Are you living life intentionally or just coasting? It can be a hard question to answer, especially during a pandemic that has turned our daily lives and connections and relationships upside down. These eleven months have forced me to examine how I live and what I think. What I have learned and thought about these last 11 months is that “stuff” doesn’t happen all of a sudden. 

It happens little by little, and then the wheels come off. Think about your health, your relationships, your work. You don’t walk into your job one day and find out you are fired. You don’t one day wake up and suddenly have a heart attack. It is little things that have been happening day after day. 

You are missing deadlines, not being a team player at work, difficult to deal with, or eating large amounts of fats, sugars, and not exercising, and then all of a sudden – something terrible happens. But not really, because it had been happening little by little every day. When we coast through life, we shouldn’t be surprised when something suddenly happens – because we are not living intentionally.

Here is a secret – you don’t have to commit to doing “new” things or “new” ideas. What you have to do everyday day is “re-commit” to do the things that made you successful in the first place. Do the things at work that made you successful; show up prepared to work, be a team player, and be easy to collaborate with every day and produce. Watch what you eat and cut down on the carbs and sugars, and exercise every day.

Ask yourself, based on the last 30 days of your work and work product, would my employer re-hire me? This is a powerful question and one that you need to ask, to be honest with yourself. If the answer is “yes,” then keep doing what you are doing. But if the answer is “no,” what do you have to “re-commit” to doing that has made you a success in the past?

Living intentionally means being engaged each day. As I have talked to people about living intentionally, I have found some key or core things they do every day that are intentionally focused on living:

1. Learn something new every day. Not something new every week, something new every day. Learning something new every day is a greater challenge and takes effort.
2. Are you sweating every day? Are you working out and making your body sweat? We have become a sedentary society. Your body needs the work, and it makes a huge difference in energy and stress.
3. What are you eating? Stop just for a minute and think about what you are putting into your body. Too much of anything is never good – sugar, carbs, alcohol, fats, and the list goes on.
4. What connections are you making? Being together and being connected is in our DNA. Reach out to people and connect. This is a little more of a challenge during a pandemic, but it is still essential.
5. Are you reflecting/thinking? Stop and reflect and think. How are you handling situations at home, at work, or in your relationships? Are your words and attitudes harsh and critical? Or are you making a positive impact in people’s lives?

Just some thoughts on living intentionally. Because the last thing we want to do is wake up and “all of a sudden….”