Why (and How) to Live More Intentionally

Do you ever get that annoying feeling that something is missing from your life? Others might think that you have everything, but deep down, you don't feel fully satisfied or happy?

We all get one life that we try to make the most of, but the definition of living a full life is very individualistic. It varies from one person to another. To you, it might mean becoming who you could be in the fullest sense. It could mean feeling loved and creating memories at every step of the life, or it could be something as simple as feeling content and happy in your day-to-day life.

You deserve this dream, and yet most people stop at this dream stage because dreaming is the pretty side of this coin. The other side is looking at everything in your life that's keeping you stuck elsewhere. And that understanding will help you create the bridge that you need to get from where you are to where you want to be. Now studies show that people who know their why and the purpose in life tends to have better mental health.

A feeling of peace and being content feeling fulfilled from within is what you get when you start living your life to its best. But when you feel that you're not where you should be in your life, career-wise, relationally, or even how you feel about yourself, that's where we get into these motions of life - where we live our life passively.

And if you are not being intentional with the direction in which you are shaping your life, then it's gonna shape itself, and oftentimes those things are problematic because your mind never chooses what's healthy. It always chooses what's comfortable.

Now oftentimes we either don't know what feels off, or we don't know what to do about it. For those of you who like Matrix, this is the red pill and the blue pill situation. Blue pill, which is ignoring what your mind is trying to tell you, is where you start settling in life. You open doors for depression because you lose hope, and you're basically telling yourself and your mind that's nudging you to shut up and accept the way life is. To stop nudging you. To stop growing to stop living.

Now it's clear by now where I stand. I want you to listen to this voice. I want you to listen to your mind, but I also want you to recognize the cost of listening to this nudge. Initially, you might experience a mental tension between the gratitude for what you have and yearning for what you don't. For example, it could be gratitude for having a well-paying job, yet feeling that you are behind those who have turned their passions into careers and businesses.

And the second cost is that this is a growth journey, but as you grow some people will grow with you and others will be left behind, and then there will be some who will try to hold you back to where they are. For example, if you have always gone along with whatever your friends or your partner say, and now you decide to speak your mind more freely, you bet that some people in your life will welcome this change, but many are not going to like it, because they have gotten used to getting their way, and not having to think about what you want.

This struggle is a part of that growing process.

You live only once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

- Unknown

And the third aspect of the process is that you're going to have to pick your battles, and the wise know which battles are worth pursuing, and which ones are not worth your time or energy. For example, in any relationship there are going to be annoying little habits that will drive you crazy. But choosing to ignore them, so you can focus on the bigger issues, such as communication and building emotional compatibility, is likely going to be a wiser choice.

Often the gap between where you are and where you want to be exists because there is an obstacle in between. Something that you probably are aware of, but you're choosing to ignore. It's likely that you're choosing short-term benefits at the cost of your long-term goals, and you need to learn how to make intentional choices, through minute intentional changes that serve as steps towards your goals, taking your time to let each small change become a lifestyle.

This way, you are able to enjoy things in the short run as long as you keep making consistent progress and don't give up along the way. Now the second likely obstacle is that it's not just about your thinking. You likely have to change your established habits, which is really difficult, and in this video, I talk about why.

Of course your brain will go to the default, but catching yourself and stopping is important to unlearn the behavior. Because what your brain is not familiar with is alien to your mind, no matter how simple it might seem to others.

Your brain will always choose what's familiar over what's better, but the key here is not to overwhelm yourself, but it's about the small little decisions that take you in that direction. Keep the big picture in mind, but focus on your small steps.

Now you might be wondering why go through all of this effort? And the truth is that if you have everything that you want, then you don't need to change anything.

But if not, then you deserve more happiness in your life. But where is this happiness? After studying and researching for years, psychologists have identified four aspects of life that impact your happiness and the sense of fulfillment in life. So let's get into what these four pillars are and how they contribute to a rich and happy life. I talk about them in this video - Watch it now!

Why (and How) to Live More Intentionally

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