At the end of every year I sit and think about what I want the upcoming year to look like. Like many of you, my goals consisted of traveling this year, getting out of the house more with my family, continue my health journey, continue to wake up at 5am etc. In the past I had vision boards, checklists and set goals, however, when I look back at the goals I did not accomplish; it didn’t feel so good. I would start going down the rabbit hole of excuses and comparisons. I’m just too busy! My goals are unrealistic! How do other people do it? If she did it why couldn’t I?
This year I wanted to do something different. I wanted to give this year a theme. A word to live by that wouldn’t make me feel less than when I didn’t accomplish something. A word that can give direction and focus to everything I do. The word that came to me was INTENTIONAL. When the word intentional came to my mind I did two things. The first thing I did was look at what was the actual definition of Intention. Webster states that Intentional means “ done on PURPOSE; deliberate.” Another meaning of the word was, “choosing to make decisions and take action on what’s important to you!” Whew, it’s that second one for me! So if intentional is my word for the year, everything I decide to do should not only be important to me but also be done on purpose with a purpose. Sounds easy enough right? why wouldn’t I do things that are important to me? If you really think about it, a lot of our “goals” that we set for the new year are not really intentional they are “just because” goals. If they really were intentional wouldn’t we work harder to accomplish them? If you set a “goal” to begin working out, at the beginning of the year, would you be doing it to intentionally be healthy or just because you see everyone else doing it? When setting goals, we should always ask, Is this important to me? When we learn to couple intent with desire, we will find it easier to accomplish a thing. So here’s to 2023! This year, I want to open myself up to develop new friendships and nurture the ones I have. Things have happened in the last few years that have cause me to guard myself from further developing and nurturing friendships. In addition, not only is making friends as an adult difficult, I am also an introvert, which makes things even more challenging (my husband doesn’t think I’m an introvert, but I digress.) So in order for me to develop and create friendships, I have to intentionally reach out to people and make myself available to others. I have to get out of my house, my safe space, and follow through with plans. I know this! Don’t get me wrong, babe I love you and you will forever be my best friend, but there is nothing like having female friends that can relate to what I’m feeling and going through from a female perspective. So in order for me to find these types of relationships I have to intentionally make time for people. The second thing I did when the word Intentional came to mind was look up what the Bible said about intentionality? Well God is an intentional God, he never does anything without a purpose and that purpose has always been to lead us back to him. Ephesians 5:8-10 NIV says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) “and find out what pleases the Lord.” Find out what pleases the Lord and do just that. As a believer in God you should always live your life to please the Lord and even though you may mess up sometimes your intention should always be to get back to God. Being that God is an intentional God, I believe it is in our DNA to be intentional. We shouldn’t do things just to do it. What we do should have purpose and be full of light so we can show others the God in us. So this year will be an intentional year for me. The things I do will be important to me and have purpose. I’m not going to do them just because it looks good or because other people are doing them. I’m doing them for me! Let’s be intentional together! Love Jomy (Lady Life)
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