Setting an intention a day, has been quite personal.
It required constant self-examination which helped to develop my self-awareness.
This challenge came at just the right time for me, I know we aren’t 100% there yet but I had a few anxieties around life returning to what we now know as “life pre-covid”. My main concern was how I would feel going back to the busyness of training, commuting and working at my actual workplace(s) as well as attending to other things that require me to leave my house.
I’m not a homebody in the slightest but when the only option was to remain at home, I realised that maybe a part of me really is.
The reason I had these anxious thoughts was because the pandemic and subsequent lockdown(s) showed me a life that was less chaotic, gave me time and space to do what I wanted, that wasn’t dictated by external factors like a work rota or a strict training schedule. It gave me the opportunity to slow down and choose exactly how I spent my day and that level of autonomy was wonderful. I chose what was important to me and negotiated my time exactly how I pleased. I even joked with others saying how this must feel to be rich. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that I dislike work or training because that’s really not the case, but the level of freedom I experienced during those lockdowns were great.
It only reinforced my ideal life which to clarify isn’t a life stuck indoors, but if you haven’t already figured it out it’s a life where I am free to manoeuvre how I like and a life where I’m not dictated by factors outside of my control.
I’m not in denial either, I know I need to work to live.
But, money isn’t my driving force. Freedom is.
So I do jobs that I truly enjoy which give me a sense of fulfillment; I know I’m speaking from a place of privilege because this isn’t everyone’s reality and I’m really grateful. I’ve just always been like this, that’s why I’ve never worked full time; instead, I have jobs that grant me a level of flexibility.
During the lockdown(s) when I didn’t have access to facilities, training was adapted and involved a significant amount of sessions on my own. Being on furlough at one job and working remotely in my other role meant I had the most space I’ve ever experienced which revealed what a life looked like where I prioritised things that I truly value.
So yes, I did this challenge because I felt myself slipping into robotic like behaviour with the days washing over me, where I no longer had “time” to prioritise the things I love but instead squeeze them in around work, commuting, training and other commitments.
Because I knew this wasn’t how I wanted to live, I felt irritated.
Reflection would be useless if I didn’t act on it and try my best to implement what I’ve learned from this pandemic into life today.
Setting an intention a day brought back focus. Each day I set an intention I was deliberate and acted with purpose.
I created the day I wanted for myself by being clear on what I aimed to achieve.
I regained a level of control.
I took hold of my day rather than my day taking a hold of me.