Living Intentionally

Watching Wimbledon, one of the announcers made a comment about the number one player. He said the player was intentional in all areas of his life, not just on center court. That statement made me think about how intentional I am in my every day life. Am I intentional, purposeful and mindful, in the way I live? If I am going to be honest, I have to admit I am not.

Why does intentionality even matter? I believe if we become more intentional, we can become healthier, kinder human beings.

It is never to late to incorporate intentionality into how we go about living our lives.

Time

Think about how you spend your time. Do you get done what you want to get done to the best of your ability? Do you make time to pursue a dream? What about self-care? Do you make time for that? Do you read or do things to expand your mind or grow spiritually? Or do you spend a lot time on social media, playing video games, exercising excessively or not at all? Are you all work and no play? Or maybe you are all play and no work?

Relationships

What might it look like to be intentional in your relationships? People like to be seen and heard. To be intentional in your relationships means to be present. We take our eyes off our phones and look in the eyes of who we are with. We listen and respond; we do not react.

Sometimes we need to set boundaries. Boundaries allow us to protect our personal space. They protect our physical and mental health. Clearly stated boundaries empower us to do what we need to do as we become who we want to be.

Self

How good are you at being intentional with yourself? Whatever the reason, taking care of our minds and bodies may make you feel selfish or self-centered. As with everything, balance is needed.

Are you always on the go or do you take time to rest? Do you listen to your body and give it what it needs? Are you caring for your physical vessel, drinking water, exercising, eating right? What about making time for yourself, do you do that?

To be intentional for oneself, one must look inward at what they need and trust what they see. As with relationships, one may need to set boundaries as they nurture, care and believe in self.

Our mind can be one of our biggest enemies. It takes in everything we see. We have to be intentional with what we fill our minds with. If we cannot prevent our mind from attacking us, we need to be willing to seek professional help.

Do we believe what the world tells us to believe about ourselves or do we see ourselves the way God sees us?

Soul

Have you ever thought about intentionally nurturing your soul? Your soul, like our minds and bodies, needs our attention as well. Have you ever sat quietly and asked your soul what it needs; breathing deeply, being patient as you wait and listen?

Make a game plan

Intentionality requires discipline, as anything new does. It requires us to slow down to reevaluate how we are going about life. To be intentional requires us to take action.

The first action to take is to ask yourself: “What am I going to be intentional about today?”

Maybe you want to incorporate quiet time into your day. Schedule it.

If you decide you want to be intentional with people, notice everyone who crosses your path. Engage kindly with them. If they get you mad, respond expressing your truth without going on the attack.

Maybe you decide you want to be intentional about getting a strong body. Make up a plan. On days you cannot schedule an hour to exercise, be creative. If it is errand day, park in the furthest spot from the store entrance. Search the Internet for free, short exercise videos that target what you want to work on.

If you want to eat healthier, decide to make better food choices that day. Go out and buy healthier snacks to prepare you for the week ahead.

Pretty much anything you do in a given day can be done with intentionality. The sky is the limit.

At bedtime, reflect on your day. Be thankful for the times you were able to be intentional, learning from things that tripped you up. Remember that even a small success is a step forward in becoming more intentional in your ways.

New habits take time to grow roots. Take one day at a time. Go about your days thinking of ways you can be more intentional and build upon them. As you do, you will be living each day intentionally.

Prayer

Lord, Your word tell us that the plans of the diligent lead to abundance. Help us to be diligent in being intentional in all we do and say. Teach us to number our days so that we may bear fruit and gain hearts of wisdom. Help us to not conform to this world but be transformed by the renewal of our minds so that we may discern your will for our lives.

(Proverbs 21:5, Psalm 90:12, Romans 12:2)