How Intentional Living Can Change Your Life
Intentional living and minimalism have been trending for a while now. I'm interested in how you can live an intentional life and can change one's life. I think minimalism will help you to concentrate on the most important things in your life.
Have you ever wondered how being more intentional can truly change your life?
For me, the intentional life means being more present, mindful, and true to myself in every aspect of my life and business.
Let's explore how you can embrace an intentional living and see a positive transformation in your life.
Are you already following the intentional life path? Tell me your tips in the comment box!
The Power of Intentional Living
Intentional living is about making conscious choices that align with your values and priorities.
It's about focusing on what truly matters and letting go of the unnecessary.
Minimalism, a key component of intentional living, helps you concentrate on the most important things in your life, stripping away the excess that distracts you from your true purpose. You’ll realize how minimal things really are enough to make you feel happy.
Reflecting on the Holiday Season
As the holiday season approaches, it's a perfect time to reflect and think about improvements for the upcoming year.
I always pause at the end of the year to evaluate how I can better align my life with my values and goals.
Last year I wrote about the slower pace of living which I have tried to follow this year - sometimes with more success and sometimes not so much success.
That’s the beauty of life, I guess. Trying, making errors, and trying again.
This year, I'm delving deeper into intentional living, simple and minimalist life, aiming to make every moment count.
I want to make my minutes count. I want to be present and aware of everything that is happening around me more clearly and more intentionally.
Prioritizing Life’s Essentials
My top three priorities in life are my family, my health, and creating something meaningful. These values form the foundation of my intentional living journey. They guide my decisions and actions, ensuring that I focus on what truly matters.
They are answers to my WHY. Why I do certain things, why I say “no” to certain things, and why I spend my time like I do.
What Are Your Top 3 Priorities?
Take a moment to identify your top priorities. Are you living your life based on these principles?
Intentional living helps you make decisions that align with your values, leading to a more fulfilling and regret-free life.
Be more happy, less miserable.
Gratitude Journal for 365 Days 👉🏻 SHOP HERE
Five Key Practices for Intentional Living
I’ve come up with 5 special ingredients for making intentional life easier to attain:
1. ATTENTION
Open your eyes, I mean, really open them to see the world around you.
Be attentive to everyday moments and conscious of your choices. Ask yourself if your daily tasks are necessary and meaningful.
Start asking questions: Can you spend your time in more fulfilling ways? Are all your daily tasks necessary? Are they meaningful to you? Do you enjoy doing them? Can you spend your time in other ways?
2. GET LOST
Being intentional means also being fully open to new experiences, deeper connections, and meaningful moments.
What if you could get lost in a great book or conversation with an old friend (or even a stranger)
Take more time to go deep and get lost in the beauty of being present.
How does it feel? What sounds are you hearing? What smells and tastes? Have you noticed how beautiful things are around you and how many precious details there really are?
I encourage you to allow yourself to take more time to get lost and do what you enjoy the most. Give more time to things that have value in your life. Take time to appreciate the beauty around you and immerse yourself in meaningful activities.
3. SIMPLIFY
Your (and mine too!) life may be chaos once in a while (hopefully not all the time). It helps if you intentionally try to simplify things.
Things are constantly pulling your attention in 100 different directions and it may cause mixed feelings.
The clutter of chaos can be overcome with simplicity.
Start with simple routines.
Create an easy-to-follow morning routine that you try to stick to. It doesn’t matter what that routine includes - just try to keep it simple and easy to follow also in those hectic mornings when kids are screaming and your morning coffee spills to your lap.
My intentional morning starts with a cup of slowly infused tea (or a coffee 😂), a 5-10 minute meditation, and checking my daily to-do list before I dig into my workflow.
You can read my current morning routine in Finnish 👉🏻 Petran aamurutiini
4. CREATE EVERYDAY LUXURY
We need some luxury in our everyday lives. Start incorporating small luxuries into your daily life.
When creating an intentional way of living your luxury may be a bit different than an expensive designer bag or a lavish car to take your kids to school.
Everyday luxury for me is a time to read a book - just by myself.
It’s my own time to think about a color palette in a table setting for our next family gathering.
It's a new organic tea flavor that I can test out or local honey with a minimalistic package design.
Everyday luxury is all around me. I just need to see it and realize it.
Create your way of enjoying luxury everyday moments and try to incorporate them into your daily life. Start with just 10 minutes per day if it feels impossible otherwise.
5. GRATEFUL HEART IS A MAGNET FOR MIRACLES
There’s a lot of negativity around us every day. Negativity does not lead you to success - not in your personal or business life.
You should try to minimize all negativity. Your attitude will change if you concentrate on things and people that you’re grateful for. Focus on the positive by practicing gratitude. A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles, truly!
A gratitude or thankful journal may be the most common way of doing gratitude practice. You can also keep a gratitude list and write down three things you’re grateful for each day.
Writing each day things that you’ve been grateful for in that day is a powerful tool for creating happiness in your life. Be specific when writing your daily gratitude diary or gratitude list.
