Are You Living Intentionally?
What Does Living Intentionally Mean?
Let’s clarify intentional living. Rather than living our lives by default, reacting to the circumstances and social expectations, we can choose to live intentionally.
Living intentionally means you consciously decide how you will live your life, in all ways, big and small.
You’ll make decisions once and then follow through on those decisions each and every day.
Living Intentionally: Clarifying Your Goals and How You Want to Live
It’s knowing what matters to you and why, and then aligning your actions, choices, and decisions with those values.
Living intentionally is the opposite of living by default, simply reacting to life and doing what society expects of you.
It’s what allows you to design your life just the way you want it.
The commitment to living intentionally becomes a lifestyle that honors your values and helps you make decisions that keep you in alignment with them.
Reflect On How You Are Living
If you’re new to intentional living, take some time to look at how you are living your life right now and ask yourself, is this by choice or just what you have been in the habit of?
Ask what you would change to make your life happier, easier, and better. Also, make some guidelines for how you would live and what you would spend your time on.
Is how you are living reflecting your values? Like living with respect for people and nature, does it matter how you look and feel?
Do you exercise, eat nutritiously, and present yourself in an attractive fashion? If so, you would decide not to stay up late, not to eat junk food, and not wait to shower until people say you smell.
That may be a little extreme, but you get the picture. Instead, you will begin making decisions based on the values you hold for yourself.
Committing to exercising, getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep at night, and choosing delicious, healthy meals and snacks.
These decisions spill over into every aspect of your life. What you do for work, and how you keep your home. What you do with your time.
You decide to prioritize what matters to you, eliminating distractions and things that waste your time and don’t align with your values.
If something matters to you, make sure you fit it into your life. It may be going to church, pursuing your favorite hobby, golfing, having date night, doing things with friends, making time for continuing education, learning new things, reading books, doing crafts, or cooking gourmet meals.
The Big Picture: How Do Your Values Define Your Life?
Whatever is important to you should have a place in your life. In addition, your life should honor your values and morals.
Your values are the things that matter to you, things you respect and aspire to, things you want to make sure you uphold in your life.
Values like honesty and integrity, contributing to your community, being patient and caring, putting family first, and always giving your best.
Living intentionally means making your values a priority and striving to meet the standards you set for yourself. And surrounding yourself with people whose values you admire and respect.
It’s OK to Say No
Realize it’s ok to say no instead of agreeing to requests that don’t support your values or your goals.
Use discrimination and begin to realize that always saying yes would take time away from what truly matters to you.
So, give yourself permission to say no and use that time intentionally and in alignment with your goals.
Intentional living requires you to measure everything you put your time and energy into against your values, your goals, and what matters most to you.
This way, everything you do aligns with your desired way of life. You are now taking control of how you live your life instead of living by default, simply reacting to the circumstances and doing what you think is expected of you.
Tip
Journaling is a great way to get in touch with what matters most and identify your values
Or simply making a list of your likes and wants versus your dislikes and don’t-wants on a blank page.
Do a mind dump of all of your thoughts about your current life and the life you would love to live.
You will start to see how your life measures up to your ideal life and the changes that you will need to make to align your actions with your values and dreams.
The Steps to Start Living Intentionally
Start becoming aware of how easy it has been to just fall into the habit of reacting to life. Always trying to keep up with others’ expectations. Awareness is the first step to living intentionally.
The next step is deciding what you want to prioritize, what matters so much you have to have in your life, and what you no longer want in your life.
From there, you must make a habit of analyzing everything you do now, and going forward, asking yourself questions such as:
Is this the best use of my time?
Will this help me move forward on my goals?
Does this align with my values?
If yes, make time for it, schedule it, and do it.
Or if the answer to those questions is no, then eliminate or make changes so that you are aligned with your goals and values.
Evaluate your commitments, and consider eliminating or changing those that don’t align with your goals and values.
Some Great Advice
One of the best suggestions I’ve heard is to never give an automatic reply to a request, whether it’s for your participation in a community event or an invitation to a social event.
Instead, always say you will need to check on your availability and get back to them. This way, instead of a knee-jerk yes, you can objectively consider the ask and decide whether it aligns with your priorities and whether you want to commit to the time it requires.
It helps to have pre-decided guidelines. Knowing in advance the criteria for a yes or a no on all of the things you have the ability to choose to do or not do in your daily life.
For me, when I have a project starting up, I know my time is limited, so I decide what I will cut out for now and what I will say no to, so that my time is protected and I don’t struggle with can-I, should-I’s. I have already decided and committed to keeping aligned with my goal, and I know what I need to do or not do to achieve it.
Create some pre-planned responses for the everyday occurrences, too, that, up to now, have kind of run amok with your life.
Living Intentionally Enhances and Simplifies Life
From now on, you can view every action and decision you make regarding your time and how you live your life through the lens of intentional living.
Living Intentionally can be empowering and totally transform your life, giving you more time for what matters most and filling your days with more joy.
It’s your life – so be intentional on how you live it!
Words Worth Reading to Further Your Growth:
Living Intentionally: How intentionality enables success, fulfillment, and growth by Joe Gagnon
Living Intentionally will teach you how to:
- Define your purpose and reconnect with what truly matters
- Create daily habits that support long-term success and well-being
- Turn discomfort into a source of clarity, strength, and growth
- Balance ambition with presence, and performance with peace
This is more than a book. It’s a toolkit for personal transformation and a mindset for thriving in work, life, and beyond.
And – a little more metaphysical, but you will learn so much!
Intentional Living: Eight steps to leading an infinitely fulfilling life by Jane Wallace
Intentional Living is a soothing guide that celebrates key daily practices and rituals that can help us to restore harmony and transform our lives for the better.
These and other books also available on: Audible and Kindle Unlimited