Be Intentional

Practicing habits and learning habits take deliberate thought. They take a chosen effort to complete. Without the chosen effort or deliberate choice, the habit will not happen consistently and will not be instilled into our arsenal of life. Once habits are instilled, there is potential for them to become tasks we do on autopilot. We want to avoid autopilot because taking focus away from the task at hand causes us to underutilize the practice to its maximum potential. When we lack intentional effort, our bodies and mind resort to what is easiest.

If I lack deliberate choices or intentional effort when my alarm goes off at 5:30 AM, I am much more inclined to do what is easiest and go back to sleep instead of standing up and starting my day.

If I lack deliberate choices or intentional effort when I reach into the pantry, I am much more inclined to do what is easiest and grab the bag of chips instead of opting for a healthier option.

If I lack deliberate choices or intentional effort when I am getting ready for bed, I am much more inclined to do what is easiest and scroll social media on my phone instead of reading my book.

The perspective is clear. You are not “unable” to stick to a habit. You choose to lack intentionality and deliberation when making your choices. If you add the intentional framework to your life and the life choices you make, you will be much better prepared to achieve over the long run. You will also be able to change your lifestyle because through intentional thoughts and deliberate actions, you become the person you want to be. Instead of saying you wish you were fit or you wish you used less screen time on your phone, you will find yourself practicing the habits you wish to instill as fixtures in your life. Because you were intentional. This change overcoming you was not because you suddenly were able to “stick to a habit,” it occurred because you realized the perspective change you needed to have when attempting to change.

If you struggle with building habits or creating change, choose to be intentional with how you prepare and with how you practice the habit. If you struggle to get up early, go to sleep earlier AND move your alarm away from your bed so you have to stand up. For any number of habits, you can choose to make them easier to practice through intentional efforts. Avoid what is easiest, be intentional with your life.