The Secret to Living an Intentional Life
You must have a bias toward action if you want to do work that matters.
No mission-driven professional wants to leave anything on the table and regret not fulfilling their biggest dreams.
Like any other marketing channel, Twitter is what you make of it.
There are plenty of thoughtful and inspiring people on Twitter with whom you can interact.
One of those individuals is Chris Do, founder of The Futur. A self-described “Loud introvert with a big mission: Teach 1B people how to make a living doing what they love,” Chris shared, “Die with intentions or leave a legacy of action. You decide.”
I’m always intrigued by declarations that contain the word “or.”
Yoda would have said, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Chris infers that having good — or great — intentions without action is pointless.
You must have a bias toward action if you want to do work that matters.
Does it mean you have to choose one or the other? Can we reframe the declaration as and/both instead of declaring that you must either “die with intentions” or “leave a legacy of action”?
No mission-driven professional wants to leave anything on the table and regret not fulfilling their biggest dreams.
How Can You Live an Intentional Life?
Know your purpose. The first step toward leaving a legacy is to design your future. Envision your future. If you’re stuck, write out your eulogy or your legacy. Writing a legacy story for yourself or your company can help you create focus and find clarity for who you are, what you do, and why it matters. Write out your legacy for your future self or brand. Don’t minimize the glory of its life-changing achievements and the impact it makes in the world.
Create a manifesto. “Manifestos are active,” says author Todd Henry. Rather than a mission or vision statement, a manifesto is active. It forces you to say yes or no. It’s impossible to read a manifesto without thinking, “I’m in or out.”
Envision your impact. You create impact when you’re on a mission to achieve something that endures. The best way to create a lasting effect is to live every day with a clear vision of the kind of impact you want to make. Make choices that commit you to success. That’s what legacy is all about.
Create Goals. When your goals align with what you’re on a mission to accomplish, it makes it easy to say yes to what matters and no to things that are potential distractions.
Be focused. Jony Ive, former SVP of Design for Apple, says, “What focus means is saying no to something that with every bone in your body you think is a phenomenal idea, you wake up thinking about it, but you say no to it because you are focusing on something else.”
It’s good to be resolved to create a legacy, but that last principle makes eternal impact possible, especially when you allow God to lead your way.
The authors of the Bible wove focus throughout the Bible to remind us how to live intentionally and revealed how to apply focus to our life in Christ:
Focus your heart on what matters: “Focus my heart on fearing You.” (Psalm 86:11 GOD’S WORD Translation)
Focus your mind: “Focus your thoughts on those things that are considered noble.” (Romans 12:17 GOD’S WORD Translation)
Focus on God’s eternal plan: “Focus on the things that are above.” (Colossians 3:1 GOD’S WORD Translation)
Focus on your life and example: “Focus on your life and teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:16 GOD’S WORD Translation)
Focus on Jesus: “Focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2 GOD’S WORD Translation)
Focus on the future (the one thing): “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” (Philippians 3:13 New Living Translation 2nd Ed.)
Intentional living means focusing on your Savior, goals, and His plan for your life. Don’t get distracted.
Thanks for prompting this conversation, Chris.
“Live intentionally and you will create a legacy.”