Intentional living happens when you align your living and purchasing choices with your values and beliefs. It’s such a simple concept. You believe in something. You make choices to support that belief throughout your life and environment. And, as with most simple concepts, living intentionally may be difficult to integrate into your day-to-day life.
This could mean choosing to patronize a local retailer, choosing to plant native plants in your landscape, choosing to only bring handmade furniture into your household. As long as the action confirms and promotes your beliefs and values and is done with consciousness, you are practicing intentional living.
For example, someone who believes that honeybees need support might plant their yards with snowdrops, peonies, and lavender. I remember as a child having to trick-or-treat for UNICEF (Thanks to everyone who hooked me up with a quarter And a piece of candy!). Occasionally, people purchasing furniture from us talk about searching across the area for pieces from the amazing artisans who live in North Carolina.
Valuable
Often people make the choice to live intentionally because they want deeper meaning in their lives. Beyond a simple political statement or technique for deciding which plants to put in their landscape, those who embrace intentional living do it to ensure that each action they pursue means something.
You can also choose to not take action because of meaning. For example, I have a friend who decided that picking out what to wear in the morning took attention away from other activities she wanted to pursue. It was her least favorite thing to do. And she usually ended up spending way too much time making this decision.
To avoid this daily decision, she decided that she would only wear black and lime green. (She knew she needed to have that pop of color to maintain happiness.) She weeded out her wardrobe and committed to this color scheme. Now, she can just reach into her closet and pick out whatever. It all matches! No more time spent deciding what to wear. This solution allows her to devote more time to her passions such as her grandchildren, landscaping, and knitting.
Living intentionally allows you to manifest your beliefs and values into physical actions. With this deepened connection, your day-to-day life transforms so even a simple trip to the grocery store may become a meaning-filled experience.
