Do you know what intentional means? It's an adjective and according to Merriam-Webster.com, intentional means done on purpose or by intention. It's a focused act, putting something into action on purpose and with focus. Other synonyms are: Deliberate, purposeful, willful, willed, and premeditated to name a few.
The only way forward is to be intentional.
It's so easy to sit on the couch and wait for the desire to go to the gym (not intentional) but then, what would our muscles look like? How strong would our backs be to do the work we were given? What about our work? Are we as intentional working at home as we are working at the office?
In 2020, I went 100% remote, and I was so happy! My commute was 20 feet instead of 20 miles (in the midst of work traffic), and I could sleep in longer! At first, I worked in my PJs and put a professional top on when I was to turn my camera on. While I still got more work done than I did at the office as a nurse educator, it was still too comfortable and sometimes I scrambled to put my makeup on before camera time!
Therefore, I got intentional about my morning system (how I spent my time). I figured out a system where I could still sleep in longer, read the bible and a leadership book, get dressed, and be able to apply makeup before I started work. Now, I get even MORE work done by being intentional about working my morning system and I'm READY TO GO no matter what the day throws at me.
What about being intentional about exercise? What do I do every day that I could also attach some exercise to, was my mind's question. In 2020, most gyms shut down and I thought, how can I get my exercise in other than going for walks with my dog? I could do online apps and pump our 10# dumbbells but wanted something consistent that hits many parts of the body and that was easy to incorporate into my routine. I then remembered push-ups. During an exercise class at the gym one time, the instructor led us to complete 400 push-ups in an hour. I couldn't sit up for days! The exercise to do was push-ups.
The next thing was to decide what I did every day that I could attach some exercise to. Right away, I knew. Since I drink about 3 liters of water daily, I visit the restroom frequently. Therefore, I deliberately added 25 push-ups to this routine, all day long. Within 4 days, my family was talking about how great my arms looked and the small of my back stopped hurting. as it was stronger. I later learned by reading the book, Atomic Habits, that what I intentionally set into place, is called Habit Stacking. Adding something you want to accomplish to something you do every day.
So, what do you want to be intentional about? Is there something that you are procrastinating about? Once you make a choice to tackle it, it's easy. It's allowing whatever you are to do to not get done that is hard. It continues to hang over your head until it's done! Look at it with intention and git'r done over and over and over and life will be easier for you!
In His Service,
Nancy