Four Easy Habits to Start Living an Intentional Life Tomorrow
In 2016, Maggie and I watched too many documentaries and got carried away trying to craft a lifestyle filled with outside suggestions. The result? Intentional Months of Living (yes, we made this up and yes, we branded it). For months, we implemented a different theme in 30-day increments into our daily routines.
The goal was to see how it impacted our lives and if we could incorporate any of the monthly habits into our long-term daily routines. April was walk 10,000 steps per day, May was meatless, June involved practicing mindfulness, and so on. We even tried a “say yes” month to whenever anyone asked for anything, but that’s a story for a different day.
These changes were extreme but led to an explosion of empowerment and helped us realize small changes to our daily habits can truly make a difference. Since then, we’ve attempted to make conscientious decisions throughout every day, with the end goal of making ourselves and the world a little better.
Looking to live more intentionally and realize self-empowerment?
Find our most helpful four habits that propel you to live the most intentional life possible, below:
Do 5 Minutes of Research before Making a Purchase
Knowing the benefits and values of the products you buy makes for a curated and meaningful shopping experience. Your money has power; be sure to use that power in a way that’s authentic to you.
Example - we had never thought twice about pots and pans until we were moving back to the US and were in the market for a new set. After researching cookware, we saw a need to integrate healthy choices into pots and pans. Enter Caraway Home! Caraway is a newer company in the cookware space specializing in ceramic cookware that does not use dangerous chemicals to seal their pans (if you want to scare yourself feel free to google “Teflon forever chemicals” 😦).
Five years ago, we would have gone to the store and looked for the cheapest option, yet that lack of preparedness can have long-term health implications and puts money in the hands of companies that don’t align with our values. A little research beforehand gave us the confidence that we could and should make the right choice for us (which happened to be Caraway).
Not sure where to start when researching products and brands? We put together a curated resource guide with our tested and recommended companies, brands, and happenings. Check it out here.
Give Yourself Permission to Keep Learning (30-Minutes per Week)
Regardless if you are an employee, entrepreneur, CEO, PHD, or current student, we officially give you permission to invest in yourself! Read that one more time, in case you need to hear it again: you have permission to invest in yourself!
The biggest takeaway from our Intentional Months of Living was simple: because we were open to learning and trying new things, we better understood what we valued (and conversely, what we didn’t). Set up at least 30-minutes per week to learn something new, completely unrelated to your field or industry.
Need inspiration? We got you covered with our educational curated content, found here!
Get Creative and More Intentional with Cooking and Shopping
We watched a documentary called Wasted; the premise is humans are wasteful and 33% of all food produced ends up in landfills. Maggie and I were big offenders here, often throwing out veggies and fruit because they spoiled. We began evaluating the food in our fridge and adopted new techniques to tailor meals based on ingredients that spoil first.
It’s creatively fun to try out new recipes by combining the ingredients we have on hand. For example, when our spinach starts to wilt or smell a little funky, we know it’s time to get creative and incorporate spinach into our next recipe.
While food is our choice of creativity, you can do this with any daily activity. Shopping for clothes, books, supplies, etc. can be fun exercises in creativity and waste management. Walk or bike instead of drive. The goal is to examine what you do today and find fun solutions to live more intentionally.
Give Up Plastic Bags, For Good This Time (Really)
I know, you’ve heard this before. But hear us out. The simple action of committing and sticking to ONE small habit pays off in the long run. Saying no to plastic bags is an easy first step.
The commitment to bring a reusable bag everywhere (and frustration when we didn’t have one) kick-started our journey and helped us believe we could live more intentionally. We learned to say “no” and create our own rules. No to waste. No to the “normal” thing to do. Yes to intentional living that worked for Maggie and me.
Is it awkward when the Walmart clerk looks at you strangely when you carry out armfuls of groceries because you forgot the reusable bags? Maybe! But it’s also impactful - you remind yourself and the shoppers around you that it can be done!
If you can conquer zero plastic bags for thirty days in today’s society, you can do anything!
Insider Hack: Until it becomes a habit, hang the bag on the doorknob forcing you to touch it every time you leave the house.
Now It’s Your Turn
Once you open up Pandora’s box of living intentionally, you just might start reevaluating all your lifestyle choices. We’re on this journey with you and would love to hear from you. What are some ways to live intentionally? What are some things you worked into your daily habit that are good for the world?