7 Principles to Live Your Life Intentionally By (Plus1 Essential question to Ask Yourself)
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
Buddha
At the end of the post, I reveal the secret question to help you back into a ‘Now’ focus.
Often our lives are clouded with a misty fog that leaves us feeling a vague dullness and lethargy as we drift through our years. The mix of our conscious and unconscious thinking and our dwelling on the past and imagining a different future, sees us straying from the most important part of our lives, living in the moment.
It is important to clarify your past:
How did I get to where I am today?
Where do I want to be tomorrow, next week, next month, and in a year?
Living with conscious intention is the only path in taking control of your life. Every choice, every decision needs to be a conscious choice unless you want to settle for those imposed upon you by others. If you don’t make the choices and decisions for your life, someone will do it for you, either indirectly or directly!
Here are some signs that you are living unconsciously and unintentionally:
Are you in a job out of habit, rather than a job you truly desire?
Are you living doing what others enjoy, rather than what you enjoy?
Are you engaged in mostly unimportant busy work rather than more meaningful tasks?
Are you sacrificing your own expectations in order to fulfil others’ expectations?
Are you stuck in a rut?
Are there areas in your personal life which are not taking conscious control and influence over? finances, health, exercise, relationships
Do you drift through your days imagining a better life but you don’t explore how you might work toward its realisation?
Intentionally Remember that You Only Live Once
Learning to live in the moment is a practice. It takes a degree of discipline. All you are doing is simply bringing your thoughts into the present moment. I say ‘simply,’ but that is a comment on the objective only. What makes it difficult is reigning in all your past and future thoughts that typically occupy your mind.
It is easier to live your life on unconscious, automatic pilot, and it is naturally a part of our survival instincts to be reactive in the face of danger. When we are stuck in a rut and in certain hard-wired habits and routines, a determined willpower becomes essential. Remember that no-one likes to make a start, however those who do progress, even in the face of rain, sleet and snow.
In its simplified version:
Take conscious control of everything that comes your way; every choice and every decision, and start taking those actions.
7 Principles to live Intentionally
1. Set 3 achievable goals for the morning to complete by noon and ensure that they are relevant and inspire you: for example, exercise or yoga first thing, listen to that learning podcast on the way to work, and complete that important phone call.
Why mornings? Often in the afternoon, our motivation has dropped, our willpower is running low, and we achieve less.
At the end of the day, consciously reflect on 3 things that went well and set your 3 goals for the next morning.
2. Each year, examine, design and tweak your life’s goals. What do you want to have accomplished as the weeks and months go by? What are your values? What do you envision for your life? What are the steps to get there? Store these where they can be seen regularly, either physically or digitally, or better still, schedule them into your calendar.
3. How will you improve your relationships. Are they healthy? Is there something you need to learn to improve your interactions? Do you spend enough time with your family? Do you show your love and express compliments to them? Do you need to ask for forgiveness or express forgiveness to anyone?
4. Consider your impact on the world. How do you affect your environment, your community, your field of expertise? What can you contribute to improve the environment or others’ lives?
5. Think in terms of long-term and sustainable habits and practices. There is a real cost to nearly everything you purchase or entertain yourself with. You have a chance to help the world. What short-term pleasures do you chase that feeds into consumerism and therefore waste and the possible exploitation of others in the world?
6. Explore your life. Consciously learn things about yourself, others, and the world to expand your viewpoint. We are continuously being influenced by others, with the increase of targeted, social media advertising and newsfeeds, it is very difficult to escape biased views and opinions that have been cherry-picked to match your social, digital profile.
7. Own what you think and take action for yourself. Remember, if you don’t take charge of your life, someone else will make choices and decisions for you.
The present is the most powerful and life-changing place to take action in. The question you need to ask in the moment is:
“Disregarding everything else, what must I do right now to take me one step closer to my goal?”
Want to learn more about Mindfulness, Minimalism and Self-Development? Click This Link!