3 Ways to Begin the Journey of Living With Intention
There has been a recent trend of living intentionally, but intentional living has started to look like only one thing online.
Soft mornings.
Neutral kitchens.
Slow coffee.
Minimal schedules.
Sunlight filtering through linen curtains.
And while that version may resonate with some people (including myself), honestly, it’s just not the full picture.
Intentional living is not a pace.
It’s not an aesthetic.
And it’s not a personality type.
For some people, living intentionally looks like slowing down, but for others, it looks like building something boldly and unapologetically.
The difference isn’t speed.
It’s alignment with purpose and values.
What Intentional Living Is (and Isn’t)
Intentional living is not about quitting your job, moving off-grid, or rejecting ambition. It’s not about doing less for the sake of doing less.
It’s about asking yourself a quieter, more honest question:
Why am I doing this?
🌿 Why am I structuring my days this way?
🌿 Why am I saying yes to this commitment?
🌿 Why am I chasing this goal?
🌿 Why am I rushing?
🌿 Why am I resting?
Asking these questions will help make sure your ambition is actually yours, ensure your productivity isn’t inherited pressure, and recognize when you’re operating on autopilot and gently reclaiming your space.
Intentional living is about choosing your life instead of drifting into it, and allowing it to choose you.
What Living Intentionally Can Look Like in Real Life
Intentional living doesn’t look the same for everyone.
For one person, it might mean pulling back by recognizing that you’ve been moving at a pace that doesn’t match your current season and allowing yourself to rest without labeling it laziness.
For another, it might mean stepping forward by finally building the thing you’ve been afraid to claim, waking up early not because you “should,” but because that’s when you feel most alive.
For someone else, it might look like setting firmer boundaries, pursuing a degree, simplifying your calendar, or leaning into ambition in a way that feels grounded instead of pressured.
When your choices reflect your values, something shifts internally.
Your nervous system softens, the constant bracing begins to ease, and you stop performing and start participating.
Learning from Natural Rhythms
The more I’ve paid attention, both to my own life and to the natural world, the more I’ve realized how much of our exhaustion comes from misalignment.
Plants don’t bloom all year. They don’t apologize for dormancy. They don’t try to fruit in winter just to prove they’re alive.
They move in cycles: growth, rest, pruning, renewal.
We are not separate from that rhythm.
Living with intention means recognizing that there are seasons for expansion and seasons for rooting, days for productivity and days for integration, and there are moments to build and moments to simply tend.
When this awareness is practiced, you stop forcing uniformity, and you begin responding instead of reacting.
Which is amazing because you get to choose instead of inheriting the hand that life is dealing you.
Your life doesn’t necessarily get slower; it gets clearer, and clarity is grounding.
3 Ways to Start Living More Intentionally
Before we get into these steps, I want you to know that you don’t need to overhaul your life to begin.
Intentional living starts with awareness, and it’s a continuous process because…well…life happens. Sometimes you will have to pivot and adjust, so systems you might put in place at one point won’t always work as life moves forward.
With that said, here are 3 ways you can gently check in with yourself throughout your journey:
1. Identify Your Core Values
Ask yourself:
What actually matters to me right now?
What do I want more of in this season?
What feels draining?
Write down three values that feel steady and true.
2. Notice Where You’re on Autopilot
Pay attention to:
Automatic yeses
Habits that feel rushed
Goals you’re chasing without clarity
Simply noticing is powerful.
3. Make One Small Choice Differently
Intentional living doesn’t require dramatic change.
It might look like:
Saying no to one commitment.
Blocking 30 minutes for focused work because it aligns with your ambition.
Taking a slow walk without your phone.
Having a difficult but honest conversation.
One chosen action can recalibrate your entire day.
Grounding Practice: A 5-Minute Alignment Reset
If you’re unsure where to start, try this:
Sit somewhere quiet, even if it’s just your car, before you step back into the noise of the day.
Take a few steady breaths.
Then ask yourself:
What am I currently building?
Does it reflect what I value?
What would feel more aligned today?
You don’t need to have the perfect answers, just be aware of what comes up.
Journal Prompts for Intentional Living
Another great way to check in with yourself is to journal. This has been a HUGE practice of mine as I’ve navigated life. Here are a few prompts I’ve used in my own life to focus in on my intentions:
Where in my life do I feel most aligned right now?
Where do I feel rushed or pressured?
What season do I believe I’m in? Growth, pruning, dormancy, or renewal?
If I stopped performing for a moment, what would I choose differently?
What does ambition look like when it feels clear instead of forced?
Sit with the prompts and just let it flow out of you, and remember you don’t need to solve your life in one night.
Final Thoughts
Intentional living is not about becoming someone new. It’s about getting to know who you already are.
Your pace is allowed to change.
Your ambition is allowed to evolve.
Your rest is allowed to deepen.
Your growth is allowed to look different from what it did last year, or even last month.
There is no single version of you that you are meant to maintain forever.
Seasons shift. Energy shifts. Priorities shift. And when you live intentionally, you give yourself permission to shift with them instead of fighting to stay the same.
It’s found in doing what is true for you, and that begins with awareness.
