The Simple Life - Pt. 5

 

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14 ESV).

 

The last step in living simply is to be intentional. Don’t go through each day by default, letting the day and its cares dictate what you do. Intentional living has been defined countless different ways, by more people than you can count. The definition that resonates the most with me is: “intentional living is being able to answer why we do things in our life and being happy with the answer”. Intentional living is being aware of what you do in your life and why you do the things you do. This enables you to live your life with purpose, instead of just going through the motions; living with no direction or purpose. This can pertain to every aspect of your life, from why you work where you work to why you socialize with whom you socialize with. Developing an understanding of your why, generally stems from your core beliefs and values. It also comes from the desire to live a life that is full of purpose.

 

It is not all that uncommon for us to find ourselves at a crossroad where we aren’t sure what it is that we want to do with our life. It is at these pivotal moments that we have a decision to make regarding how we are going to live our life. These decisions are vital for what direction our life will take and affect our future. In these instances, there are a few things you can do, to determine the best course of action for moving forward. 

 

Start by thinking about and describing what a perfect day would look like in your life. Be sure to include every tiny detail, accounting for every second from the moment your eyes open up in the morning to when your head hits the pillow at night. What would you do to fill the time during the day? Who would you spend the day with? Where would you be, at home or on an exotic island? While this might seem like a simple, it does serve a couple of different purposes, to help you establish an intentional lifestyle. First, when you take the time to imagine every tiny detail of your perfect day, you are helping to clarify your priorities, values and dreams. You are able to determine the specifics of your perfect day, which provides you with direction to work towards. Knowing the specifics of your perfect day, will help you understand what it is exactly that you are working towards, while providing you with valuable motivation.

 

This is the simple life. It is worth the effort. It brings peace and joy in all the circumstances of life.