Living Intentionally
What Does it Mean to Live Intentionally?
Living intentionally means you stop drifting and simply reacting to whatever the day throws at you. Instead, you start shaping each day — each hour — each activity — with Intention; with a goal for what you want to get out of it.
In Stephen R. Covey’s landmark book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit #2 is “Begin with the End in Mind”. That’s what being Intentional is all about — having a goal or outcome for each of your activities.
You ask yourself:
How can I best spend this time?
What result do I want from this task, this conversation, this meal, this workout, this free time?
How do I want to feel and show up?
Even a few seconds of thought about your Intention can dramatically improve the outcomes of your actions.
Today we’re talking about adding Intention to your daily life, but of course this also applies to having big, long-term goals for your life. If you want to have a great life, you first need to get some clarity about what that life looks like. If you don’t yet have a written Vision of your ideal future life, I suggest you schedule some time to take our free Design Your Ideal Life course. In that program, you’ll clarify your life’s vision so you can ensure your daily actions are moving you toward that desired life. Click here to start now — it’s free.
And there is just as much benefit from bringing the power of intention into your daily activities. This applies to both your personal and professional life.
Here are some examples that will improve dramatically when you apply even a moment of intentional thought:
Crafting your to-do list
Appointments, calls, and meetings
Hobbies, sports, and recreation
Meals and eating habits
Exercise and movement
Time with family and friends
Your evening wind-down and sleep routine
Let’s dig in deeper with a couple of real-world examples.
Intention in Conversations
Before every planned phone call or meeting, take 30 seconds and ask yourself:
What am I trying to accomplish? (If the answer is nothing, you shouldn’t bother with it!)
What is the ideal outcome of this interaction?
How do I want the other person to feel? (valued, motivated, appreciated?)
How do I want to show up — friendly, positive, curious, confident, inspiring?
Jot down your answers. Then approach the conversation with that clarity in mind. If it’s an important conversation, it will help to write down bullet points of what you want to say, and in what order. We were all taught to write an outline before writing a paper, and this is the same idea for your important conversations. The more critical the conversation, the more you should prepare for it. I’ve been doing this for years and it consistently leads to better, more meaningful outcomes. It’s not manipulative, it’s just good preparation and in fact shows respect for the other person. And it works to get better outcomes.
Intention with Food
If you don’t decide in advance what you want to eat, chances are you’ll grab whatever appeals to you in the moment — which usually isn’t what’s best for your body.
But if you start your day with a clear intent — “Today I’ll eat only nutrient-rich whole foods, with a total of under 25g of net carbs and over 100g of protein, and will include 3+ cups of vegetables” — you’ll make better choices instead of being driven by impulses.
Intention with Exercise
It’s easy to say “I’ll try to work out this week.” But when you set a clear intention — “I’ll do a 30 minute strength session Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 30 minutes of cardio on Thursday and Saturday” — you’ve set your intention, and follow-through becomes much more likely.
“Most people are trying to get through the day. I’ve got a better objective for you. Learn to get from the day. Not just get through it, get from it. Soak it up. Each day is a piece of the mosaic of your life. Don’t waste any! Treat it with care. See how much you can get from a day — how much advice, how much information, how much color, how much sight and sound to add to your worth and your wealth and your equity of mind.” - Jim Rohn, The Jim Rohn Guide to Personal Development
Bring the power of Intention into your life and you’ll see the benefits.
Next Steps
If you already have your life Vision and Values, revisit them and ask yourself: “Am I living each day in alignment with my Vision and Values? And if you don’t yet have a written Vision and Values, sign up for the free Design Your Ideal Life course.
Start adding intention to your daily activities. Begin by writing down your intention for each call and meeting you have planned.
Expand this same principle throughout your life. Each morning, as part of your morning routine, review your upcoming day and consider your Intention for each planned action and activity.
