living with intention: creating a more beautiful life
Something that I’ve been mindful of, particularly in recent months, is living more intentionally. To me, this means taking action, big or small, in a fast-paced world of distraction that can leave us stuck in our routines. In the past I’ve felt a sense of stagnancy, when glued to a phone screen, to an endless stream of content, to ingeniously subtle ways to keep me hooked, passively stimulated. Yet I’ve been working to actively and consistently keep myself out of this state, and make choices that allow me to feel inspired, creative, contented, balanced, and rested. I’ve been thinking about making more out of my time, my precious time, to create moments that bring me joy and make me feel truly alive.
We can quickly settle in routines that trap us in uninspiring monotony, without reaching beyond them to choose activities and make changes to improve our state of mind. Social media and the infinite content abyss doesn’t help matters, converting us into robots with insatiable cravings for constant stimulation, and helping us lose our imagination, our resolve to create a beautiful life for ourselves.
Change is scary, dipping into the unknown, beyond the familiar, actively altering what our day looks like. But it allows you to take back control of your daily habits, removing ones that actually don’t make you feel good when you look more closely. Small, but powerful changes, instances of recognition: “I’ve been scrolling for nearly an hour, I’m going to drop my phone and do something else, something that might actually make me feel better, more like myself, more human”. This is the change in mindset I’ve been working on: living with intention to make my life feel better and more vibrant now, instead of looking at a long-term goal.
It all begins with recognising a change I wish to make and stating the intention, to break out of these stagnant habits and add more joy and vivacity to life. For me, examples have been: “I’m going to learn new recipes and diversify the meals I make”, “I’m going to finally try working out at the gym to feel good”, “I’m going to actively choose reading in the evening instead of staring at a screen”, and in the case of this blog a few months back, “I’m going to embrace the joy writing gives me by starting a new writing space”.
Once I have the intention, I begin acting on it instantly, and each time I recognise it as a present change in my life, it slowly becomes part of my lifestyle. There’s never any pressure or unattainable goal, but an inspiring plan of action to benefit my state of mind. It can take significant energy and resolve to change a lifestyle for the better, but very quickly I’ve seen the goodness these intentions have brought, which has encouraged me to keep going: to keep buying colourful ingredients to add to new recipes, to keep finding books I want to read, to keep going back to the gym.
I’ve felt proud of myself for bringing myself out of a rut- which has happened more than once, as things certainly aren’t linear. Inspiration comes and goes in waves. Sometimes, a period of rest and minimal effort is needed, and I break any less helpful habits that creep back in when my brain needs zero-effort means to satisfy itself. Sometimes, it just needs to exist in an absence of action, to recharge and start anew. And then I begin again, and turn to the higher-effort strategies that nurture my state of mind. Making active choices to create a more beautiful life for myself, instead of wallowing in passivity, sameness, dependency. The same meals, the same patterns that didn’t allow me to explore the world and its riches as much as I wanted. Instead, feeding my mind and body with good things, good experiences. Asking myself, “what would make life even better? What can I do to help myself feel good?”
I seek inspiration from those around me, both family and friends, and people I admire on social media. I’m very careful about who I choose to follow, and remember that I’m seeing a small percentage of a life, not a life in its wholeness. The good ideas, choices and habits I see, I absorb and use as inspiration, staying wary of natural comparison, while seeking the good I personally would enjoy myself. Social media can be a place of mighty inspiration, but nothing is good when consumed in excess- that is when the unhealthy comparison kicks in. It’s important to keep asking, “what makes me happy? what makes me feel alive?” and remembering, “I don’t need X to feel like that” and “I’m doing my best here”, “my situation and preferences will be different”.
In short, acting more intentionally has helped me take better control of my life. It’s given me ways to inspire myself, to make the most of each day, to set healthier habits. It’s helped me become less passive. I feel more empowered over my own life, and how I wish to live it, seeking good experiences by myself and with others. Sometimes stating my day’s (or week’s or weekend’s) intentions helps me stay grounded and define how I wish things to look like. Or making a statement in my head. No pressure, just a will to take life into my own hands and appreciate the time and opportunities I have to live my life well.
