My One Goal As I Embark On Year 38 Is To Be Intentional

Be intentional in all that I do and live an intentional life. That’s it. This one goal is extremely important to me as it’s key to helping me achieve all of my other life goals. Living with intention doesn’t necessarily have a single definition, and is defined by the individual. To me, it means figuring out what values you hold near and dear to your heart, your non-negotiables, and aligning your life to those principles. Aligning your thoughts. Your actions. The people you surround yourself with. The behavior you engage in. Everything in your life. This way you live a happy, fulfilling, and intentional life.

At this point in my life I know who I am and have figured out what my non-negotiables are. However, I’ve noticed that I have been slacking and allowing things that I don’t usually tolerate to slip through the cracks. I don’t know if it’s the stress of 2020, but that ish stops now. My well being is my number one priority. I refuse to let anything or anyone kill my joy or throw me off track. Not even myself. Not anymore. I’ve already began to take action to correct my behavior, and eliminate those things and people from my life that don’t bring me joy.

I want to live a happy AND healthy life. Mind, body & spirit. I’ve been struggling with the mind part lately. Especially with the mental and emotional trauma this year has brought. I’ve been finding myself feeling deep down in the dumps and suffering with bad anxiety. Sometimes to the point that it tricks me into believing that I’m physically ill. My sleep suffers. I don’t want to do anything or be bothered with anyone. I’m going to seek professional help for this.

However, I’ve noticed that I’m really hard on myself when I have one of my “episodes”. I get extremely mad at myself for being unproductive and not completing the things that I planned to get done. I’m learning to give myself grace when I just can’t pull it together. I’m also learning to rest when I need to, even if I have to put everything down. I reschedule as necessary. This will be my way moving forward. Nothing is more important than my well being. I’m intentionally working on maintaining my mental health and wellness. By any means necessary.

As far as the body goes. I’ve been very intentional about what I put inside, and on my body. I’m a pescatarian but do my best to eat lots of whole plant-based foods as well. I cook most of my meals at home (you can see some of them on my cooking blog). I limit my intake of processed foods as much as possible, and only choose those with a short ingredient list- ingredients that I can recognize and pronounce. I’m trying to cut out gluten and dairy completely as this would be the best diet for my thyroid disorder.

However, I don’t work out. Not one bit. I can’t tell you the last time that I did. This is no good. Diet & exercise go hand and hand. No matter how good you eat, you can’t be completely healthy without exercise. I need to do better. I will do better and come up with a workout routine that meets my health goals and my lifestyle.

SHOP SIMILAR SLIP DRESSES

When it comes down to the spiritual, I’m a work in progress. Although I’m not an avid churchgoer- I believe in a higher being and have a personal relationship with God. I also have Faith and believe in the power of prayer. What I’m struggling with is holding on to negative energy. When people rub me the wrong way, I have a hard time letting go. I can hold a grudge forever. This is not healthy. It hurts no one but me. I’m working on letting things go. Past trauma. Recent indiscretions of others. Everything. I’m learning to deal with things as I see fit when it happens, so that I may move on from the situation.

I don’t need nothing blocking my blessings, or as mentioned earlier- killing my joy. I sage my space regularly. Charge my crystals with intention. And I PRAY. I also plan to get back to journaling as I find that it helps to write things down and get it off your chest. Especially when you’re not really comfortable with sharing your feelings with others. I’m going to be intentional about protecting & healing my spirit.

I have a list of personal goals that I’d like to achieve before I turn 40. But I’ve realized that I’ve been going about achieving them the wrong way. As a result, I feel as if I’m getting nowhere. I need to set intentional goals for myself- smaller goals along with action plans to help me achieve my larger life goals. This way I’ll be able to see my progress and not feel discouraged.

I am intentionally investing in my happiness and overall well being. I’m working on being the best version of me, so that I may continue to inspire other women to be the best version of themselves. That is my goal.

What does living an intentional life mean to you?