Why You Need to be Intentional

Being intentional is one of those things that seems easy, but to actually apply it is hard. Especially when we aren’t feeling our best. To have intention can mean multiple things, but in the world of mental health it means to do something deliberately; to do it on purpose. So why do we focus on the importance of being intentional? I’ll give you three words:

Living Over Existing

When we are intentional that means we are choosing to live more life over just existing. To exist means you are going through the daily motions. Now don’t get me wrong there is intention when just existing. The intention is doing the bare minimum to keep yourself alive. There’s no focus on health, career, finances, relationships, etc. There’s no thought process of "where do I fall in these different categories, and what goals and actions can I set to get myself to a place that I want to be?" Sometimes our mental health can have such a hold on us all we can do is just exist. There's no energy for anything else. However, in those moments where the hold feels a little less tight, that is when we can set our plan of action to be more intentional. So where do we start?

Look At Your Present

Remember when I mentioned the thought process of where you fall in different categories? That’s where you start. What does your life look like now? I can tell you that after doing my life audit I’m definitely not where I want to be in different categories. When you know the areas where your life is unfulfilled you can then go to the next step.

Set Goals

Now that you know the things you want to improve or change, you can set goals. Be realistic in your goals. As the expert of your life, you know your limitations. Don’t just focus on the big goal. Think about the steps you need to take to get there. Set those as milestone goals.

For example, my big goal is to have a toned body. I’ve never had muscle definition. I fall in the skinny fat category, and I’ve never committed long enough to my health and wellness to actually have a toned body. After some reflection, I realized it’s because I was so focused on the big goal I didn’t have any smaller goals to help me get there. My smaller goal for this month is to do yoga every day for 30 days. I set this goal not only to loosen up my muscles and prepare them for weight training, but to get my body used to movement outside of my regular daily movement. Plus, most yoga practices are no more than 30 minutes so I can incorporate it into my morning routine.

Have Fun

Fun is subjective. What you consider fun, someone else might consider boring. Unless your definition of fun is harmful to yourself or others, the things people have to say about what you do doesn’t matter. When you include fun into your life, it makes life feel a little more worth living. Think of different activities or things that bring you joy, and try to incorporate them into your daily life.

To be honest, there isn’t much prep that needs to happen in order to be intentional because…you have to do the things in order for it to be intentional. You want to travel more? Do it. You want to eat healthier? Do it. You want to spend more time with friends? Call them and set up a time to hang out. Wishes, hopes, and dreams become reality when we add intention to them. So let’s be more intentional and create the lives we dream of.

How are you going to be more intentional in your life? Let me know in the comments.