How To Build A Life Of Intention — PT.2
I do not enjoy the feeling of being lost, or wandering through life. But we already covered that here, and also looked at the three steps we need to take before we can move forward. The thing is, when wandering is all you know, how can you learn something different? For me, the biggest change that happened was learning that I have the power to choose.
I don’t know about you, but I lived years of my life with a victim mentality. It was everyone else’s fault my calendar was so full, my manager’s fault that I wasn’t being as productive as I wanted to be at work, my friends fault for needing so much of my time, my job's fault for not having enough energy for my family. Once I owned my power to choose - everything changed. And I mean everything!
Suddenly, the life I was living and how I was living it was completely my responsibility. And that meant not only was I responsible for every situation I found myself in, but if I wanted them to change - well, that meant it was time to put in the hard work to create something different. So I started.
“I will live today owning my power to choose.”
I am now a huge believer of living a purposeful life.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines purposeful as ‘having a purpose: meaningful, intentional; full of determination, having a clear intention or aim’.
Once we have acknowledged reality, have gotten to know ourselves better, and have some dreams for the future, it’s time to continue on our journey.
1. CHOOSE A DESTINATION
Own the power to choose, and decide where you want to go. Now, that doesn’t always mean you are going to get there - however, you have to start with a goal. Most of the time when I get in my car, I have an idea of where I am going. Maybe it’s to run errands, and I have three stops. I may end up making four stops when I remember something else I needed, but I started with a destination in mind. It’s the same with life. It’s just like Stephen Covey says “Begin with the end in mind.”.
Make a decision about where you want to be in a current situation or relationship in the future. Make the choice to decide where you are going, and don’t give yourself a time limit on how long you will take to get there. One step at a time my friend. One step at a time.
2. PLAN FOR THE ADVENTURE
We leave for vacation in 36 hours, and I have laundry washed and ready, packing lists on the go, menu planning complete and I feel very prepared. This is the result of me owning my power to choose. Previous trips have not always been this way. Why? Because I lacked margin. I was living life at such a rapid speed that I had not created the space to prepare for what was coming. So I chose a new destination for when we travel. “I will not pack everything the night before a trip. I will enjoy the process of getting ready to travel and take my time so I am less stressed.”
But what about planning for the adventures that life brings? How do you plan to change the destination for a relationship? You can start by asking yourself these questions.
— What new skill do I need to learn?
— What do I need to say ‘no’ to?
— How will this destination affect my schedule on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis?
— Who do I know that could help me along the way?
— What will I do today to take one step toward this new destination?
3. ENJOY THE JOURNEY
Now that you have a plan, enjoy it! Take in every moment, admire the beauty that surrounds you each step of the way. As a task-focused person, let me tell you - I just want to get there! If I am on a 5 hour road trip I will enjoy the drive a lot more if I am not constantly asking myself, “Are we there yet?” But how often do we live life like that? We get so focused on our destination that we make ourselves miserable because that is all we can focus on.
— Look around, be proud of the progress you are making, learn from other people, and most of all enjoy the journey of life.
4. CONTINUE MOVING
Don’t give up too easily! Sometimes the journey takes a long time. And sometimes, you never arrive. But that’s part of the adventure. And why this step is not called ‘Continue Moving Forward’. Sometimes our destination gets re-routed along the way, or we realize we had way too high of expectations for ourselves, or we really just messed up. Don’t forget this piece of advice from John Maxwell, “The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.”
“The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.”
So, continue moving...
I truly believe that as we choose destinations for our life, plan for the adventure, enjoy the journey, and continue moving; a purposeful life can be a by-product. You can do it! Own your power to choose and start making choices that will get you where you want to go.
Don’t forget to download the FREE worksheet, a Planning Guide for the Adventure of Life. It gives you a dedicated space where you can brainstorm and start planning your adventure towards the destination that you choose.
— What destination have you chosen to plan towards?
I’d love to help you along the way, so follow Modern Planner on Twitter to stay connected.
— Kathryn Hofer
Without knowing it, I was lost for many years. Unsure of exactly where I was, not clear on where I was going, and trying to embrace the adventure of wandering. However, my wandering was not purposeful, and instead of it leading to discovery, I ended up wandering the same roads, same disappointments, same challenges, and the same conversations over and over again...