Dr. Kathleen Hall: Live an Intentional Life®

Living an intentional life calls us to deepen our lives and perform at our potential reducing our chronic stress. Intentional living consists of three key factors that can affect us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

There are three ingredients, or components that are the foundation for living an intentional life. They are awareness, choice, and energy, which is easy to remember as ACE your life. The key is to become aware of these three key elements in your life and learn how to navigate them.

Living an intentional life begins by developing your awareness (A) of the daily experiences of your life, by “listening to your life.” Listen to what ignites your passion and creativity, to what gives you energy. Listen to what drains you, distracts you, and irritates you. These are the first clues to becoming more conscious of the nature of the life you now live, the one you have already created. Write down what you are becoming aware of in your life.

This awareness leads to a desire to exercise intentional choice (C) in your life. Once you become aware that your life is the result of a series of your choices, you realize the life you are currently living is a result of the choices you have already made. It is time to take responsibility for your life. Victim mentality ends when you understand the power of choice. You may not control many of the circumstances in your life, but you can choose your attitude and intentions in response to circumstances.

Developing your awareness and making intentional choices creates new energy (E) and power in your life. When you begin listening to your life, you become more aware of what you are eating, who you are living with, and where you go to work each day. You will begin to notice an energy swelling within you as you become more aware. If you choose to stay in a challenging job or relationship, you can choose to change your attitude. You will make new and different choices, because you now know that life is your choice, and you are the hero of your life, not the victim. You will radiate confidence and a new sense of your own power. As you follow this energy, you will be lead down the path to your intentional life. Your energy fuels your passion and as a result you experience the joy of living an intentional life.

As you live an intentional life, you begin to grow downward and inward rooting ourselves deeply into a healthy and intentional life. You begin to experience a deeper understanding of the simple, the mundane and the ordinary moments, which brings real happiness, inner balance and fulfillment. Living an intentional life redefines success by creating depth, meaning and purpose in your life.