I first came across this term a few years ago. It sounds very new age, and is bandied about with terms like self care and mindfulness. But if it’s done right, I think intentional living is a Jewish concept. Doing something with intention is basically having kavanah.
What is intentional living?
Intentional living is what it sounds like—living your life with intentional decisions. Think active rather than passive. Think proactive rather than reactive.
On any given day, we don’t know what’s coming our way. All we really have are our choices. And with our choices, we can drive our life, and ourselves, in a certain direction. I like to think of it as living our life on purpose.
Are you living intentionally?
How many of your daily decision are reactive? Are you constantly playing catch up? Are you reacting to the twists and turns of the world around you? Some people who live like this enjoy the spontaneity. Some, however, are exhausted but don’t know a way out of this hamster wheel.
How to live with more intention
I don’t think living intentionally is something you can take on in a moment. It’s more of an ongoing journey. It starts with figuring out your core values, priorities, and goals. That’s a lot to think about, especially if it’s not something you’ve done before.
As those form in your mind, make conscious choices that take you closer to those values and goals. This gives you more meaning and growth in every day.
How can you use a bullet journal to live more intentionally?
A bullet journal can be the first step to creating awareness. Once you are keeping track of your day in clear black ink on white paper, you can more easily see where you might be missing some intentional living in your day.
It’s also a place where you can record those core values and goals. Once you have those down on paper, you can review and revisit them, maybe update them from time to time. Your bullet journal also provides you with a space to wrote your goals and work out a step-by-step action plan to meeting them.
Begin with one small step
Choose a goal that is meaningful to you that you would like to work over the next ___. (Fill in the blank. It can be over the next month, year, decade.) That’s all. Just think about this goal and what it means to you.