Ten Tips For Living an Unfiltered and Intentional Life
Hello Beautiful people,
It’s been a minute… who am I kidding? It’s been more like an hour. But I hope and pray that you and your families are all well, and if you aren’t I pray that things will get better soon. Today is December 1st, we’re officially in the last month of the year. So, whether you’re taking this month in stride or gallivanting into the holiday season, one thing that will help you both now and in the New Year to come is to do so intentionally.
In today’s blog I wanted to share tips on living both an unfiltered and intentional life.
I don’t know about you, but that’s the daily goal for me, so I hope these tips will help you as they’ve helped and continue to help me every day. In no specific order, let’s get to it!
1. Think before you speak (this includes social media posts). All your thoughts, opinions, and ideas aren’t for public consumption. I cannot stress this enough, especially in a social media driven world, it’s so easy to just hit post, but I want to caution you to really think about the words you say and the things you do. Our reputations are built by our actions and the words we speak.
2. Always ask yourself what the meaning or purpose is before you act or agree to do something. I believe that intentional living is achieved by finding meaning or purpose in everything you do. It doesn’t have to be overanalyzed or anything deep, but it needs to make sense for your life and the path that you are on.
3. Quality over quantity across the board. Need I say more?
4. Instead of focusing on a million different things, find one, two, or three things to give your time and attention to, at a time. Personally, I’ve struggled with this one so much over the years. My mind doesn’t stop going, and God blessed me with different gifts and talents, and I just want to do everything at once. But living like this will only end in one of two ways, either you get burned out or you start things and don’t finish them. For some of us it’s better to focus on one thing at a time, for others two, and some (not me lol) three. Decide what you can handle and don’t bite off more than you can chew. This will free up the mental space for you to be present and intentional in the things that you are doing.
5. Learn to sit in silence so you can hear your own voice and more importantly, hear God’s voice more clearly. This one here… game changer. Think of this time unplugging from the things that drain you and plugging inward and being charged. So many are running around with low batteries because of failure to take the time to unplug from the outside, and plug in, within. Be still, process, and listen.
6. Always be a student first, and a teacher second. Too many want to teach what they haven’t yet learned or experienced for themselves. Always be eager to learn and teach from where you’ve been, not from what you assume it’s like to be there. Also, make sure the people you are allowing to speak into your life are qualified to do so. Too many are loud and wrong. It’s also very important to be discerning when it comes to the people you seek out for advice (this is a whole blog within itself-soon).
7. Set meaningful goals. Figure out what you want to achieve in different areas of your life, such as personal growth, relationships, career, health, or hobbies. Set realistic and specific goals that align with your values. Remember, it’s okay to start small, achieving small goals can be just as impactful as achieving the big ones. This is the one I’m working on right now, so when I say we’re in this together, I’m right there with you friends.
8. Simple living. Unfiltered and intentional living isn’t hard, it’s actually quite simple. Eliminate the things that don’t serve you or your family, that don’t make you better, that don’t make others better, that bring you down or make you feel bad, that go against your values and morals… eliminate them. Simplifying your life frees up room and time for you to focus on what matters.
9. Come up with achievable daily habits that make you better. For example, setting aside time for prayer, self-care, self-reflection, reading, writing, cooking, exercise, or spending quality time with loved ones. Establishing a routine in the morning or evening is a good way to include one or more of these things.
10. Last but certainly not the least, practice gratitude. Gratitude will change your attitude. Whether you’re counting your blessings, saying them aloud, or writing them down. Do so regularly. This can and will bring a sense of peace and contentment, both of which are vital for making conscious choices to help you in your journey of unfiltered and intentional living.
It’s a journey, one that we must work at and apply these tips and others every single day in some way. We got this! Here’s to closing out our year, intentionally!
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