I’m not sure where I first heard the advice, but a couple months ago I heard or saw the phrase, “live everyday with intention”. The phrase has since stuck with me, only further being reinforced in Detroit. It has since become my overarching goal for the summer (and beyond) to live with intention. I was further motivated after watching an existential video with Bryce late one night. The video was about Jedidiah, who decided to quit his job and bike around the world. From his journey, he learned the best way to feel like you’ve lived 10,000 years is to break up the routine. He explains, “I had this fear of building this routine in my 30s and suddenly the decade would be gone...the routine is the enemy of time, it makes it fly by.” At 20, I am a decade away from my 30s, but I still panic at the thought of waking up one day and realizing all the time I wasted, all the things I could’ve done. I want to be aware of everyday I am alive.
{Full Video Here: Ten Thousand Year Journey}
{Full Video Here: Ten Thousand Year Journey}
For me, living with intention means many things. It means avoiding falling into (some) habits. Some habits, like following the same schedule everyday or eating the same food all the time, get me in a rut. My mom used to get annoyed with me in high school because I'd ask for different sandwiches every week, whereas my older brother brought the same lunch everyday for years. So especially when I have the chance to cook for myself, I like to make and try new things. If I say I want to experiment with cooking and trying new foods, that means I have to take the effort to avoid buying the same things at the grocery store every week. I came back from Eastern market one weekend with a bag full of goodies. After bragging to my mom about all the stuff I got for less than $20, she commented, “I never even knew you ate half those things”. When she said that I had a pretty big smile on my face. I felt like I was growing as a person and that I was fulfilling my goal of living with intention. On the contrary, living with intention can also mean creating new habits. I’ve always whined about how I want to read more. One day after work, I stayed downtown to read instead of going back to the apartment like I had done every other day. I can make a habit of reading, all while breaking up my routine.
Living with intention is also a mindset. It means making the conscious effort to be positive about everyday and all my experiences. Positive thoughts lead to a much more fulfilling life than negative thoughts and complaints. Instead of getting down or complaining, I try to do something to make my day better or think about all the good parts of my day. So what if work was boring that day, if I have a great run or even if I just do my boring work outside on a gorgeous day, I can change my mindset instantly. (Side note- a boring day at work rarely happens!)
Staying positive isn't all that hard though! Not when I have awesome roommates! Angela and Shelby making Oreo truffles to bring to Ben's house over 4th of July!
Lastly, Living with intention means going beyond the mindset. It means doing the things you say you want to do- turning positive thoughts into positive actions. My goal isn’t to just think with intention, it’s to LIVE with intention. Luckily, Detroit is a city for doers, and this spirit only supports my goal. However, I am still working on this one especially. I have so many things I said I wanted to do, both in my life and here this summer in Detroit. I have to keep making sure I am following through on my intentions. I want to make sure I am doing everything I can for my community partner. (I think I am, but I always want to be conscious of my contributions to Build.) I wanted to keep up with my Turkish this summer, but I have been doing a very pathetic job. I have a list of people I haven’t talked to in months and need to catch up with. I have another list of articles saved on my reading list that I have yet to touch. And, as always, I haven’t run or worked out nearly as much I would like. Granted, I have forgone some of these things intentionally because bonding with my group here in Detroit takes precedence. Living with intention also means making people and relationships a priority. I’m still learning to balance all my priorities, but, hopefully by living with intention, I can multiply the amount of time I have to learn these lessons.
Above- Detroit is for Doers was a campaign started by Bamboo Detroit, a coworking space I visited in downtown Detroit. Below- Photos from a spectacular weekend in Manchester, MI! Thank you to to Heuser family for everything! Part of living with intention is appreciating the beautiful people and places around you!
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