Month: July 2018

There is a big world out there full of possibility and opportunity. So many people go through life doing what is necessary day in and day out, and they miss the details, the things that really matter, the small things that can lead to big things. Being in the moment is hard, but it really does have an impact on how you feel, and how you act and react throughout the day.

Being intentional is a mindset, and it takes practice and patience. Here are some simple tips you can start today for being intentional and living with purpose:

1. Do what you love! Loving what your doing certainly makes it easier. So if you aren’t loving what your doing, then find something you love! You may have to make some sacrifices for now, you may have to do what you don’t love to sustain doing what you love for now, but do it anyway! It will pay off.
2. Make the time. Stop making excuses. If you did just one thing every day, just imagine where you CAN be at the end of a week, a month, a year. So take the next step and do something -ANYTHING-towards your goal. You’ll be glad you did!
3. Be great and work hard in everything you choose to do. It may not be the ideal situation right now, but everything you do is a part of the journey to where you are going. You never know who is watching, so be great today.
4. Be grateful! “A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.” So no matter how small, start and end each day with a moment of gratitude and blessing.
5. Pay attention to the little things that you’re good at, that make you happy and get you excited. It could be the door opening to the next great thing in your life!

Living each day by intentional action is tough, and it’s easy to get side-tracked and pulled away from what matters.  The hustle and bustle of life have a way of clouding our vision with things that are not important.  Society has a way of making things seem urgent or important, but the truth is that you already know what matters.  The question is, what are you doing to sustain it?  Being intentional means living with conviction in keeping the most important areas of your life as priorities.

Start by taking some time to answer these questions:

1. What makes you happy? What do you like to do?
2. What is important to you? What are the top 3-5 priorities in your life?
3. When do you feel most alive and excited?
4. When are you most active? What are you doing in those times?
5. If you had a free 24 hours, how would you spend that time?
6. What do you for yourself daily, weekly, monthly?
7. What do you do to recharge the relationships that are most important to you?

Does your current routine align with the things that matter?  For example, if you love to write but you are working two jobs to make ends meet and not making the time every day to at least keep a journal, then your passion is not aligned with your life.  Are there areas that you can remove or reduce to make time for the things that matter?

In most cases, the passions don’t appear in front of you and magically open doors of opportunities.  People who are living out their passions and their purpose took intentional action towards those goals every day.  They had to sacrifice in other areas to make dreams a reality.  They had to walk through difficult times and find the reason to stay focused even when it would be easy to give up.

It’s not always easy to do what is necessary, but it is worth it.  Giving up 30 minute of sleep to spend time writing every day will be worth it when you publish your first book.  Sacrificing that last TV show of the night for sleep so you can start your day with your work out will be worth it when you realize you’ve lost 20 pounds. Working part-time to make ends meet while you build a resume and a following doing what you love will be worth it when you open the doors to your own business.

The truth is that if it matters enough, you WILL find a way.   Everyone can find an excuse; the easy way is always enticing, but it is not as rewarding.  It takes courage to find just one reason with conviction that will lead to intentional action every day.

Be courageous.  Be intentional.  Be you.