Intentional Living
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
Annie Dillard
According to U.S. News & World Report, 80% of resolutioners fail. With such an overwhelming failure rate, maybe we need a new tradition. Instead of creating an overwhelming list of new year’s resolutions, that let’s face it, probably won’t make it past the middle of January, we are following a new tradition. Enter choosing a powerful, meaningful word that sets the tone for how you treat yourself and act towards others.
As we roll into a new year and a new decade, we have chosen a word to live this year
Intentional living means creating a deliberate, conscious plan and then living by it. It means being aware of the choices we make and how they impact our daily lives. For example, being aware of the things we listen to, the things we eat, the things we purchase for our new home, and the things we say to ourselves.
Three Key Aspects of Intentional Living
1. Intentional Time
As a newlywed couple who spends the majority of the time apart, living intentionally means blocking out chunks of time to spend quality time together. It is very easy to get home, eat dinner in front of the TV and then binge-watch Netflix while scrolling on Instagram. Anyone else guilty?
Our goal is to set aside blocks of time where we can spend meaningful time together. For
2. Conscious Purchases
Now more than ever, we are going to need to be aware of mindless purchases. With even less space than our condo, the things we bring into the trailer need to have a purpose and a home. One important discussion that needs to happen when roaming the aisles of HomeSense is “where is this beautiful lamp/painting/knick-knack/candle/etc. going to live“? What is the purpose? Is it just clutter?
Also, we plan to be more thoughtful about our environmental impact. We recently watched Broken on Netflix and was horrified by how little is actually recyclable. A focus will be to purchase second hand, limit single-use items, and reuse and repurpose as much as possible!
3. Living in the Moment
Lastly, we are going to focus on living in the moment. We have five months before we take off for fulltime RV life. It is easy to wish that time would fly by so we can get to the “fun stuff”. But what about that five months that would just disappear? We won’t get that time back.
So for the next five months, we are going to enjoy the journey. There is something to look forward to long term but we also have every day to look forward to. Instead of wishing for things to go by faster, we will savor the time we have right now.
What does intentional living look like for you?