We have so many choices to make on a day to day basis. What playlist to listen to in the car or what the menu should be for the week. Sometimes the amount of items on our to-do list can have us too overwhelmed to complete them or we choose to go full steam ahead in order to check everything off of our list. The next thing we know, it's already time to go to sleep and do the entire thing over again tomorrow. That type of living can be absolutely exhausting but if you choose to live with intention, it becomes a way of life.
When we make the decision to live intentionally, we become more accountable for our day, for our actions and for our responses. So what does it really mean to live a life with intention? To live intentionally is to have an innerstanding of the 'why, how and what' when choosing our energy before we engage in something. The action requires us to have a crystal clear understanding of:
The WHY.
Why exactly are we engaging in it?
The HOW.
How do we want to feel while accomplishing it?
The WHAT.
What's the desired outcome?
Ask yourself these 3 questions before you start a task or engage in an activity. It allows you to feel like you're in control of your day and not like your day is controlling you. The more you practice, the faster it'll be.
Here are 5 simple ways to live with intention in your everyday life.
1. Time Management
Plan out your day in advance. Even if it's only 5 minutes in advance. Have a general idea of what your needs are for that day and the manner in which you want to accomplish them. The energy you bring into it is of the utmost importance. Invite love into your day and allow it to fill you up as you check off your tasks. When our heart space is open, we tend to do things with a little pep in our step. We're able to stay in the present and find joy in the now.
Example: Before jumping into work on the computer, take a few deep breaths and ground in. Remember why you what you do and how you can use it to elevate your existence or bring a light to someone else's.
Affirm it: I choose to begin and end tasks with a full heart
Practice: Once starting a task, stick with it through completion instead of always trying to multi-task. When you stay in the present and complete tasks one at a time, you're able to better connect to that task and intentionally choose your energy.
2. Setting Healthy Boundaries
Set healthy + clear boundaries for yourself. Take some time to really think about what's needed to really flourish in your day to day, and keep your thoughts centered there. The boundaries are in place to keep our mind, body, spirit in alignment and our energy protected. So understand what you will no longer accept from yourself and/or other people.
Example: If you're feeling pressured to partake in something, it's ok to say no. Saying 'no' is a great step towards establishing healthy boundaries. If it's not for you, it's not for you, and that's totally ok. Perhaps a friend is pressuring you to go to an event that you know will inevitably throw off your morning the next day. If you don't want to go or know that it can set back your next-day plans, just say no! (and don't feel pressure to explain yourself)
Affirm it: I choose to create and set healthy boundaries so that I can establish spaces for me to flourish
Practice: Practice saying no when you don't want to do something and depending on the situation, offer an alternate solution.
3. Power of Your Thoughts
Imagine you're looking out of a window. What do you see? The 'what you see' are your thoughts. Your thoughts have the power to shape your identity, your views and your perspective. So be careful at the thoughts you're choosing because it's creating you're entire world. To be intentional with your thoughts is to change your entire life. When you're being intentional with your thoughts, you're making a choice to reconfigure how you think so that your thoughts are a reflection of your highest vibration.
Example: If you allow feelings of fear to creep into your thoughts, make the intentional decision to release those thoughts out into the ethers and create a new thought that feels more supportive and is anchored in love.
Affirm it: I choose thoughts that elevate my mind, body, spirit.
Practice: The water meditation is a great spiritual tool to utilize that helps release negative thoughts and replace it with something new that transforms your old thinking patterns.
4. Words with Intention
Words hold so much power. Our words carry a strong vibration that's linked to creation. We can either create or destroy with the power of words. Be very intentional with the words you speak, because everything you say is sending a strong vibrational current. Speak life into yourself + over others by clearly knowing that what you say, how you say it, and why you say something are huge factors when choosing your words.
Example: If you speak words of lack, you'll continue to dwell in a space of lack. If you speak poorly of yourself, you may find yourself stuck in those same conditions. Instead, use your words to speak what you want for yourself and take action in achieving it.
Affirm it: I choose to create my reality through my words
Practice: Look into the mirror and state some mirror affirmations. This is when you look in the mirror and speak life into yourself. If you say, "I love myself," and create a practice out of it, you begin to truly treat + talk yourself with love, kindness and compassion. Once that love flows in, you have the opportunity to take action in showing yourself how deep that love is by showing up for yourself in ways that you didn't even know existed. When you love yourself, you're intentional with how you speak to yourself, mindful of what goes into the body, and begin to create self-love practices that aid in your elevation.
5. Faith Stones (crystals) - A Spiritual Tool
These beautiful blessings can be a great way to bring constant awareness to your intentions. They act as constant reminders of what you want to call in or release. It's a great tool that can be used in parts of your spiritual practices that bring you closer to The Divine. You can use them in meditation, manifestation (affirmative prayer), carrying them with you and so many other ways.
Example: Before you go off a conversation with someone you love that feels tense, grab a piece(s) of rose quartz and connect with it for a moment. It will immediately begin to soften your entire being and place you in a space of oneness so that you can converse in a loving manner. (Helpful Hint: Hold it in your left hand when the other person is talking so you can better receive what they're communicating and in your right hand when you're speaking so that you can exude that loving vibration).
Affirm it: I choose to work with Aquamarine* as an intentional reminder to connect to my spiritual gits and intuition.
*insert the crystal of your choice
Practice: Intuitively pick a stone to work with for 7 days. Cleanse + Charge + Program your crystal and carry it with you for the next 7 days. Journal about your experience each day. Choose a time that you can stick with for the week so that your journal time is consistent. Begin each journal entry with the intention that you set when you programmed the stone.