Intentional living is a term to describe a way of being intentional about how we live the life we have been given. It’s about making conscious choices that will create positive impact in our world.
It is about living for something greater than ourselves and choosing to do the things that are important to us, instead of just drifting through doing what other people expect of us. The goal is not perfection or having it all, but being true to who we are and what really matters to us.
Intentional living means being intentional about how we spend our time, energy and money. It’s about taking responsibility for the choices we make in life, knowing that they always reflect back onto ourselves and this world. When we live in alignment with our values and vision of who we want to be, everything falls into place.
We can learn to be more intentional through wellness, self-care and mindfulness. Let’s look at each of these separately.
Wellness is making the most out of our physical selves, by taking care of our bodies through healthy eating and working out. This could be as simple as going for a daily walk or climbing the stairs instead of using the lift. There are always ways to make sure we’re looking after ourselves physically, and this could mean going to the doctor, getting a checkup or seeing a physiotherapist.
Self-care is what we use to take care of our mental state of being. This means that if we’re feeling stressed about something, we take steps to manage it or remove ourselves from the situation until we feel better. It can mean taking a break and listening to music, calling a friend or going for a walk.
Mindfulness is something we can practice every day. It’s about focusing on the present and making sure we take time out of stressful situations so that we don’t miss anything. This could be anything from stopping what you’re doing for one minute, closing your eyes and focusing on the sounds around you, or it could be bigger like taking a day to yourself to go on vacation or work at relaxing yourself.
No matter what stage of minimalism or simple living we’re at, it’s important that we look after ourselves because if we’re not happy with what we’re doing then it won’t last long term. And it’s way more fun to live life this way!
