Living intentionally, moving with intention, what does that really have to do with anything? We hear talk about characteristics/traits for success all the time but not so much living intentionally. To be honest, I think I only hear about living intentionally when it comes to spirituality and religion. I guess that’s because your purpose in life revolves around and is driven by those aspects if you’re a spiritual and/or religious person. But you can move with intention outside of your spiritual life. Intention is actually what keeps you focused in life.
So ladies, with the help of the “TAP IN SERIES,” we’re currently in the process of leveling up, as we should be consistently doing because to live LUXE lives, we should always be learning and growing. We got into confidence in “How to: Confidence Basics 101: Action Confidence” where we discovered we have to be bout that action, but now it’s time to take it a step further. That confidence opens the door to so much more for us. Once we get that down pack, it’s so much more we can tackle, and moving with intention is one of those things.
Let’s briefly revisit the history of TheLuxeDocs first so we can make it make sense a little more before we move forward. The word “luxe” from the blog’s name represents the type of life we want to live and no, I’m not talking about one full of materialistic things that usually make people think that we’re happy and doing well… even though those things are a plus. Around here, we know luxe to mean enjoyable (you can check out the “About Page” if you’re new to the group for a little more detail). So, my intentions with TheLuxeDocs are to share my lifestyle (how I move with intention) and journey to LUXE living along with knowledge, tips, and motivation to show you that it can be done and teach you how to do it. That’s what the end goal or more like journey (because enjoying and growing in life never ends) of TheLuxeDocs is. And I think the coolest part about it all is that as I’m learning, I’m sharing with you, so it’s like we’re on this journey and learning together.
WHAT IS IT
An intention can be described as an aim, plan, or purpose. It is an act done purposely or with a motive or end goal in mind. When people are living intentionally, they are attempting to live according to values or beliefs. I like to use the term “moving with intention” because it kind of puts more emphasis on the fact that there’s an action behind the term; that it actually takes work to live that way (even though the word intention has a verb tense and should very well spell out the fact that an action has to take place because that’s the definition of a verb). It’s more than just waking up every morning and going to sleep every night. It’s about the choices you make aligning and having a purpose. When discussing living intentionally outside of a spiritual sense, I like to look at it as living to carry out my ultimate goal in life. A question to help guide you is if you had everything you wanted, how would it all come together to serve you or someone else. Your purpose or ultimate goal may not be about you. It may be about someone else.
HOW TO MOVE WITH INTENTION
- Determine what it looks like for you
The first step of many of the process discussed here on the blog is to know your why. That’s because when you’re living or creating a LUXE life for yourself everything has purpose. Whether it’s a deep purpose that you had to think about long and hard to come to or it’s just because it makes you happy, everything we do has a purpose. With that being said, step one is to determine what living with intention looks like to you and why. For example, it could look like becoming rich so that you can provide a wonderful life for your children. Don’t get too critical of the statement. I know that providing a wonderful life goes past how much money you have. It’s just an example that clearly shows what it is for this person and why they want it.
2. Take your life off auto pilot
Take a moment to smell the roses. Sometimes we get so use to our normal routine that we miss life altogether. Shake things up sometimes. Take the scenic route home. Getting too comfortable or use to a “normal” routine also stunts our growth. Sometimes we’re in certain positions because during that season in our life we have to be. That position may be a stepping stone and we may have plans to transition onto better, but if we get stuck in a normal routine, we never make the time to do what’s needed to prepare for the next level.
I’ve been out of school since 2017 and have never worked a job where I’ve had to take work home. But sometimes (4 years after graduating), a lot less now than in the past, I get home from work and feel like there’s something I should be doing work wise, like homework or studying because while I was in pharmacy school, my life was for the most part, on auto pilot. When your life is on auto pilot, you’re not moving with intention because you’re in routine just going through the motions.
3. Remove things that don’t align with your intentions
Trash all things that have nothing to do with your intentions. This is not one of those areas where we “reach” or try to make it make sense. It’s actually pretty simple. If it doesn’t align, remove it. An easy to grasp (or maybe not so easy now that I think about the many people that think they’re magicians and can do magic) example is dating to be in a relationship. If you want to be in a relationship, why would you date someone who has no intentions of ever doing that. I actually have a quick story on this topic that you’ll be able to enjoy if you keep reading.
Goals included. Achieving goals takes a lot of focus and commitment. Don’t waste all of that on achieving things that don’t have anything to do with your overall purpose in life. Now, I do understand that some things you want to achieve might not correlate with your purpose in life, but you still want to achieve them for other reasons like maybe they just make you feel good. And we do need those feel goods to keep our feelings and confidence high. Just make sure you’re prioritizing correctly.
This excludes those seasons in our lives where we have to do certain things. And even in those seasons what we’re doing still makes sense. Let’s go back to the example from earlier where the intention is to become rich to be able to provide a wonderful life for your children. This person may be currently doing hair for free. I bet you’re thinking how does working for free get you money to become rich, right. Well this person could be in a season where they’re just starting a career as a hair stylist and is trying to acquire customers and build up her portfolio. People are more willing to let you “play” in their hair when it’s free. Soon she’ll have built up a portfolio of reputable work as well as a customer base and be on her way to charging big money to style hair.
4. Recognize & participate in activities that fulfill what it looks like for you
Make your ultimate goal or purpose a priority. Don’t find the time to squeeze in things here and there. Make the time. Build it into your schedule. Better yet, build your schedule around it. Afterall, your purpose is what is most important. If you are moving with intention, majority of the things you do are to fulfill that purpose anyway. I post a new blog post for you guys every other Tuesday because that is how I’m able to share with you guys and fulfill the purpose of TheLuxeDocs. I am a pharmacist, but that is not my life’s purpose. On a personal and spiritual level, I know that my assignment is more than that. Do I enjoy being a pharmacist and does it align with my purpose, yes, but there is more.
IN REAL LIFE
I met this guy while I was on rotations. He pressed and pressed to take me out, so I let him and we became good friends…but that was short lived because we don’t communicate now lol. One of the questions I asked on our first “date” was, “what are your intentions.” I can’t remember who answered first, but I told him that I was only there for a short time to complete rotations and for a little fun. Outside of being there for rotations (because he lived there), the intentions were mutual. In the end, he was upset with me because my next steps and plans didn’t include him. We’re grown. We discussed our intentions. I was very clear. If there was a change, which, there can be, he should have voiced that. Thank God he didn’t propose to me.
Just like we discussed when talking about action confidence, you got to do it on purpose. You can’t always just vibe or go with the flow. Once you’ve got that action confidence down, it may help you along your journey of being intentional because going after what you want is a display of moving with intention. And once you understand the importance of intention, you won’t move without it. When you can identify or voice your intentions you know what it is that you want, which makes it easier for you to remain focused and go get it.
HOMEWORK
Yes, I said I homework. If you’re currently in school, I know you hate that word because you probably get enough of it. And if you’re out of school, I know you thought you were done with that. But if the homework is improving your life, why not? Okay, so on to the homework. Write down your intentions in life, how you’re moving with intention (the steps you’re currently taking that lead up to those intentions), and moves that you’re not, but could be making to live intentionally.
*TIP: Use your LUXE journal to jot down your answers to the homework and go into detail. If you don’t have one already, get yours here, at the LUXE Shop!
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