The past couple of months I have been blogging and posting on Social Media about Intentional Living. I recently started a Master Mind Call weekly to discuss the principles of John Maxwell’s new book, Intentional Living. I have had many people ask me just what does Intentional Living mean. This week I have been thinking about who is the one person I know who truly lives life intentionally.
…what does Intentional Living mean?
I have decided that the one person I know who not only lives their life intentionally now but has been living life intentionally for most of their life is my youngest daughter Brittany. I have 3 daughters and all 3 are very smart, positive, motivated young ladies but Brittany has always lived her life with more focus than about anyone I know. She realized her “WHY” at a young age.
She realized her “WHY” at a young age.
Next week Brittany turns 21 years old but she has been a mentally mature young lady for many years. Last week Brittany was accepted in the Teacher’s Program at Indiana Wesleyan University where she is a Junior. When she was very young playing with dolls she would always line them up and read to them and “taught” them school lessons. From the time she was in elementary she has always said she was going to be a teacher, not that she wanted to be a teacher but she was going to be a teacher.
In Jr. High she realized that to attend the college of her choice she would have to get great grades to be admitted and also to qualify for scholarships. Every night when she came home after school while in Jr. High and High School Brittany would go to her room and do her homework before anything else. At the time she was also in dance, choir, band and very involved with the children at church, but her studies always came first. In high school she began taking College Prep and College Credit courses and finished high school as an Honor Student and one of the top in her class and she chose to go to IWU to get her degree in teaching.
Britt is a detailed person. She always keeps her schedule complete weeks ahead and plans her classes and study time and works 3 part time jobs while carrying a full load at school. The past 2 years she has consistently made the Dean’s List as she intently continued her pursuit of becoming a teacher.
While until recently, Brittany may not have understood the phrase “Intentional Living”, but she has been the epitome of it, for years. She always goes after what she wants, calculates the path to get their and understands and accepts the sacrifices that may come in accomplishing her goals.
The past few months Britt decided she wanted to get in better shape and lose some weight (she looked great before she started), but she didn’t just go on a diet. She studied what foods were good and bad and what foods were needed for the proper nutrients and calorie intake and began eating correctly and exercising and walking daily. Today she has lost the weight she wanted to lose, is in best shape she has been in for years and did all of it the correct way. She calculated in detail and tracked what she ate and her exercise daily. She now knows more facts about proper diet and foods than anyone I know.
Intentional Living, is knowing your “Why”, creating a plan to make it happen, and working that plan every day, every week, every month for years.
That is how Brittany has always lived, Intentionally. I used to think she was the most stubborn kid I knew. Everyone who knew her would always talk about her “Attitude”. When she was 2 she would walk around saying “Attitude Dude”. Now I know she wasn’t stubborn, she was intent on what she wanted and how to get there.
John Maxwell may have made me keenly aware of what it means to Live Intentionally with Significance but my own daughter Brittany has modeled it for me to see for the past 10+ years.
Next week is Brittany’s 21st Birthday, so Happy Birthday to the most Intentional Living person I know today. Thanks for having “The Attitude” since you were little. What we called attitude is now recognized as Intentional Living.
Brittany I know you are going to make a difference in this world by adding value to others in a Significant way.
Signed “One Proud Dad”.
Jeff Raver is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer and has been training and coaching Top Performers for over 20 years. If you want to know more about Intentional Living contact him for a FREE Coaching Session at Jeff.Raver@BeginToWinNow.com