Thoughts on the Week #1 – Time

I thought I would have a problem remembering it’s 2016 when I wrote down dates as I usually do in any new year, but that hasn’t been the case. Although to be fair, I was over 2015 by October. 2015 bored me in ways that I have never experienced and have no wish to experience again. There was a lot of stagnation (like a scratched DVD) that made me wish I could skip forward. Granted, this was mostly my fault as I allowed elements that should have been dealt with a long time ago to keep having power over my life. All I’m going to say is that I’ve finally learned my lesson. In an unnecessarily painful way, but lesson learned.

Life is short. I’ve known that but in a cliche abstract way. Now I see it as a cruel but necessary reminder of all the things I need to get done before my time is up. It’s the realization that I have a lot of dreams and that it’s going to take a lot of work to see them come true. It’s the regret of time wasted relearning lessons I should have already learned that could have been better spent building my dreams.

I’ve become slightly obsessed with how I spend my time and with whom. What this has taught me is that I have not been living an intentional life. Yes, I’ve had goals and achieved a number of them but I’ve not been as thoughtful about my decisions as I should have been. Now I am and the more I am, the less difficult it is to stay on course. Normally, I would be struggling to work out and eat clean by this time in a new year after making fitness a new year resolution. I don’t have that problem in 2016. This is the year I actually get that beach bod I have been ‘working’ towards for 2 years. Why am I so sure? Because I realize that my fitness goals are completely up to me.

I’m excited about 2016, and not in a ‘new year new goals’ type of way but in a ‘I’ve figured out what I want and I am finally ready to go get it’ way. Living an intentional life has made decision-making straightforward for me. Everything I do must be beneficial and must propel me closer to my goals. My well-being is incredibly important because I realize I can’t achieve my best if I’m bogged down by unnecessary baggage, so toxic people and situations are therefore no longer entertained.

At the risk of sounding like a motivational speaker, (who am I kidding I would jump at the opportunity to bag an extra pay cheque) a life lived with intent is the best way to live. Not only does it save you time as you immediately cut off any toxic elements as soon as you recognize them, but also gives you the confidence to achieve your goals. There’s no such thing as an overnight life makeover but small steps taken in the right direction lead to the life you want. I’m happy to be taking those small steps.