Living Consciously with Intention

“I'm/It's busy!”

This is the most common phrase I hear when I ask the simple question “How are you? or “How are things going?”. It’s almost become a badge of honour to share that we are “BUSY”.

I often pause at that moment to allow people to share their experiences and tell me what’s going on for them. This usually highlights the cycle that I often see people on – the cycle of “CHASE”. 

In 2019, I walked away from a work I thought I loved. I had realised I no longer wanted to showcase my “skill” for a “product or service”. I realised that I worked to develop people and enable them to shine, but as many businesses and their cultures would have it, the work was only a job.

People often define who they are by the job or work they do. Their life becomes getting up for the job, coming home after it and repeating the same thing all over again the next day. It is no wonder so many sleepwalk through life.

Most people have a job that is not what they want. So often, they don’t know how to break that cycle because all that they have known is what they have done, they don't see “what else?". It’s the reason why, when they leave their job or step away from it, they seldom know who they are or where they’re going. I may be simplifying things here, however, it’s an underlying reason for so many behaviours, actions and at times a sense of loss.

Having walked away from “work” to look inwards and truly give myself a choice of doing what I love, I know now what was previously missing. All of my lived experiences, my learning, and my training began to make sense. I did not look inwards only for the first 3 months before I started to map out my new career, I still continue to look inwards and have done so for several years now. I have discovered that there is so much more that can be achieved in life by loving what you do and creating a roadmap to take others with you. However, most people get so stuck with creating that roadmap, seeing where else they could go, that they end up going back to what they know.

I cannot be more privileged than where I am today.

Knowing the impact you want to make in life takes time. It requires clarity and a roadmap. A real strategy that is often much bigger than you. Those that are prepared to pause and be intentionally conscious can now see the fruits of their investment in themselves by being open to what else there is for them. It has become their new beginning and it often means that they will create a shared journey as nothing big can be done alone.

Having clarity on the impact you want to make enables choices to present themselves, and this then leads to perpetual growth shared with others. Setting clear boundaries and identifying your values enables others to see who you are and who you choose to be. This brings about transparency which, in turn, creates trust.

Become comfortable with being uncomfortable

The first step is being comfortable with being uncomfortable. It begins by doing something that is different to what you already know. If you keep doing what you have always done, even if it is still achieving variable growth, I ask you to look inwards and ask yourself are you growing or are you staying in your comfort zone?

The difference between becoming aware and being awake is when you recognise that you are uncomfortable, which often means you are attempting something new. More so, you are prepared to think beyond what you think you know. If you keep seeking out people that are similar to you, you are limiting your ability to expand your mind.

Allow yourself to be challenged

The second step is knowing that you need to be the whole of you. This means being challenged personally and professionally. This is when growth begins; when you show up as the whole of you.

The third step is when you are prepared to invest in yourself and have skin in the game. This means that you are prepared to allow another voice and another opinion to be heard and listened to. This is about you genuinely hearing what else is possible and making yourself accountable to someone else.

The fourth step is giving yourself the opportunity to learn the lessons from your mistakes and showing others the celebrations that come from trialling something new and learning from it. Growth does not occur from doing what you know so that you can succeed. It happens by challenging yourself to excel beyond your knowledge bank and then showing others how they can do it too. This allows you to master the art of becoming redundant.

The fifth step is letting go. Letting go of what was so you can learn what can be. Sometimes, as we play the game of chase, we show up wanting to do what others are doing and seldom see that it is not who we are. When we chase someone else’s story, we let go of who we are. This is why so many of us don’t find joy; because we live someone’s else dream and aspiration instead of the one that will bring us joy.

Life is about creating the person that you choose to be.

Finding the things that bring us joy and creating time to enjoy those things. This is why living life consciously and intentionally is so powerful.  Growth comes at a point when you realise that there is so much more to who you are than the person who stands before you today.

Most people struggle to understand this or, if they do, they simply don’t know where to start. This is why so many of us sleepwalk through life on autopilot.

I am often asked “How are you so clear in what you say and do?” and those that pause to listen to my answers usually come back saying “I now understand, the penny has dropped”. Nothing in life is difficult unless we make it so.

Intentionally Conscious Living

This is why I created the intentionally conscious living journal. I created this journal in just 10 days to show people that everything is possible when you know the impact you want to make in life.

This journal shares part of my story whilst also sharing why I believe my roadmap is so important to me and to humanity. Creating a positive ripple effect enables people to stop their cycle of chase and this was my simple way of taking others on the journey with me. It is also another way to contribute to the work I do in Tanzania as the proceeds of these journals all contribute to the Leadership Programs I fund and run for school children.

Journals are often created to allow you to express your emotions and share ideas or experiences. This is wonderful but I wanted to bring a few other things together so I could allow others to see how I have come to be where I am today, living beyond self.

I have come to live and acknowledge a life of joy. This does not mean I don’t have challenges. Despite what some may think, my life has daily personal challenges but they allow me to look inward and continue to grow. I wake up with a smile on my face daily as I love what I do and the people I work with.

Those who work with me are known as people who accelerate growth in others and seek to create impact with a positive ripple. They are collaborators from all walks of life who want to lift others as they rise rather than self-promoting.

Living life with purpose

Living life Intentionally Conscious and seeing things that, despite being in plain sight, would otherwise have been ignored or worse still, accepted, is no longer an option for those who choose to be awake in life. People are now choosing to think beyond themselves and to show up thinking of the value that they can contribute to others.

I have often shared that it is the last 5% in the 100% of anything that we do that creates impact. Most people get to 80% and that is great. Those that get to 95% often believe they have peaked but, if they have not become comfortable in being uncomfortable, they are yet to reach that extra 5% where the magic happens.

You will hear many people now use the phrases and words that I have shared for years and this is the ripple effect I wanted to create. The more we share, the more we elevate those around us. If what I have shared resonates for you, then shout it out to the world, that is what living life with Intentional Consciousness is all about.

If you want to begin to better understand who you choose to be, begin with a small investment in yourself. Invest in the journal Intentionally Conscious Living.

It provides you with some personal quotes from me and key people of influence that allow you to pause and think about who you choose to be. More importantly, it provides you with a structure to plan ahead and then encourages you to reflect and capture the things that serve you and those that you want to let go of.

Remember, spend time where you are celebrated so you live life with joy and are intentionally conscious. Joy too needs to be scheduled so create the space and allow joy to be a constant in your life.