If You Want a Different Life Make Different Choices

Get intentional and take control of your life

In a time when so much is out of our control due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there’s one thing that remains in our control — our choices.

I don’t know what kindergarten will look like when my daughter starts in the Fall.

I don’t know when I can have a game night with my friends again.

I don’t know how long until wearing masks is no longer the new normal.

And I have no idea when toilet paper will be in stock again.

But I know one thing — I am, and will always be, in control of the choices I make.

When we’re intentional about the choices we make we create the life we want on purpose. Having the life we want won’t happen by accident. It takes effort to live with intention, especially when we’re used to living on autopilot. But it is a choice — one entirely within our control.

We can’t change that we are living in a pandemic. But we can change how we approach each day.

Choose to take responsibility for your life

Getting started on the journey of living with intention is simple: take responsibility for your life.

You will never become the person you want or have the life you want by accident. It only comes from intentional and consistent choices. You have to become an active participant in your life.

You have to stop waiting for things to happen or for someone to save you. You have to take action.

Make the conscious choice to invest in your future self by making choices every day that help you become happier and healthier.

I still struggle with making the right choices sometimes. But what I’ve gained is a clear direction. When I get sidetracked or just plain lazy, it’s easier to find my way back to the path because I’ve thought about it.

Learning to take responsibility for my life is a lesson I learned many years ago but had forgotten. About nine years ago, I was in a car accident that turned out to be one of the biggest blessings in my life. What followed from that accident was a series of events and choices that led to immense transformation and ultimately to meeting my husband.

After the accident, I chose to end a toxic relationship I had been in which left me depressed and feeling awful about myself. I was stuck in a habit of negative thinking. I knew I wanted to change but had no idea how. I wanted someone to tell me what to do to feel better. I wanted someone to save me.

Then I read a book called The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy. In it, Murphy writes something to the effect of, “Wise thoughts lead to wise actions.” Wait, what? You mean you can choose your thoughts?

“Thoughts lead to feelings. Feelings lead to actions. Action leads to results.” T. Harv Eker

Even though I was in my mid-twenties at the time, it was the first time I ever considered the fact that our thoughts are in our control. That I could choose to stop having negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.

That led me to the realization that I had to take control of my thoughts and my life. No one was going to save me. I had to take action.

It started small — answering the phone when a friend called (which can be hard when you’re depressed) and ultimately saying yes to an invitation that led me to meet some of my closest friends and my husband.

The accident taught me one of the most important lessons I’ve learned: If you want a different life, you have to be intentional and take responsibility for your life. When I did that, every single area of my life improved.

The lesson a pandemic can teach us

What this pandemic can teach us, if we let it, is to slow down and get intentional.

Look ahead to the end of this pandemic — a month from now or six months from now. What will your life look like if you do everything the same? If you are already living your best life and being exactly who you want to be every day, then great! Keep doing that. Also, please share your secrets.

But if you’re not there yet, what could your life look like if you change one habit? If you start doing one thing you know you should do? If you stop doing one thing you know you shouldn’t?

What if you ate and moved your body with intention?

What if you spoke to your kids or spouse or parents with intention?

What if you used your phone and put it down with intention?

What if you breathed with intention?

If you think about it, this pandemic has already forced us to live with intention.

More likely than not, we have become more intentional about grocery shopping. We plan our list ahead so we can be in and out. We take precautions like using delivery services or wearing a mask.

I’m guessing you also wash your hands 2,000 times a day more than before.

We also have to make the conscious effort to call or speak on video just to see each other and stay connected.

In these unique times is a gift: a lesson in living every moment with intention. We just have to make the choice.

If you want to live with intention ask yourself: what choices do I need to make today to be where I want to be and to feel how I want to feel?

And in case you’re already thinking it — time is not the problem. More likely than not you have way more time than usual these days. There are no weddings, play dates, or vacations filling up your days.

The only thing standing in the way of you being who you want to be is your choices. Not time. You have enough time. It’s up to you to choose to get intentional about how you spend the time you do have.

The good news? We are empowered to change our own lives.