Happy Saturday girlfriend!

What are you up to today?
Do you have any plans? Or is it a go with the flow type of day?

I love to wake up with no plans, but on others I like to be up early, focused, present and productive, particularly Monday-Friday. How about you?

Recently I have created a daily reminder on my phone which pops up each day and doesn’t clear my home screen until I say so, it reads…

WHAT IS YOUR INTENTION?

Every time I see it, I take a moment to think about the thing I am doing at that exact moment to see if I am doing it with intent; if I’m not I apply some.

What does this mean? Basically, every time I do something I have a set of parameters in my mind regarding how I will perform (what ever it is). 
For example: A call to a friend. What do I want to achieve from our conversation, what is my intention? What are the salient points I want to put across, the things I want to say, how I want her to feel, and how I want to feel at the end of the conversation. The intention of this call is clearly different from a phone interview but both calls require intent. 

Intent is useful when I sit at my computer to work. If I’ve got 1 hour, what is my intention, what do I want to accomplish in the time given? A great example is this newsletter, I have allocated 40 minutes to write this weeks newsletter, because quite honestly, if I give myself 3 hours I will take 3 hours! Being intentional and mindful with the task in hand helps keep me on track in every way.

How do we live a more intentional life?Realize that our lives are made up of choices. Every morning is a new day full of decisions and opportunity. We get to chose our attitude and decisions. We don’t have to let the circumstances of our past negatively determine the pattern of your life in the future. We have a choice in the matter. We do not need to be stuck in the same pattern of living for years… realize that every morning is a new opportunity.
Evaluate the culture we are swimming in. We don’t live in a vacuum, we are surrounded by a culture that moves, like the current of a stream. Living an intentional life requires us to take a step back and evaluate where the stream is flowing and how fast, then determine how this current or movement is affecting us. Is it going in the direction we need and desire? If not, make time for change and intention.
Examine yourself. Know who you are. Get a strong handle on your passions, talents, abilities, and weaknesses. Give precious time and energy to this, it is one of the most valuable things you can do.

Decide to live your life. Stop comparing yourself to others. You were not born to live their life, so there is no sense wasting time wishing you were. Instead, determine how you want to live your life, do it and do it well. After all, you only get one shot, as my (wicked) step mother used to say “Life is not a dress rehearsal”, it is probably the most sensible thing she ever said.

Define your purpose. Identify what you want your life to communicate and contribute. Find a passion to live for that is bigger than yourself. Write it down. It will bring new meaning to your life. 

Set goals. Goals move us and goals shape us. Set goals that are directly in line with your defined purpose. By their very nature, they will introduce intentionality into your life.

Stay focused. We live in a world of constant connectivity and distraction, a world that is begging for our attention nearly every moment of the day. Learn to turn off the distraction and live your life now instead. Beware of things that are robbing you of time and energy that could be better spent living intentionally.

Learn from others. Successful people are curious people. They possess the humility to learn from others. Identify people accomplishing your purpose and goals, study them and learn from them.

Zoe x