Intentional Living: Meaning & Benefits – Let’s Spice Up Your Life!

The first time I came across intentional living was during a yoga class when my teacher said ‘Behind every action that we take is an intention’.

This got me thinking and since then, intentional living has become more and more important to me and really helped me to change my life for the better!

But what exactly does intentional living mean? In this post, we will talk about what it means to live an intentional life and we will also take a look at the benefits intentional living can bring to your life. Ready to dive in?

The busier life gets the quicker time flies by, and we risk getting into a habit of letting life happen to us instead of consciously living it.

I don’t know about you, but when I look back at my life, for many years, life simply happened to me and without even knowing I was floating along with it. Don’t get me wrong, I had a good life.

In my late 20s, I moved to London, I got myself a job in the shiny advertising world, I was driven by my career, I had a buzzing social life and a big circle of international friends, I constantly travelled to see the world, etc. From the outside, life looked exciting and almost perfect.

But at some point, I felt that something was missing. I noticed that I was steadily thriving for that next thing (e.g. a new job, a promotion, a new flat, a boyfriend, etc.) that would change my life and finally make me happy. But every time I got it, it just felt like ticking off another check box on my list and it did not bring me the happiness I thought it would.

Somewhere along the way, I had lost connection to the inside, to my intuition. I started to realize that I never really asked myself what I actually wanted.

I was so focused on fitting in, playing the game, and it was always about what I should or should not do, what was expected from me rather than what I wanted and I realized I was living a passive life. Yes, I would say that I was happy, but did I really know what happy means? What does happiness feel like?

What does intentional living mean?

The word ‘intentional’, means ‘done on purpose.’ Yes, intentional living goes deep!

Intentional living means living a life in alignment with your values and beliefs. It means that you are conscious about your life goals and that you have a choice.

Each choice that you make positively impacts your present life as well as your future and overall life goals. Meaning that each choice that you make along the way brings you closer to the life that you desire to create for yourself.

Sounds amazing? It is! And yes, you can totally do this!

Know Your Values

Values are the things that are important to us in life. Whether it is consciously or unconsciously, our values influence our lives every day as they motivate and guide our decisions. Your values also define whether you are happy or unhappy with your life.

When you live life in alignment with your values, life is likely to feel great and you are happy and feel a sense of wholeness. If there is no alignment, life can feel a bit off, tense and maybe even stagnant.

A value for example could be honesty. If you believe in honesty, truth is important to you and if you are surrounded by people or live in an environment where you cannot speak the truth, there is likely to be tension and you might feel uncomfortable. Also if people around you don’t speak the truth, mistrust and disappointment can be a consequence.

Do you know what your values are?

If you are unclear about your values and beliefs, try these journaling prompts below to help you get started:

• Look back at your life and define when you were most happy in your life and why?
• Look back at your life and define when you were most sad in your life and why?
• What is important to you in life and why?
• Write down three characteristics you are proud of and why?
• Who/what inspires you and why?

We are all different and we all have different values. And your values might change over the years, but that is part of the process and self-development journey.

Being clear on your values is key to making better decisions for yourself while you are actively creating the life that you desire.

Know Your Purpose

He who has a ‘why’ to live for, can bear with almost any ‘how’.

Friedrich Nietzsche

From an early age on we learn to function, we learn to fit in and that there are certain expectations towards us. 

We are being compared to others and we start to compare ourselves to the people around us. As we don’t know any better.

We learn to seek validation from the outside and the voices in our head telling us what we should and should not do become louder, and louder, leading us further away from our essence. We get tangled in society!

Knowing your purpose gives you clarity, courage and a sense of inner freedom. The purpose is what makes life worthwhile, not just for you, also for the collective! The more you are clear about yourself and your purpose in life, the more this will start to reflect in your reality.

If are not entirely clear about your purpose, try the journaling prompts below to get you thinking.

• What job are you in and why?
• If money was not an issue, what would you do? Where would you live? Why?
• What do you think are your talents?
• What makes you happy?

Take Responsibility

Create, shape, and make it happen! Understand that you are the creator of your life and it is up to you to create the life that you want.

Of course, we cannot always influence what happens to us. Life is unpredictable, and sometimes it feels like life just keeps bringing these lemons our way.

But we can choose how we react to it. Some days this might be easier than others, but it’s a process. And like everything in life, this takes patience, practice, and commitment.

Tip: Before making a decision ask yourself how does this align with my values? Does this decision contribute to the life that I am trying to create for myself?

What are the benefits of intentional living?

Clarity

Knowing who you are as a person, knowing your values and your purpose gives you clarity and a sense of inner freedom. 

Looking back at my personal journey, over time, having this clarity also allowed me to more and more let go of my fears and worries.

My self-confidence increased and so did my trust in myself to follow my own path. No matter what others might think of it or say about it. 

The more I speak my truth, the more I feel in alignment and I end up doing more of the things that I actually enjoy doing and that matter to me.

Awareness

Awareness is the state of ‘being awake’, paying attention to what is happening with you right now at this very moment. 

Being aware allows you to observe the patterns of the mind. When you are aware of your thoughts, you start to understand that you are not your thoughts. 

This will give you further insights into who you are as a person, but it also makes you realize that you do have a choice. 

Achieve your Goals

Intention is behind every action that we take. Knowing what you want to achieve in your life, will give you the motivation to take the actions to get you where you want to be.

And with each decision you make in alignment with your goals, you will actually start to notice more opportunities coming your way which will bring you even closer to your goals. The universe is on your side! And the more you trust and open up, the more you will notice this.

Gratitude

Intentional living keeps your focus on the present moment. The more time you spend in the present moment, the more you will realize all the good things that you already have in your life instead of focusing on what you don’t have.

Keep in mind that gratitude does not only apply to material things, it can be a friend calling you to check in and see how you are doing, it can be you making time for yourself to go for a nice long walk, your a work colleague bringing you a cup of coffee, etc.

Choosing to focus on the good brings freedom and happiness into your life.

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Intentional living is a choice. It’s a lifestyle that invites us to be the person we truly are, to live in alignment with our values, and to deliberately build a life that feels authentic to us.

Intentional living is about being truthful and honest with yourself. If you wanna live intentionally you need to look at all areas of yourself and your life. The good and the so-called bad. This might sound a bit scary, but don’t you owe it to yourself?

Since I started to live more intentionally, life feels richer, emotions feel deeper, and I am finally happy with myself and my life.

Will you have it all figured out? Probably not. Intentional living takes commitment and effort. Like everything in life, it is a process, some days might be easier than others, but it’s saying YES to yourself!

What is your experience with intentional living? What has changed for you? I would love to hear your thoughts. Maybe leave me a comment, and join our community, I would love to connect with you.

Featured image: Photo by Julia Caesar on Unsplash