Does it feel like all of your days are starting to blur together and play out in pretty much the same way?
This is a clear sign that you’re not taking steps to live intentionally. You’re letting your life and everything in it control you, and it’s going to take a toll on you before long.
Rather than continuing to go down this path, you should make a stronger effort to live intentionally from now on. Here are 10 of the most effective ways to do it.
1. Think About What Your Perfect Day Looks and Feels Like
If you could plan out your perfect day, what would it include? Would you use your day to:
- Visit family and friends?
- Hit up the gym?
- Attend a show, concert, sporting event, etc.?
- Volunteer?
- Sit on the beach?
Most people are so busy living their regular lives that they don’t even have time to think about what they would be doing if they didn’t have so much on their plate. It’s why it’s a good exercise to sit down and plan out what your perfect day would look and feel like.
By doing this, you’ll be able to identify some of the things that are most important to you. You can use these ideas to live intentionally from now on.
2. Take Small Steps to Make Each Day as “Perfect” as It Can Be
Once you’ve scribbled down the plans for your perfect day, take a look at how many of the things in your plans could be worked into an average day right now.
For example, let’s say that visiting your family and friends is something that you wish you could do more of. Going and visiting them in person every day might not be feasible, but could you:
- Call at least one immediate family member each day?
- Text one friend you haven’t talked to in a while every day?
- Create a calendar so you remember to send family and friends birthday cards every month?
You can live intentionally by finding ways to push things that are a priority to the top of your to-do list.
3. Appreciate the Simple Things in Life
When you’re running around every day, it’s easy to take some of the simple things in life for granted. You don’t always appreciate the warm meal that you eat at lunchtime when you’re thinking about the big meeting you have in the afternoon.
Every so often, you should stop, look around, and appreciate whatever it is that you’re doing at the moment. Even if you’re doing something like sitting in traffic and getting frustrated by it, you can appreciate the fact that you have a car to sit in in the first place.
4. Find Ways to Show Gratitude
From a young age, most people are taught to say “thank you” when someone does something nice for them. As a result, there are many people who say “thank you” a little too often these days without putting much thought behind it.
When you’re thankful for something someone has done for you, find new ways to show it. Instead of just saying “thank you,” do something nice for them in return that shows your gratitude to them.
They’ll appreciate you doing this, and you’ll feel good about going out of your way to say “thanks.”
5. Try New Things That Might Scare You a Little (or a Lot!)
When is the last time you did something that scared you? If you can’t remember, it means you’re playing it too safe and not doing what it takes to live intentionally.
This doesn’t mean you have to go skydiving tomorrow or swim with sharks next weekend. Doing something that scares you could be doing something as simple as speaking up for yourself in a meeting or talking to someone new at a party.
Even if these things don’t go as planned, you’ll be glad that you stepped outside your comfort zone. You’ll feel like you’re being so much more intentional about how you live your life.
6. Take Better Care of Both Your Body and Your Mind
Study after study has shown that most Americans don’t get enough exercise. Yet, many people aren’t doing a whole lot to combat these studies and change their findings.
If you’re not in the habit of exercising, take control of your physical fitness and start working out more than you do now. It’s easier to live intentionally when you show willpower over your workout habits and take good care of your physical health.
You should make an effort to improve your mental health and become more headstrong, too. Taking these advanced avatar courses can help with the process of strengthening your mind and transforming you into a better person.
7. Eat Foods That Make You Feel Good
You know that saying, “You are what you eat”? It’s not just a cliche!
You are what you eat, as your body takes almost everything that you put into it and uses it to create a foundation for your cells. So if you’re not eating right most of the time, your body is made up of junk foods that aren’t doing it much good.
By living intentionally, you can take control of what you’re putting into your body and make yourself a healthier person in the process.
8. Practice Saying the Word “No”
Are you the type of person who says “yes” to almost everyone and everything?
In some ways, this isn’t a terrible way to live your life. By saying “yes” more often than not, you’ll open yourself up to lots of new experiences.
But if you’re saying “yes” to things you wish you could say “no” to, that’s not doing anyone any good. You’re going to end up spending most of your time doing things that you don’t care about to please other people.
Say “no” when you want to say “no.” Those two little words will make you feel so powerful.
9. Surround Yourself With Plenty of Positive People
It’s going to be almost impossible for you to live intentionally when you’re surrounded by negative people who aren’t doing the same.
Look around at who you’re surrounded by and take stock of what they’re bringing to your life. If you find that there are too many negative people around you, cut them loose and replace them with more positive people.
10. Put Your Phone (and Your Computer!) Down More Often
Did you know that the average person spends 35 full days on their cell phone every year? If you’re one of them, you’re losing more than a month of your life each year thanks to your phone!
Take that time back by putting your phone down more often than you do now. Put your computer, your tablet, and your other gadgets down, too.
When you’re on your deathbed one day, you’re not going to say, “I wish I had spent more time on Facebook!” You’re going to say, “I wish I had…”
Whatever you use to end that sentence should be what you’re doing more of these days. It’s one of the many keys to living intentionally.
Start to Live Intentionally and Love Your Life Again
If you’re not a person who strives to live intentionally day in and day out right now, it can be difficult to flip a switch and do it all of a sudden. It’s not easy to escape the rat race that is everyday life for most people.
But by incorporating the tips found here into your life little by little, you’ll find that it will become easier and easier to live intentionally over time. Life will slow down for you, and you’ll begin to enjoy it so much more.
Read our blog to find more eye-opening articles that will show you how to live your best life.
