or avoiding discomfort. Intentional living is about making rational decisions and following through regardless of comfort.

 

●      Following your impulses is the opposite of intentional living.



  1. Reject distractions. This includes all distractions, including thoughts of the past or future. Intention requires presence. Distractions are, by definition, things you shouldn’t be doing at that moment. Even paying your bills can be a distraction if you should be doing something more important at that time.

  2. Measure yourself. How well did you do today at living intentionally? What challenges did you face? Where did you fall short? What can you do tomorrow even better than you did today?

●      Learn something from each day that you can apply to the future.

 

Are you choosing and creating your life or just living by default? Having a life you love will never happen by accident. Be bold enough to choose the life you want to lead. Decide the type of person you want to be. Make your decisions and choose your actions accordingly.

Live intentionally. It’s the best way to respect yourself and your life.

 

If you want to learn more about living an intentional life go to www.recoveryenthusiast.com


Like my posts? Please follow me on Facebook or Instagram under Recovery Enthusiast. I also have a podcast on Anchor and Spotify under Motivations 4U. I'm also on YouTube; you can follow my journey. And to learn more about my guides to recovery, go to recoveryenthusiast.com

 

As always, stay blessed and live your life Enthusiastically!!

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