Do you ever wonder why you don’t get as much done as others seem to? Are you disappointed in the things you decide to do, or by the outcome you achieve? There are those who can get twice as much accomplished as most folks, even organized people. Why? It may have to do with intention.
The many faces of intention
There is a lot of talk today about intentions. Setting intentions for your day or your life, or living an intentional life. There is also a lot of discussion about the kind of intentions you might have, good or bad, and the values or dangers of each.
Rather than tackle all of that, I want to talk about something that is small by comparison, but can make a significant difference in your daily life: making a conscious decision in the moment.
I met a young woman who was in a relatively new relationship. The man she dated had many great qualities, but when it came to how he dressed, he was careless and thoughtless. He paid no attention to what he wore and would grab whatever was at hand. His clothes were clean but otherwise, it appeared that he didn’t care about his appearance.
Her concern
This presented a red flag to her. She felt this represented that he was not in tune with his own life and not fully in charge of his direction. She compared the way he chose his clothes to shooting an arrow in the air and hoping it would land where it needed to land. This was very different from how she chose to live her life, and she believed this could pose problems
as the relationship progressed.
The choice to make intentional decisions can only be made by you, for yourself.
There are 3 reasons to make intentional decisions.
1. It creates self-awareness and mindfulness. It is about noticing when you are hungry and making intentional decisions about what to eat; acknowledging when you are tired and making intentional decisions about how to rest; observing what you are feeling and making intentional decisions about how you will act. Being self-aware helps you aim your attention where it will do you the most good, aligning your needs with your actions. Making intentional decisions will make you present to your life.
2. You are living out of your true self. So many of our decisions are made from old messages that no longer fit who we are. When you do not make intentional decisions you will be living on auto-pilot, rather than knowing what you want and need right now. As you begin to tune into the moments of your life, you will tune into what makes you uniquely you.
3. You are in charge of your own life. Making your own decisions is not about right and wrong, it is about being in charge of your life rather than letting circumstances rule you. You own the direction of your life one decision at a time.
To the young woman in our story, it was important that she live awake and aware and in charge of herself and her life as much as possible. What looked like a simple and maybe unimportant decision was in reality a way to shape her life one decision at a time.
After talking to her romantic interest about her concerns, he came to see the value of making conscious decisions himself.
Having trouble making conscious decisions? I can help; call me at (919) 881-2001.
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