Intentional Living: How to Choose Greater Joy and Happiness Every Day

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, it’s easy to find ourselves caught up in the routine, often losing sight of our deeper goals and desires. The key to unlocking a life of purpose and fulfillment is intentional living, which the Inner Fitness Challenge Tool #6 – Setting Intentions targets. 

But how do we shift from merely going through the motions to living each day with intention? 

Let’s explore this transformation through the lens of a fitness journey—a familiar and relatable process that beautifully mirrors the steps toward intentional living.

What Are Your Intentions? 
Imagine stepping into a gym for the first time. The array of equipment can be overwhelming. And without a purpose, it’s easy to wander aimlessly from one machine to another.  

However, with a clear reason for visiting the gym, each session and exercise becomes purposeful. Similarly, intentional living begins with setting clear, meaningful intentions for your life. 

Define Your Vision

An ultimate fitness purpose might be to run a marathon, build strength, or improve flexibility. Reflect on your life’s vision. You worked on your core values with Inner Fitness Tool #3. Now align those with what brings you joy and fulfillment. This becomes your mission statement to guide the intentions you will set for each day of your life. 

Intentional Living Starts With A Purpose, Not a Plan

Goals/plans tend to be structured and one-dimensional. Intentions are as expansive as you want to make them.  Life happens and plans change. But your overall purpose does not. 

So you ate cake at the wedding. If your plan is to be sugar-free, you’ll feel failure.  But if your purpose is to be as healthy as possible, you know that being in the moment, enjoying friends and family guilt-free, is most important. Tomorrow you can fuel your body with good nutrition and keep moving forward…. no harm done. This is the cornerstone for true change. 

A good fitness plan includes a mix of cardio, strength training, and rest days. It’s balanced and realistic. Your purpose incorporates every aspect of your well-being—career, relationships, personal growth, and health. Have you clearly identified your intentions for each?

Setting intentions means you choose to be in a specific state or frame of mind that serves your highest purpose in life. 

When you’re setting intentions you’re telling yourself and the world 

1) who you want to be, 

2) what you wish to contribute, and 

3) how you choose to touch the lives of others. 

There are no limits if you consciously base your intentions on positive choices. In the process, you’ll find that you become much more productive, especially if you voice your intentions out loud to an accountability partner or coach. It puts the power of change back in your hands.

Intentional Living Takes Three Things

1. Staying Committed

Consistency is key in both fitness and life. You’ll be the best version of yourself when you build routines that align with your intentions. 

Daily Habits: Regular workouts, even if they’re short, yield better results than sporadic, intense sessions. Incorporate daily habits that support your intentions, like a morning routine that includes journaling or a gratitude practice. Small, consistent actions lead to significant changes over time.

Mindful Choices: Each choice at the gym—whether to push for that extra rep or call it a day—affects your progress. Mindfully ask yourself if your choices align with your intentions. Are you saying yes to things that nourish your soul and no to those that drain your energy?

2. Seeing Challenges not Obstacles

Just as there are days when a workout feels impossible, there will be times when living intentionally feels difficult.

Resilience and Adaptability — Injuries, fatigue, and plateaus are part of the fitness journey. Adjusting and persevering through setbacks is crucial. Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. When faced with obstacles, revisit your intentions and adapt.

Celebrate Progress — Celebrating even small wins keeps you motivated and acknowledges your hard work. Regularly reflect on your progress. Celebrate your achievements and be kind to yourself on tough days. Recognize that intentional living is a continuous journey, not a destination.

3. Building a Support System for Community and Accountability

Finally, just as a workout buddy can make a huge difference in your fitness journey, having a support system is vital for living intentionally.

Find Your Tribe: Group classes or a gym community provide motivation, support, and a sense of belonging. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who share your values and inspire you. 

Regular Check-ins: Regularly assessing your fitness progress ensures you stay on track and make necessary adjustments. Schedule regular check-ins with yourself and your coach/mentor. Evaluate your progress, reassess your goals, and refine your intentions. This ongoing process keeps you aligned and focused.

Your Intentional Life Awaits…

“Dream Big, Start Small” here’s the one thing you can do today.

Intentional living, like fitness, requires dedication, mindfulness, and perseverance. Setting clear intentions, building supportive routines, embracing challenges, and fostering a strong community will transform your life and inspire others. 

How do you set intentions? Here are two examples:

Perhaps your intention is: “I want to feel nurtured today so I have abundant energy to fulfill my purpose in life.” This will make you mindful (Tool #1)  of what you eat and drink, with whom you associate, and how you interact with people during the day. 

Or perhaps your intention is: “I want to be strong and kind so I can be at peace with myself.” Being in tune with your body sensations (Tool #2) will alert you to triggers that rob you of your peace, so you can mindfully bring your calm patience to the game. 

It’s time for you to set your intentions for this journey. Choose and write down at least one, but up to five intentions, that will impact your life in the greatest manner.

Don’t worry if you need to delete, add, or adjust this list. As you progress you might find your intentions shifting, that’s part of the journey.

Are you beginning to see how each  Inner Fitness tool builds upon another? Let’s share our experiences on Facebook or LinkedIn. And keep following the Inner Fitness Challenge on my website.