Intentionality has been on my mind a lot lately- even the algorithms have caught on!
In his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, John Maxwell outlines as Law #1- The Law of Intentionality. There is so much more to it, but one of my biggest takeaways is that growth happens on purpose. We hear a lot about how someone has been through something challenging and they were changed through the experience. That is growth. We also know people who have been through a challenge who come out the other side- the same. No change. Why is that?
It has a lot to do with mindset. Does the person have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset? Are they open and willing to change? Do they embrace change and personal growth? Growth is intentional. If the person wants to be changed by a situation, most of the time they will be.
Be intentional, in general, has far reaching implications for us living a beautiful, happy, engaged life. When we are living intentionally, the decisions we make reflect a level self love and care we have for ourselves. We won’t always make the best decisions, but if operating from a place of intention, we will do quite well. We will also start to view most actions and decisions as correct, as we can view them as a bridge to what is the right thing.
Places we can be intentional; people we spend time with, conversations we have, books we read and anything we take in through screens, the activities we weave into our days and weeks, focus on goals, considering what is good about ourselves and seeing our own goodness, self talk, habits that support us and help us to reach our potential and lead us to living our most fulfilled and meaningful lives. Just to name a few.
Go around in your life this week with intention. Stop yourself from doing anything that is not in line with what is leading you in the direction you want to go. Habits rule us if we are not intentional. Just being intentional about being aware and noticing what we are doing with our lives is a great first step. Write down what you are noticing each day. Ask yourself- how might I be more intentional with this? With that? In this situation?
Remember the spirit of experimenting and enjoy the process of learning about yourself.