Why living intentionally will change your life
For me, life is worth living. I've always thought that way. For as long as I can remember, I have always felt an urgency to live. This is probably why I never asked myself questions before jumping on an opportunity or starting a new personal/professional project.
Since then, I just thought I was an ambitious person who didn't look too much at the consequences before embarking on something new. Until I discovered the notion of "intentional life".
I really connected.
That's all I thought without realizing it.
This way of life really suits me and since then, I adhere to it as much as possible.
Living with intention, what does it eat in winter?
Basically, living with intention is living fully in the present moment and listening to yourself. In my research on " intentional living " as we say in English. I came across a blog post from Simply Fiercely and one passage from that article really hooked me:
« Intentional living is deciding to go for a run in the morning or to bring a packed lunch. It’s saying ‘no’ to disposable coffee cups and instead, bringing a reusable from home. It’s getting on the floor and spending ten minutes with your children, without distractions ».
I think she really speaks to the essence of intentional living there. There is no precise definition. A full life can look like anything, as long as you feel like it's a life that suits you.
In fact, the goal is to base oneself on one's personal values and to take an in-depth look at our life. It's about asking the important questions, for example: am I happy in my job? Am I satisfied with the time spent with my family? Etc.
It's not always easy to determine what we really want and to stop and live simply! Become aware of our present and be grateful for it. And if, you become aware of your present moment and do not appreciate it, what are the changes to be made?
It's also about understanding that life isn't perfect just because you decide to live it with intention. Obviously, there will be more difficult times for you (as for everyone else). But you have to be indulgent and realize that some events are beyond your control. Example: When I started a tourism business 9 months before a global pandemic… Let's say I felt like the universe was trying to send me a message. So after 2 and a half years of hard work on this company, I left without regret!
Finally, you have to understand that making mistakes is part of life. As mentioned above, a perfect life is not a life lived intentionally (in my opinion). Think about it, do we really live if we don't take risks? You know, it's okay to take a riskier decision and break your face. That's life ! As long as you are happy with your choices. Always trying to be too perfect, to fit into the mould, not to make waves... it's boring. In short, don't do something because society tells you to. Do something because you want it!
Live intentionally, my way
So, what does it mean for me to live with intention.
Well, I want to do things that look like me and live a life that I love. My goal is to look back and be satisfied with my life. I love life, I am a great epicurean, so I want to live it 100% and enjoy the present moment.
My worst nightmare is to be "satisfied". To settle for things, relationships or situations that bring me no happiness or fulfillment. In short, having a life that passes before my eyes and that is not aligned with my goals and my values. This is what too many people decide to live these days…
We (almost) always have the power to change what is in front of us. I've always known that. When I discovered the intentional way of life I realized that I was already living this way, to a certain extent. Indeed, I never really thought about my actions… On the other hand, I always knew what I wanted. This is why I have rarely backed down from anything in my life. If I want to do something, I do it. Why not ? I rarely think about the obstacles or the reasons why this new project might fail. It's a style mentality: nothing is impossible if you have a direction and a vision.
Being this way may make it easier for me to adhere to the intentional lifestyle. The hardest part is letting go of our limiting beliefs (example: I can't do this because...), defining our values, and aligning our actions with them.
For my part, my freedom, taking care of myself, discovering, exploring, taking care of my relationships and enjoying the good things in life are part of my core values (not to mention all of them).
Sometimes it's easier to figure out what you want by first detailing what you don't want. Personally, I don't want:
- Eat bad food, drink bad wine
- don't have time (my time and how I use it is the most valuable thing in my life)
- A job that does not offer me freedom of schedule
- A job that does not interest me
- Not discovering new things
- Being in a relationship with someone I don't like
- Don't have time for me
- Having toxic friendships
- To be in poor health
- Living check by check (being tight financially)
So I use those basics to figure out what I want and what I can do to live more aligned with those things. There is no big complicated master plan.
For the future
I don't have a detailed life plan. But I know what I want to do and accomplish and pretty much the timeline of it all. All this to be able to live the life I want by living the present moment. So I plan for the future, but I am very fulfilled by my present! It can only get better! ;)
I hope I can inspire you to live a life that is perhaps a little bit more intentional through the platforms of Bleu Latte.