Hello Friend!
After a long day of Simply Shreya tasks and brainstorming yesterday, I figured I would reflect on what the phrase “live intentionally” means to me, partly to share why I chose those words to be so closely associated with my blog and brand, and partly as a reminder for myself on how I want to live my life.
Let’s first focus on the word intention. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, intention is “a determination to act in a certain way.” Hence, it means to make a conscious choice on how you act or show up.
To live intentionally therefore means to live in a conscious way, where I am aware of how I am choosing to live my life and who I’m choosing to be everyday.
This is important because it puts me in the driver’s seat of my life. It doesn’t give me control of my life, but rather, I’m better equipped to direct my life where I want to go; hence, when I’m at a crossroads or a fork in my life, I make an active choice to go down one path instead of following a road aimlessly. Moreover, living intentionally brings awareness to the road I’m on right now, enabling me to be more present in my daily life and enjoy the journey more.
Additionally, living in a conscious way provides greater clarity and insight on who I am in relation to who I aspire to be; I’m aware of the micro-choices I’m making daily that are either propelling me towards growth or pulling me further from my vision for myself. As a result, it’s both empowering and brutal - I see the power I hold over my future and myself, but I am also acutely aware of the times I actively sabotage myself without reason. Just as a mirror shows both the best and worst of you, living consciously does the same.
Looking back, I’ve always lived intentionally, whether I was consciously striving for it or not. I have always been aware of who I am, who I want to be, and how I show up in the world around me; as a result, I’ve tried many different methods to bring about consistency and commitment in my life, only one of which has (mostly) worked so far. But after I began diving into Yoga and recognizing how conscious living impacts your mind, body, and soul, I’ve taken it even further to integrate living intentionally into my lifestyle and way of thought.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that living intentionally doesn’t mean living integrally; living intentionally is a necessary step in living integrally because it gives you the awareness to create a life of alignment. I’m still working towards living integrally, but I’m closer than I used to be and acutely aware of the choices that keep me from that life, which I’m working on.
Tying this back to everything I love reading and learning about, including Yoga and Zen Buddhism and biohacking among others, you’ll see that they all have one thing in common: they’re based in awareness and conscious choice. To me, no matter what your personal life philosophy is, what you choose to believe in, or what lifestyle you choose to live, as long as you live in alignment with yourself, you’ll live a good life for you.
Living intentionally has allowed me to explore and find the philosophies/ideas that are in alignment with myself, and my continuous exploration of life brings me even closer to figuring out what an integral life looks like for me. I truly love some of the ideas I’ve come to understand and find it difficult to envision who I would be without some of these grounding philosophies in my life, and none of that, or this blog, would be here if I hadn’t chosen to live intentionally and begin my exploration of the philosophies and ideas that have brought me here today.
So, the words “live intentionally” mean a lot to me.
It is the reason I explore the ideas I do, live the way I do, and learn more about the things I do - all of which culminates in this blog. This blog is the heartbeat of my journey, and as a result, the heartbeat of my own intentional life.
So, when I say I hope you live intentionally, I mean it. Together, we can both embark or continue on this journey towards a life of integrity and fulfillment and deep inner peace, and hopefully, will see the fruits of living intentionally every day. And who knows what incredible things you may bring into this world when you choose to live intentionally?
Shreya
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