Creating a Happier Life with Intention - 6 Key Life Areas to Review
If you are ready to start living a better life today, then you need to become intentional with your daily decisions. Each decision you make around how you spend your time and how you choose to show up for yourself and others starts to create a journey around intentional living and a more satisfying life.
You love your morning coffee. Before you go to bed at night you are already thinking about drinking it the next morning. BEEP BEEP BEEP – the alarm goes off, you hit snooze and that coffee you have been thinking about since the night before gets poured and slurped down while you race around to get ready for the day.
How could something that you couldn’t wait to consume become just another thing you do without much thought or intention?
That’s the question that I asked myself the other day when I realized that what was once a sacred and special moment with my morning coffee had turned into just another thing I did in the morning.
You might be thinking it’s only coffee, true, but what do you think is happening with the rest of my life or your life when things are done out of habit and without much thought.
When you are intentional with your time and your energy you make decisions and act based on what’s important to you. Living with intention means you purposely create the life you want. You are conscious about the things you do and the reasons you do them.
It’s time to dig deeper and review 6 Key Action Areas of your life.
What Matters to You
The question is easily answered with the obvious such as family, friends, and pets. But what if you dig deeper and review your personal values. Your personal values are your guideposts for the actions you take and decisions you make. When you align your actions with your values life feels easier. You work with your natural flow instead of against your own internal beliefs.
Take Time to Slow Down
I can already hear you saying, but I am so busy. Of course you are, if you aren’t currently living an intentional life. You are in survival mode doing all the things you think you should do and never pausing to think if your actions are serving you or even serving your family. Allow yourself time to reflect on what brings you joy and how to add those things into your life.
Must vs. Should vs. Want
How many of the things that keep you busy are absolutes? Things that you must do to keep your life moving forward such as working, eating, bathing. On top of that you have the things you think you should be doing because of the influence of media, family, or friends. Between the must do and should do you have found yourself with little time for your personal wants. You never have time to see friends, you don’t have time to exercise, you never get to relax. This is a good place to review your habits and actions and ask if they are serving you. If not, release them and free up space and time for the things you want to be doing.
Be Kind
When you are intentionally kind to yourself and others it brings awareness to your actions. How often have you snapped at someone not because they did anything, but purely because you felt overwhelmed? When you make a conscious effort to change your behavior and live from a space of kindness you will naturally find yourself slowing down. The slowing down allows for engagement with those around you by becoming intentional with your demeanor. Download Breakfree from Negative Thinking for tips on being kinder to yourself and stop the spiraling thoughts.
Busy is Overrated
If you have been wearing your busyness like a badge of honor it’s time to take it off. Start looking at why being busy has meaning to you. What does being in a constant state of busy allow for you to avoid? If there is something in your life that is difficult to process, or you wish would go away then become intentional around what it represents. Hiding behind busy doesn’t solve or make the things that hurt go away.
Self -Reflect
Have you given much thought to the life you are creating with your current activities? If you want to live your best life start with intentional thinking and actions. Focus on one day at a time, one moment at a time, one task at a time. Don’t judge your progress or what may feel like lack of progress. Remind yourself that small consistent changes create big results. Try working with these positive affirmations and journal prompts that will provide you with positive reminders throughout your week.
Everyday you are creating your life, your experiences, and your journey forward. Living with intention allows you to create your best life by becoming aware of your choices and the reasons you make those choices. Be gentle with yourself as you walk on this new path. Know that by starting this journey you have already begun to live an intentional life.
