 Living intentionally is what my blog posts are about this month - although it's my overall message to you when I post here and on social media. This concept is incredibly important when it comes to living your best life. Being intentional means taking charge of the decisions you make each and every day. It’s easy to get caught up in the ebb and flow of today’s hectic world. We often find ourselves falling into habits and getting stuck in a rut. To live with intention is the exact opposite of that. It means taking your life into your own hands and making deliberate choices. Take a look at the tips below to help you get started.
Know Your Purpose In order to live with intention, you have to know your purpose. What this means is that you should embrace a philosophy for living. Decide what’s most important to you and embrace your values. For example, do you place a great emphasis on relationships? Then be sure to include making and growing personal connections in your daily activities. When you take time to decide what’s most important to you, you’re more apt to live with those values in mind. Set Goals Once you’ve decided on your purpose in life, you can set some goals for living according to this philosophy. Having goals in mind gives you a road map for moving forward. You’ll have a plan, rather than just getting caught up in life’s flow. Embrace Opportunities It’s important to know that each new day gives you an opportunity to make changes. You may not be happy with where you are right now, but you have the chance to take baby steps and make small changes toward reaching your goals. Living your best life requires noticing the opportunities that are there for you and taking risks to get what you want. Express Gratitude Gratitude is a power move when it comes to living your best life. Acknowledging the good things you have right now lets you build upon that foundation. Being thankful for what you have puts you in a mindset to pursue more good things. You’ll soon discover you’re no longer coming from a place of lack. Instead, you’ll feel more content and optimistic about the possibilities that life can bring. Live Authentically Finally, it’s important that you live according to your priorities and that you’re being true to yourself. Living your best life and being intentional means that you know who you are. You’re not living life according to anyone else’s terms. Keeping your purpose and values in mind will help to be sure the actions you take are in sync with the person you want to be. Living with intention takes a great deal of introspection and self-knowledge. Take time to consider your priorities, goals, and values in order to be sure you’re living life on your terms.
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 Living your best life is a wonderful goal to shoot for, but many of us confuse that with living the perfect life. We get hung up on all the details, trying to make sure everything is just right. We tell ourselves it has to be the right time or the best circumstances before we’re ready to try something new or make a change. We let perfectionism hold us back. If you feel you fall into this trap, keep reading and learn how you can live your best life without waiting for it to be perfect.
Consider What’s at Stake First, when you get caught up in feeling like things have to be just right, take a minute to consider the stakes. What will you miss out on if you wait until things are perfect? What opportunity are you giving up? Often, this simple reflection will be enough to push you toward going after your goal, rather than waiting for a better time. It’s Not All or Nothing The all or nothing trap is one that is common. This is the belief that you have to have everything in place or know everything there is to know before taking on a task. This line of thinking is false. It’s simply a way of getting caught up in the cycle of perfectionism and remaining in place. Take baby steps and give it a try even if you don’t have everything in place. Sometimes things come together on their own. Change Your Self-Talk If perfectionism is holding you back from living your best life, chances are good that you’re probably sending yourself some negative messages. Listen to what your inner critic is saying to you the next time you decide that you shouldn’t do something and then see if you can’t turn that message around. If you hear yourself saying that you’ll never get the job promotion because you’re not qualified, try giving yourself some realistic reasons why you might just have what it takes and what you have to offer. Refuting negative self-talk can go a long way to stopping perfectionism in its tracks. Learn to Accept Good Enough Finally, try just accepting good enough and see what happens. The next time you want to do something different or step out of your comfort zone, but you don’t think you’re ready, just go for it. Pay attention to how you feel and what it’s like to push past those feelings. Note the end result. Maybe things won’t turn out perfectly, but you may discover they end up being worthwhile anyway. Keep these steps in mind the next time your inner perfectionist tries to sabotage you and keep you from living your best life. You may be surprised at the results.  Do you ever just feel like you’re putting your life on hold? Maybe you’re waiting for the perfect time to do what it is you’ve always wanted to do. You might think you need to get yourself to a better career position before you can have fun. Perhaps you don’t think you deserve to take time for yourself when there are so many things that your family needs. Regardless of your reasons, putting your life on hold and waiting for someday to do the things you aspire to is rarely a good idea. Here's a fact, we are never guaranteed a tomorrow. Holding out for the “right time” usually just ends up costing happiness and fulfillment. Instead, decide what it is you want out of your life and take action steps to get it right now. Not tomorrow. Not someday. Take a look at the following suggestions to get started living your best life now: Take Time to Dream Many of us say we’ll wait until a better time to go after what we want, but we may not even know what it is that we’d like to see in our lives. Therefore, your first step is to take some time to dream. Think about the things you want. Make lists. Let yourself dream big. Write down your short-term and long-term goals. Clarify Your Vision Once you have some ideas, start to narrow things down. Get clear about the goals you want to meet first and seem to be the most accessible or easiest to reach; at least the easiest to begin working on now. Write them down and commit to working toward them. Create a Map Now you’re ready to create a framework or draw a map for how you’ll reach your destination. Decide how you’re going to obtain the things you want. Write down the steps you plan to take. Come up with a reasonable time frame in which to arrive at each step. Decide on milestones to mark your progress. Doing this will help keep you on track. Take Action It’s time to start bringing your plan to life. Decide on which actions you need to take right now to begin making progress toward the goals you’ve set. Grab your calendar and write down guideposts for these steps so that you know what you should be working on at each stage of the journey. Have Fun Finally, be sure you’re striving to enjoy these steps along the way. This isn’t another to-do list that has to be a chore. This is your life plan, and it’s meant to be a joy. Double check your action plan to make sure there are fun activities included, and always take time to celebrate those milestones. No matter how small you may think it is, it is very important that you celebrate your victories. Keeping these steps in mind as a model for moving forward will help to ensure you’re no longer putting your life on hold. You now have a plan. As you start to work it, you’ll notice your outlook improving and your satisfaction levels rising. |
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