What Are You Being Intentional About?

“Great results don’t just happen, you have to be intentional.”

~Michael Hyatt

Scripture:

Therefore see that you walk carefully, not as the unwise, but as wise, making the very most of your time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is.

~Ephesians 5:15-17

Perspective:

Intentionality is defined as living and choosing deliberately and with purpose in both words and actions, so your life aligns with what you value.  It means you are actively engaged in your life.

If you think about it, what doesn’t become better when you are intentional in your efforts, in your words and actions?  Your relationship with God, your relationships in and outside of your family, your health, your personal growth, your career, your finances…all become better when you choose to act intentionally, doing what you know you should, what is right, what God instructs us to do through His word…pure goodness and love, because those words and actions will lead you toward your best life.  We cannot control what happens to us or around us, but we can control our own behavior and thus the direction our life goes, isn’t that empowering?  Too many of us try to control the things we cannot control, such as other people, and then we become stuck and frustrated, feeling like we are on a hamster wheel and have no control.  Instead, put the effort in to trying to control the things you can control, your words and your actions!

Life can happen and evolve by chance, randomly; by the impulsive choices we make based on our momentary wants and desires; or we can guide its direction through our thoughtful choices, choices we make deliberately that align with our values and goals.  It is the latter that will allow us to have the life we wish for.  It is never in the wanting that we create the life we desire but in the doing; your best life is a verb, an action verb!  It is the small daily actions we take, what we do consistently overtime, that create our life.  Also, when we are intentional, we make less mistakes and have less regrets.

In life, if we react rather than intentionally responding, we will not achieve the results we desire.  Reactions are often harmful and something we regret, they come from an emotional place, those feelings that come and go quickly and often deceive us into thinking in destructive ways.  Responding, however, comes from a place of being, of who we are, of our identity, whether anchored in Christ or not. 

How can you be more intentional?

• Forgive others for their mistakes…even if they have not asked for forgiveness; do not let their bad behavior create an open wound in your life allowing you to be hurt repeatedly.
• Refuse to let negative thoughts stay; if you let them rent space in your head for free, it is very costly to you!  You cannot control the thoughts that come into your mind, but you CAN control what thoughts you allow to stay.  Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed and progressively changed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
• Work to become more self-aware, to see yourself as you are, not as you want to be.  Seeing your strengths and weaknesses clearly will allow you to grow and to stop repeating the same mistakes and negative patterns over and over.
• Let go of the past…what good is it doing you to hang on to it?  You cannot change it, but you CAN choose to move forward and learn and grow from it!
• Do not allow being busy to be confused with being productive; time is a precious asset we cannot get back. Be present and find joy in this moment, don’t wait for something you believe will then bring you happiness.
• Set goals, with the key steps you must take to achieve those goals, and then complete those steps in order to reach your goals.  The steps are a necessary roadmap to your goals!
• Respect your health.  We only have one body, if you ruin it with unhealthy habits you will quickly realize just how valuable it is!
• Push past fear, doing what you know is in your best interest despite the fear you feel .  As Wayne Gretzky says, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
• Work to create a close relationship with God through prayer (“be unceasing and persistent in prayer,” 2 Thessalonians 5:17), reading God’s word, obeying His commandments, worshipping Him, being part of a community of believers, and learning and loving each and every day you are blessed to be a part of.  The more you seek Him, the more you will see Him!  Be doers of the Word and not merely listeners (James 1:22).
• Practice gratitude every day (“in every situation be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Jesus Christ,” 2 Thessalonians 5:18).  There is always, always something to be grateful for; seek to see what is good and right in your life, what you seek, you will find!  Where you focus you will go!
• Be a light in this broken world.  We all seek kindness, yet do we always give it?  If we were intentional about the simple act of being kind, something everyone can do, think how different the world would be.  Doing for others actually makes us feel better, it takes our mind off our own problems!      

How you think, is how you feel, is how you act, is how you think.  Your thoughts are a powerful guiding force in your life!  Look at your life…exactly where you are in every life area is the result of how you think, of your perspective, and the choices and actions those thoughts lead to!  Your thoughts are so powerful that God made sure it was in the Bible almost 2000 years ago.  Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things.”  Too often, we focus on our destination, failing to enjoy and learn from the journey that life is.  You will make mistakes and attain success over and over again in this journey, how you perceive and then handle them is critical to your overall peace and joy.

Life Applications:

>Think about the seven different life areas: spiritual, family, relationships, health and fitness, growth and learning, professional, and financial.  What are you intentionally doing to reach your goals in each area, to create the life you dream of having? 

>>Take a minute to think about your thinking (metacognition).  If you follow your thoughts forward, where will they lead you?  Is that where you want to go?  Then you must choose to live intentionally from this moment on, to learn and grow and courageously make changes toward becoming the best version of you!