Intentionality

How do we live if we are not intentional about living?

What purpose for life remains if it is not lived on purpose?

Intentionality… without it, there is no goal other than emotional gratification.

Without intentionality, there is no path to walk other than the one that has been worn down by the thousands who have walked before.

Without intentionality, life becomes like a feather floating in the winds. Values drift upon the gentle tides of time. Morals become subject to the strong current of society.

If we do not act on purpose, we stand only for our emotions and die for nothing.

A life absent intentionality is a life refusing to search for purpose.

Why intentionality?

Why is this the crux of purpose?

We humans are decision-makers. And that is life… making decisions - one after the other. We grow and learn, things happen, and we choose. We choose based on how we feel, what we want, what we have experienced, how we think, what we believe, and many other factors.

To live intentionally means to set our eyes on a goal and make decisions that adhere to selected principles and allow us to achieve that goal.

Living intentionally is hard, though

It requires sacrificing what we want now because we value the goal more than our immediate desires.

It requires strength because our goal may not align with other people’s. We will have to swim against the current.

It requires courage because only the bold dare to embark on the daunting journey of searching for purpose.

It requires endurance to persevere until the end of one’s days.

It requires confidence that the goal is one worth pursuing

And it requires faith to believe that the goal is real.

These things – sacrifice, strength, courage, endurance, confidence, and faith – are evident in those who are intentional about life. And they are exhibited day in and day out, today and every day.

Intentionality is like a fire. Some days, it burns brightly; some days, it barely flickers – but it is always burning.

Intentionality is like a bee. It may, at times, get tossed by the winds like a feather, but it never loses sight of the flower it is flying toward.

Finally, intentionality is like a student, always humbly learning and passionately growing. It may make mistakes and veer off path, but it always returns, tirelessly seeking truth.

So, as I try to become more intentional, here are the questions I ask myself:

Do I have a goal - a purpose I am charging toward?

Is this purpose grounded in evidence, and am I certain that it is a worthy pursuit?

Does every part of my life point toward that purpose?

Am I simply allowing myself to be tossed by waves and swirled by the winds, or am I truly living life on purpose?

'Focus' - taken by a dear friend in Alaska