Are You Living With Intention?
Inspire yourself to start living the life you really want
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Mary Oliver
Every morning, I start my day by writing the following in my journal:
My most important intention for today is to _____________________.
We can create an intention for an entire day, week, month, year, or maybe just for the next hour or before an activity. For example, I often set an intention before starting a yoga practice or new project.
One of the reasons we often feel uninspired, bored, or unmotivated is that we go about our day without really thinking about what we want to be doing. We’re not living intentionally.
To live with intention means to go about your day knowing exactly what it is you want to do or accomplish. It creates feelings of empowerment and fulfillment, it eases stress and reduces or eliminates confusion.
It’s not always about lots of action though. Sometimes there’s no doing and my intention for the day is simply being, and that’s perfect. It’s okay to rest, watch T.V., or play video games, as long as you are doing it intentionally, and not just filling time.
When we start living with intention, then we begin to create the life we really want.
One of the ways you can tell that you’re not living with intention is that you say “I don’t know”, “I’m confused” a lot. You start scrolling social media because you don’t know what else to do.
Or when someone asks you if you want to do something, you might say “maybe”.
I was listening to life coach, Brooke Castillo, talk one day recently and she said something that really hit home for me. When a woman replied, “maybe” to a question, Brooke responded with something like, “ah yes, the land of the miserable maybes”. She clearly didn’t think “maybe” was a good answer.
The “land of the miserable maybes” doesn’t create a purpose or intention-filled vision for your life, does it?
It’s time to become more decisive and more intentional with our lives.
Reflective Journal Prompts for Creating an Intentional Life
What are your long term goals and dreams? (Think about 3 months, 6 months, and one year).
How do you want to feel each morning when you awaken? Make the decision ahead of time. What do you need to think about the day ahead in order to create that feeling? Whatever you do will depend on what you’re thinking and feeling.
Write down what you do each day for a week. How do you tend to spend your time? Is there anything you’d like to change? How do you intend to spend your time this week? (Tip: Your time is valuable. Notice if you think thoughts like you are “wasting” time or “filling” time.)
The people we spend time with are important. Who do you want to spend your time with? How can you be more intentional and strengthen relationships with people who support your journey?
Developing healthy daily habits are key in improving both physical wellbeing and a positive mindset. What are your daily habits? How can you create positive daily habits with intention?
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I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
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What is stopping you from living your best life? Get out your journal and a pen and take the new quiz on my website to find out:
Are you interested in learning more about life change & mindset coaching from a mind/body perspective? Please email me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com for more information or to schedule a free introductory consultation to see if coaching is right for you. You can also visit my website coaching page.
"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
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