In today’s age of social media and constant overstimulation of the mind, it is easy to get swept up in the hustle & bustle of life and become switched permanently to autopilot mode. This is a state of mind that goes unquestioned, where actions come without much thought behind them.
Autopilot mode reinforces routine, which can become comfortable for many. However, it’s critical to become more mindful of your life so that you can make more intentional decisions about what you want and what would actually make you happy.
Read on to learn about intentional living and the many ways you can work towards living a more intentional life.
What is Intentional Living?
Intentional living means understanding the thought process behind the decisions you make. Instead of going about your life like a robot, intentional living is about pausing and being more aware of yourself and others.
Intentional living can add value to your life by allowing you to think more about the decisions you make and why you make them. Instead of waiting for opportunities to come your way, you create your own opportunities and pursue what you truly desire.
Intentional living applies to all areas of your life, including your romantic life, your career, your friendships, your personal interests, and more. By incorporating intentional practices into all areas of your life, you will be able to find deeper meaning and greater happiness.
Benefits of Intentional Living
Intentional living has a brilliant array of benefits that will help improve your life in dramatic ways. Not only will you be more mindful and present in your day-to-day activities (thus allowing you to find more joy in the little things), but you will also be better equipped to craft the reality that would perfectly suit you.
When we are not intentional with our decisions, we can easily get swept up into currents that bring us to places we never would have chosen for ourselves. It’s easy to get marooned on these islands of discontentment and not realize they are escapable. This creates a repeated cycle of automatic living.
Studies have shown the extreme benefits that intentional living can have on one’s life direction.
Kyra Bobinet, an award-winning health worker, spent time showing juvenile delinquents how to practically design their future by thinking about what they truly desired out of life. Her work displayed astounding findings by showing the rate of repeated offenses reduced by 25-87%.
By teaching these individuals about intentionally designing one’s future, they were able to avoid the pitfalls that normally occur with released juvenile delinquents and put their life on a much more positive track.
Other proven benefits of intentional living include reduced stress, better memory, great focus, increased relationship satisfaction, and overall better quality of life.
Overall, there is a greater sense of excitement that comes with being able to intentionally craft your life path. It brings control back into your own hands, giving you a sense of autonomy and power over your life. With the growth of possibility comes the growth of optimism, which will in turn make you a much more powerful manifester of reality.
Tips and Tricks for Living Intentionally
1. Set monthly, weekly, and daily intentions.
It can be easy to get lost in all your hopes and desires. One of the best ways to stay organized is to set intentions for your month, your week, and even your day. Intentions can be as big or small as you like, from thinking about what you truly want from life to taking action to get there.
It helps a lot to write your intentions down so that you can come back to them often. It also helps to plan in advance for some of your longer and more drawn-out intentions as well as incorporate daily intentions to work toward them.
For example, if you have a monthly intention to be more mindful about what you eat, you may set daily intentions to eat a certain number of vegetables.
2. Meditate often.
Meditation is proven to be one of the best practices for a person to increase their mindfulness. Even if you are aware of your desire to be more intentional, it can be difficult to switch your mind off autopilot.
This is where meditation comes in. If you can remember to meditate every day, even for just a few minutes, your mind will be just a bit quieter and better equipped to handle making intentional decisions throughout the day. The more you meditate, the better you will become at this.
3. Figure out what you truly value.
Determining the things in your life that you value above all else is harder than it sounds. If you have been on autopilot for a long time, you will have to take a step back and surrender to the possibility that you have been pursuing the wrong goals.
It’s never too late to change the course of your life. Once you have figured out your true values, the pathway toward greater life satisfaction will be much clearer. You will be ready to start taking small steps toward a better reality.
4. Attend a women’s group.
A great way to improve your intentional living is by connecting with others and working together. This should always be done in a setting that feels safe and welcoming to you, which is why a women’s group is such a great option.
Sometimes our own minds can get blocked out of self-defense or fear. This can cause us to go down the wrong path or to return to automatic living out of a need for familiarity and safety. Bringing others into your journey will allow a greater sense of clarity. You will be able to grow together and learn from each other’s stories.
Life coach Rachel Stokes offers an incredible opportunity to work with other women at her Galveston Island-based Women’s Retreat. Here, you will be able to create close sisterships with like-minded women and can practice intentional living with one another.
To learn more about the Galveston Women’s Retreat and how you will work with an amazing group of women, you can contact Rachel Stokes at 713-515-7484 or email rachelstokeslifecoaching@gmail.com.
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