25 ways to be more intentional
Intentionality, Choices and Why
First, why is intentionality necessary. This is simple; intentionality is about taking control of what you CHOOSE to do, responding, reacting, taking action, and creating balance and satisfaction.
You can’t be intentional if you don’t know your why?
Your why provides a specific what of your intentionality?
We make choices every day, yet how many are considered and intentional?
How many are habitual?
Are you intentional in what you do?
Let’s look at what drives intention from the types of choices we apply daily:
Habitual choices
The choice starts with “I always do it this way” and ”it’s how it works for me”, so even if it is a right/wrong choice, you will choose to do it anyway. The good habitual decisions are the ones that connect us to our self-care-health, wellness, being, and living our value set. The wrong choices are the ones that carry a pang of guilt with them, and we carry on doing them as a validation of I do it this way.
Forced choices
These choices can be very damaging, and it’s when we go with the flow to “fit in”. Do as we are told even when it’s against our own value set. Those decisions and choices make us feel uncomfortable and capable of deleting them as we get defensive about making them. We have to be candid with this unhealthy choice option as we are uncertain or feel coerced. These carry blame and shame with them.
Considered Choices
The healthiest of choices, if we pause and consider the option, we feel and act with kindness, consideration to ourselves and others. We don’t always know the change that occurs from our choices; however, if considered, we have more acceptance and the ability to move on without guilt, blame, or shame. And see the option as it is intended to impact.
Intentionality starts with Self-awareness.
Are you self-aware? Check the choices above again and see how are you making most of your options today? If you are unsure you are not highly self-aware, and that’s work you will need to do, simply start being more intentional to raise your self-awareness. To do this means thinking before acting on a decision and reflecting and considering responses- not assuming. Pausing before doing and then working through the outcomes.
Ask yourself, how do you choose?
What does choice mean to you? The choice is self-representation, this is critical to understand as your choice is how others see your intent, so we should be more considered and aware of it.
We have a choice to respond, ignore, react, procrastinate, take action, gossip, share, care, lead, behaviour, attitude. EVERYTHING is a choice and being intentional is too.
We are responsible ONLY for ourselves and our choices.
You can choose to blame others, yet that choice is to avoid, deflect and not accept our responsibility. The intentional choice is ours in all we do. Acknowledge. Accept. Act. You can apply these to any situation or decision you need to choose from intentionally. That intention is a moment, a few seconds, a micro, or it may be 24 hours.
There is something about experience that forces you to value the time in and ON your business and life. You have choices (if you are making these non-intentional reflect on habitual and forced decisions). To be IN your life, or ON your business is achieved by being purposeful and intentional. Being intentional requires a level of definition and specifics.
It requires you always to consider the right questions to ask ourselves to do it each day.
This list of questions you can ask yourself. All affecting our intentional choices we can make across our personal, professional and purposeful.
Being intentional is as simple and complex as deciding and answering the answers to:
1. Who are you?
2. Who do you want to be?
3. What do you believe?
4. Who are you as a colleague or a Leader?
5. What do you care about?
6. Does this intent add to the core things you are working on?
7. Why do you care about it?
8. What drives you forward?
9. What could you do in your life to add purposefulness to it?
10. Does this intention align with my purpose?
11. Does this intention connect with my values?
12. Does this intent compromise my ethics /morals?
13. Does this intent divert my focus from core goals?
14. Are you Reactive or considered?
15. Intentional or ignorance?
16. Spontaneous or Structured?
17. Fun or Serious?
18. Aware or unaware?
19. Do you Exercise? If not, why not?
20. Do you Meditation and or use Visualisation (We use Dollar Dream Club Practices), if not, why not?
21. Do you focus on your Nutrition, if not, why?
22. Do you plan time for fun, creativity, hobbies? If not, why not?
23. Do you apply single task mind Focus (We use our FireStarter NLP for this)? If not, why not?
24. Do you share gratitude in your business? (we use SoulFood -Genuine, Personal, Specific feedback). If not, why not?
25. Do you share Love, Kindness First? Or assumption and Negativity? If so, why?
Assessment of your Intentional Progress is to use these questions to assess your intentionality. Look at your answers can you answer them intentionally and with concise YES or NO?
If YES and you know you are why, great, keep up the good intentional focus
If NO, review the questions again and explore they why.
Plus, you could add more things to do to enhance your intentionality.
Write down the beliefs you have about being the best version of you?
Write them down and decide, do they enable you enough?
Do you have a leadership brand? If not, why not? Can you review, assess, or measure success?
What would happen if you did measure it?
Decide ONE thing today to get started – do not generalise or be vague. Concise, specific, direct and clear.
Our intentional choices are our responsibility - we choose to respond, react, change our thoughts, support, lead, guide, or we can choose to offend, insult, gossip, defy your own values.
What do you choose?
Our choices shape our days, our lives, our relationships, us. Everything is a choice. As Dave Evans Founder of RLC global once said
”You can make choices every day without consideration, or you can choose to consider every choice~ you make the difference.” Dave Evans
And remember that no action is action and a choice.
We’ve shared many ways to start teaching yourself how to make intentional choices. We own accountability of choice, choosing our attitude, mindset whether personal or professional it all comes down to what will you choose to: do, say, act, respond, remain silent, challenge, question, support, guide, nurture, listen, care as we go into the weekend consider your choices
WE MAKE CHOICES EVERY DAY. EVERY CHOICE CREATES A CHANGE. MAKING IT INTENTIONAL IS WHERE CHANGE OCCURS.
Our biological body is making innate choices for us every day, these we don’t control, and still, the same things happen the body makes choices, and we experience changes.
The psychological, emotional, mental, and physical choices we own fully are responsible for our actions (intentional decisions). Apply to any situation or decision you need to choose from intentionally. That intention is a moment, a few seconds, a micro, or it may be 24 hours.
We also coach an RLC technique called S+C-(i)=O. This is also a great way to make considered intentional choices. Watch here.
The key thing in making intentional choices takes a bit more work than just going with the flow. If you want to create the change you wish to, then intentional decisions are in your control.
It’s now up to you to choose.
Will you be intentional?
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