I started to write my first gratitude journal just before I got to bed. I wrote 3 things to be grateful for each day. I wrote all the great things that happened to me during the day and also funny things to be thankful for in my life.
A great way to be grateful for the little things in life is also by writing thank-you notes to special people in your life. I love that idea and already started to do that, too!
These simple practices can shift your mindset and increase happiness. Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life!
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Minimalist Gratitude Journal Kit with journaling prompts and affirmations. CLICK TO SHOP!
Intentional living quotes
I’m a lover of quotes. Quotes usually simplify things and thoughts and can help you with your daily affirmations, too. I’ve been gathering different kinds of intentional living quotes for so long already. Usually, I use Pinterest when I search for aesthetically pleasing quotes on intentional living and affirmations.
Quotes can be powerful reminders to live intentionally. Here are some of my favorite quotes about living intentionally:
Most people spend more time planning a one-week vacation than they spend planning their life.
– Michael Hyatt
Intentional Living does not have a moral compass.
– The Finance Girl
Positive thinking is powerful thinking. If you want happiness, fulfillment, success, and inner peace, start thinking you have the power to achieve those things. Focus on the bright side of life and expect positive results.
― Germany Kent
Minimalism is about intentionality, not deprivation.
― Unknown
Never surrender your hopes and dreams to the fateful limitations others have placed on their own lives. The vision of your true destiny does not reside within the blinkered outlook of the naysayers and the doom prophets. Judge not by their words, but accept advice based on the evidence of actual results. Do not be surprised should you find a complete absence of anything mystical or miraculous in the manifested reality of those who are so eager to advise you. Friends and family who suffer the lack of abundance, joy, love, fulfillment, and prosperity in their own lives really have no business imposing their self-limiting beliefs on your reality experience.
― Anthon St. Maarten
Learn to be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not.
― Henri Frederic Amiel
When I live in the present moment my intent is to be vibrationally aware and united with everything.
― Debbie A. Anderson
When you get right down to it, intentional living is about living your best story.
― John C. Maxwell
Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others' choices make us.
― Richie Norton
If you’re going to grow, you have to be intentional.
—Curt Kampmeier
Live your everyday extraordinary!
― Charles F. Glassman
Good habits and intentional daily effort to turn excuses into solutions will help you become the person and entrepreneur that you want to be.
― Farshad Asl
Until we make the unconscious conscious, we will be dictated by it and call it fate.
― Jerry Colonna
You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.
— The Wizard of OzThe ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.
— Abraham Maslow
It is only those that live intentionally that can accomplish and come to the significance meant for them.
― Sunday Adelaja
When you intentionally use your everyday life to bring about positive change in the lives of others, you begin to live a life that matters.
― John C. Maxwell
Own less stuff. Enjoy more freedom. It really is that simple.
― Joshua Becker
Simplicity is complex. It’s never simple to keep things simple. Simple solutions require the most advanced thinking.
― Richie Norton
The quality of your commitments will determine the course of your life.
―Ralph Marston
I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it, and above all, become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.
—Roald Dahl
The slower the living, the greater the sense of fullness and satisfaction.
― Ann Voskamp
An unintentional life accepts everything and does nothing. An intentional life embraces only the things that will add to the mission of significance.
― John C Maxwell
Wherever you are, be all there.
― Jim Elliot
Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.
— Author Unknown
And suddenly you just know… it’s time to start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings.
—Meister Eckhart
Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.
— Oprah Winfrey
Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into riches.
― Napoleon Hill
The power for creating a better future is contained in the present moment: You create a good future by creating a good present.
― Eckhart Tolle
The best gift we can have is living in the present moment and really enjoying it for what it is; and, not being in our heads and getting sidetracked.
― Amy Smart
Intentional living is about making deliberate choices that enhance your life and align with your values. By focusing on what truly matters, you can create a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Start with small steps, like writing 100 days of gratitude journal and simplifying your routines 👉🏻 watch how these intentional efforts can transform your life.
If you want to read more inspiring quotes check this out 👉🏻 Inspirational Quotes
FAQs
1. What are the benefits of intentional living?
Intentional living helps reduce stress, increase focus, and improve overall well-being. It allows you to live a life that aligns with your values and priorities, leading to greater satisfaction and fulfillment.
2. How can I start practicing intentional living?
Begin by identifying your core values and priorities. Simplify your life by decluttering and focusing on what truly matters. Incorporate daily practices like gratitude journaling and mindful routines.
3. What is the difference between minimalism and intentional living?
Minimalism focuses on reducing physical and mental clutter, while intentional living is about making conscious choices that align with your values. Both concepts complement each other and can be practiced together.
4. How can I maintain intentional living in a busy lifestyle?
Set clear boundaries and prioritize your time based on your values. Simplify your routines and practice mindfulness to stay grounded. Regularly reflect on your goals and make adjustments as needed.
5. Can intentional living improve my relationships?
Yes, intentional living can enhance relationships by fostering better communication, deeper connections, and greater presence. By focusing on what truly matters, you can build stronger, more meaningful relationships.
This blog post has been updated with the help of AI (chatGPT) on 22 June 2024.
