Food & Drink

How to live intentionally

Strap into the driving seat of your life for a greater sense of purpose and joy

Have you ever arrived at a destination with no recollection of your time on the road? Or zoned out of a conversation because your mind was elsewhere? We all allow our autopilot to take over from time to time but when we spend lots of time in the passenger seat of our lives, we can begin to feel a little ‘lost’. This is where living intentionally can help. “Living intentionally allows us to take ownership and control over our lives, helping us live with greater purpose, peace, clarity and joy,” says Georgie Clarke, confidence and mindset coach (georgie-clarke.com). “Instead of merely existing and living life on autopilot, waiting for our external circumstances to dictate our reality, intentional living puts us back in the driver’s seat and empowers us to become the masters and powerful creators of our own life.”

The practice comes with a plethora of wellbeing benefits, too – from lowering levels of stress, anxiety and depression to improved sleep and stronger relationships.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? So, why aren’t we all doing it already? According to executive coach and modern-day shaman Sarah Negus (sarahnegus.com) it’s not always easy to differentiate our own true purpose, values and desires from those passed to us through our family and societal expectations. “We are conditioned from an early age by our culture, parents, peers and teachers to fit in. This creates subconscious programmes of how we should behave, and often that behaviour goes against living intentionally,” says Sarah. “For example, somebody who wants to succeed in life may feel that they need to earn a lot of money, so they educate themselves to work in finance, law or tech, but they don’t really like what they do. Their subconscious programme led them to a life path that suppressed their creative nature. It can be difficult to overcome these subconscious programmes, and it takes time and introspection to build self-knowledge.”

So, the first step to living more intentionally is to gain self-awareness and recognise what resonates with you on a personal level. “Try to rise above the noise around you and any societal or familial conditioning that might be dictating what you think should resonate with you – instead just think about what really does resonate with you,” says Georgie. “What truly lights you up? What ignites the fire within? What makes you feel alive? Energised? Inspired? Joyful? Taking some time to sit in self-enquiry and discover what resonates with you on a personal level will help you to crystallise your goals, priorities and desires in life. Once you’ve got crystal clear on what you want out of life, you can make active choices to support those desires and take aligned and intentional action to get there.”

As wellbeing guru and author Jane Alexander says: “Once you figure out exactly who you are and what you believe in, life can become easier in many ways. You listen to your conscience before making choices. Your head and heart work in tandem so you’re less likely to be stuck in a job you hate or a relationship which hurts.”

Here are seven ways to start living intentionally today:

Make time for yourself each morning

Carving out a calm and peaceful window for yourself each morning will help to clear your head and regulate your nervous system. “Whether it’s a few minutes sitting in stillness with your morning coffee, five minutes of breathwork or 10 minutes of meditation, starting the day in a state of relaxation rather than ‘stress mode’ will improve your focus, concentration and productivity throughout the day and allow you to respond to stressful situations with ease and resilience,” says Georgie.

Drop up-comparison

“Up-comparison is a rod for your own back,” says Jane. “You do you. It may sound a cliché but it’s important. Rather than comparing yourself to others who seem to have their intentional lives all sorted out, remind yourself that you’re actually doing pretty well.”

Define your core values

Defining and understanding your core values and what’s important to you will motivate your behaviour, actions and choices in life. “Once defined, you can start consciously living a life that aligns and identifies with these values, which will ultimately help you lead a more purposeful, fulfilled and happy life,” says Georgie.

Connect to your feelings

“Ask yourself what does it feel like to live that dream?” advises Sarah. “How can you do more things that build that emotion on a day-to-day basis? If your bigpicture dream will evoke feelings of calm and peace – find ways to feel calm and peaceful now. If it evokes happiness, ask yourself what makes you happy now and do more of it.”

Find an accountability buddy

Whether it’s your partner, friend, family member or coach, find someone who can lovingly encourage you to meet your intentions. As Georgie says: “We all need a bit of encouragement!”

Most of us have a social media account but Jane urges us to question its purpose for us. “Is it a useful tool or is it running your life? Many intentional livers drop it entirely. Others use it with care and caution,” she says.

Identify what needs to change

Ask yourself what needs to change in yourself and in your life in order to move towards your hopes and dreams. “This means taking responsibility and choosing thoughtfully how you show up and who you want to be,” Sarah says.