Living With Intention

I wish to live with intention. Oftentimes, however, life gets in the way, pulling me along with thoughtless, habitual patterns. Everyone else is doing it, why shouldn’t I?

Because everyone else isn’t happy and I want to be. In order to do that, we have to live with intention. 

Living with intention means making conscious choices that align with our values and goals. We steer our lives in a direction that is meaningful and fulfilling, rather than simply drifting along on autopilot. It is a deliberate way of life that requires self-reflection so we can recognize what truly matters to us and then make intentional decisions that reflect those priorities.

What Is Most Important To Me?

To make deliberate choices, we have to ask, “What is most important to me?”

For me, the most important thing is compassion. Kindness matters. We have no idea what consequences even our smallest actions have on those around us. A small act of compassion can not only change someone’s day, but can change their life.

When I was a teenager, I was at a friend’s house crying over some mean girl antics of a group of people at school. I was very upset over what happened, and even though it happened a few days before, it was still fresh in my heart. 

My mother had waved her hand at me dismissively and clicked her tongue. “Tsk, get over it.” The message was clear: I was being dramatic, my feelings didn’t matter, I was weak.

My friend’s mother, however, allowed me to cry at her kitchen table, without judgment.  “My daughter is so lucky to have you as her friend,” she told me. She named off my good qualities and added, “I know it hurts now and it might hurt for a while, but it will eventually get better. Those girls aren’t worth worrying about.”

This might not have been a big deal for my friend’s mother, she was just comforting an upset teenager. To me, it was huge. I felt seen. It gave me a template for how to treat people that have kept with me for over 35 years.

That act of compassion affected me more than my friend’s mother could ever know. It showed me, viscerally, how important kindness is.

It showed me I wanted to be kind.

What Do I Want My Life To Look Like?

But intentional living is having more than just the intention of how we want to live. We have to act on that intention. We have to ask ourselves, “What do I want my life to look like?” Then we have to take actionable steps to achieve it. To do this, we must be mindful, staying aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions and how they align with our intentions. This introspection leads to a clearer vision of our desired future.

I try to keep my self-talk positive and realistic, to be kind to myself. I am a cheerleader to those around me, to be kind to others. I live a sustainable lifestyle, to be kind to the Earth. My novels and short stories revolve around found family, overcoming obstacles through sustainability, and the inherent kindness of the human race.

Embracing intentional living can transform our lives in profound ways. It encourages us to live authentically, make c choices that resonate with our true selves, rather than conforming to society’s expectations or mindlessly following habitual patterns. It’s about creating a life that reflects who we are and what we believe in, one decision at a time.