The Declaration of You” will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You’s Blog Lovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more – and join us! – by clicking here.
in·ten·tion a determination to act in a certain way: resolve
I’ve always been an intentional kind of gal. Over the decades, intention has taken on many shapes and forms, but intention has always been that one thing I credit for my achievements (e.g., I took a class in preparation for taking the SATs and in the hopes of increasing my scores from the PSATs; my hard work and focus paid off, because I raised my scores by hundreds of points!) and even some of my failures (e.g., it was with the best intention that I did that thing, though I wound up hurting friends along the way). When the smart minds behind The Declaration of You asked me to write about intention, it gave me a chance to ponder what role intention has played in my life over the past few decades.
In my teens…
- I fell in love with a summer travel/camping group so much that I paid part of my own way when my parents said they could not cover all the costs to join the same group the following summer.
- I didn’t dabble in alcohol, cigarettes or recreational drugs, despite watching many of my peers experiment; I was genuinely high on life as a high school kid!
- I put a lot of thought into the kind of college I wanted to attend and decided a mid-sized university in an urban setting would be just right for me; after visiting a number of college campuses, I was equally intentional (and unapologetic) when I deemed a large university in a college town to be my #1 pick.
In my 20s …
- I left Chicago for 10 months for a boy; when it was clear that relationship was going nowhere, I contacted my old employer, negotiated my old position (at a higher salary!) and returned to Chicago (no regrets!).
- I told myself I’d complete a triathlon and marathon, travel to Europe with friends, and buy my first condo before turning 30 (and I did).
- When I earned an opportunity to leave my position/company and join a start-up company, I was deeply pensive for days about the decision (I even bailed on a fun Halloween party, because I wasn’t in *that* kind of head space) (I took the new position and still work for that company today, 13 years later).
In my 30s…
- When my body screamed at me during my fifth marathon, I knew I needed to take a likely permanent break from that kind of distance running (and I have).
- After the passing of my last two living grandparents, I chose an annual celebration of them on their birthdays: strawberry shortcake for my grandfather (his favorite!) and visiting a museum for my grandmother (she was a docent) (although now, Sweets and I celebrate our anniversary with her in our thoughts, since we’re fortunate enough to share her special day).
- When I saw that a hottie had viewed my Match.com profile, but hadn’t reached out, I contacted him to find out why (and my now-husband will tell you that I had him “hook, line and sinker” the day I reached out).
And now that I’m staring down the barrel at 40, intention continues to take on new shapes. Having a young child reminds me to be intentional everyday. Sweets and I will never recapture this time in his life.
- We chose to celebrate Gavin’s birth, despite delivery at 31 weeks and a 5-week stay in the NICU (plus, the NICU taught us some great life lessons!).
- I have let certain friendships dwindle, preferring to focus on a smaller circle of closer friends.
- I made myself accountable, not once, but twice, to focus on goals throughout the year; and I also made a summer bucket list (that’s pretty impressive for the girl who always shunned New Year’s resolutions!).
- We don’t spend more than one consecutive night away from Gavin: working outside of the home keeps us away from him enough as it is; those hours from dinner through bedtime have played such an important role in his development; and dammit, we like reading his books and cuddling with him!
I know this list only skims the surface of what it means to be intentional. But, it’s a representative list of how I’ve helped direct my life by making very intentional choices. I cannot control everything or everyone, but I certainly have control over how I embrace my life. And, I choose to live life without regret, without remorse, without “what if” and without question that I am grateful for my own deck of cards.
How are you intentional with your life? Do you face risks in setting intentions?Are you intentionally intentional (e.g., writing down goals) or accidentally intentional (e.g., having high-level direction in your life without needing specific goals to stay on track)? How do you plan or dream about the future?
* Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary
I can’t wait to be a part of The Declaration of You’s Facebook party this Friday at 9-9:30a PST/11-11:30a CST/12-12:30p EST. We’ll be chatting in real-time about intention. Hope you can join us!
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