Be Intentional (Health and Time)

Hello loves! So sorry that Part Two of Being Intentional is coming a few days later than planned. It's ironic but appropriate since today we're looking at how we use our time.

As mentioned last week, part of unlocking your full potential involves being intentional with various, important things in life, such as how you spend money and what relationships you grow. Today, we're looking at being intentional with your health and with your time.

Health

One of the biggest areas in life we should be considerate of is our health. It's something that impacts us both short-term and long-term and can also have an effect on the people around us.

I'm sure we've all heard the cliche"Your body is a temple" and that since we only have one human body in life, we should do all we can to take care of it. And for the most part, people try to live that way. Most people do their best to eat healthy, exercise, take vitamins and generally listen to their doctor's advice.

However, I've noticed that a lot of people can end up developing bad health issues because of a seemingly small habit that turns into something bigger and far more devastating over time. It can be a wide range of things-- like never stretching before an intense workout, eating too many high-sugar/high-fat food items, drinking excessively, or smoking.

Regardless of what it is, the common thread is that, as a one-off, these events aren't too bad. One cigarette, one bender weekend, or one week of never getting off the couch usually won't have an aggressively noticeable impact in an otherwise healthy lifestyle. The problem is, however, that usually, people don't just do these things one time; they become habits.

And the habits become a repetitive cycle that can have long-term negative effects.

Now, I'm not a doctor or a nurse by any means (I scraped through Biology class by the skin of my teeth, after all). And different habits affect different people in different ways. All of our bodies and health levels are unique, which is very cool, but it also means you have to take the initiative to take care of yourself. Just because your friend can seemingly eat whatever they want without any problems, doesn't mean you should. Likewise, just because you can push your muscles in high-intensity workouts without tearing or pulling anything, it might not be safe for your friend to try it.

We're all different, which means we have to be intentional about how we take care of ourselves. With our health and our bodies, we can't just blindly follow the latest trends or give in to our less-than-healthy desires. We have to take the time to see what's best for our bodies and will give us the energy and support to live the type of life we want, for as long as we want.

We only have one physical life, and to live it to the fullest we have to be intentional about keeping ourselves healthy.

Time

Which brings us to the last thing we should be intentional with in life: Time.

Time is interesting to me. Unlike everything else I've mentioned, we can't physically see or touch time. It's something that happens without our control and despite how much time we think we have, somehow it's never enough.

I think time is one of the most important things to be intentional about because life is so fleeting when you really look at it. Already it's basically August, and yet I swear sometimes it feels like I'm still in January. Time moves so fast and for people who want to fulfill their goals, reach their potential, and accomplish things in life, it can feel like we're running out of time.

(To completely expose myself as a theater kid, yes the lyrics about time moving quickly in Hamilton always gives me an existential crisis).

When it feels like we've missed certain deadlines or our behind in our life plans, it's easy to fall into a slump and dwell on the past. I've certainly caught myself doing this while looking back on the 'should've, could've' choices past-me made. And sometimes it's tricky, knowing there are certain moments or decisions we would do differently that could have (for better or worse) impacted the entire trajectory of our lives.

But one important thing about time is that it's always heading forward.

We can't pause life, no matter how hard we try, just like we can't go back and change anything in our past. All we can do is grow from who we used to be, make a plan for the future, and most importantly, be intentional with our present.

Human beings were created to live in the present. As a control freak, that's been a hard concept for me to accept, but I know it's true. And because of that, I've learned the importance of being intentional in the present moment of my life.

Being intentional with our time and how we use it affects every other area of our lives. We can choose to embrace the today and our ever-growing and changing selves or we can look at the past with regret, stare down the future with dread, and let life pass us by.

The choice, at the end of the day, is yours. And it's up to you to decide how you want to spend your time.

Love y'all!

"Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”--James 4:14-15