Last June, I was reading up on being intentional. It seemed (at the time) that it was the hash tag du jour. I seem to recall using the ol' google machine to search for answers, and came up with this link.
Here are my thoughts around the major bullets, and why I thought about being more intentional with my life:
- Intentional living is being willing to take a step back and evaluate the things you're doing.
- What am I doing? I have a new job, a more relaxed schedule, less stress and anxiety... (as of June 2016). My schedule is still relaxed and my work stress is non-existant (which is a huge relief).
- I'm taking the time to work from home, from new locales (coffee shops, libraries, etc.) (still doing this!)
- I'm trying to pause more before speaking/reacting (daily, weekly, monthly)
- Intentional living is about doing the things that are important to you even when they’re not easy.
- Spending time with my family is important, but making it a priority can be difficult. It is easy to make excuses about work schedules and other commitments.
- Reading is important, but my cell phone gets in the way. How can I detach myself from my phone at night? Should I set limits? Leave it out of the bedroom? Power down at a certain hour?
- Crafting is important. I have definitely started getting more involved with using my craft stash, rather than letting it sit on shelves and in boxes, in hopes of spreading joy throughout the world as much as a I can. My latest endeavor includes participating in InCoWriMo. I've already completed 6 postcards/cards and sent them out! Woo!
- Practicing having conversations with Andy is super important. We are committed to talking to each other, face to face, with no distractions, for at least 15 minutes per day.
- It also means being willing to ask other people for their input and even to look for the truth in criticism, however harsh it may be. Intentional living is about evaluating the advice and examples of other people and taking from it what works for you.
- Andy and I are committed to working on and bettering our relationship. We sometimes hit rough patches (like any other couple), but know every time we've tried to make things better, we end up back in the same cycle. With that, we're back in counseling (we tried it about 7 years ago), and have found after one session that our issues with communication are super common among a lot of people. We've listened to this audio tool and have a copy of the road map, and are putting our boots on the ground, working daily to make sure we're not diverting off course. It's tough, and sometimes we want to throw in the towel... but we're doing the leg work. We want this for each other, for our relationship, and for our family.
GOALS
- Go on dates with Andy (we're really bad about making this a priority)
- Choose my reactions (Time to learn/relearn/re-re-learn)
- Read more books
- Read the books I own!
- Write
- Write anything, even if it's merely a brain dump
- LOOK! I wrote a blog post
- Make time to craft on a weekly basis
- Even if it's for 15 minutes, every couple of days
- EXERCISE!
- Go for a run, you silly goose!
- Running makes you feel good; you are always amazed at how clear your mind is after a run
- Your body can run long distances; it will take a bit of practice to sustain 30-60 minutes of exercise
- Pick a race, sign up, and start training (give yourself 3-4 months before the race date)
Thanks for reading! :)
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