Focus on mind, body, and spirit by living every day with intention and purpose.

I carefully chose the words in this blueprint, Mind, body, and spirit are the three aspects of human existence. They are intertwined and rely on each other. The mind needs the body. The body needs the spirit. The spirit needs the mind and so on. A healthy happy person needs to pay attention to all three of these aspects.

The words intention and purpose set the tone of being motivated and excited in the here and now. My blueprint focuses on living my human existence in a less structured and challenging way that is realistic, changeable and handled with a casual attitude. Here is a closer look at what the words in my blueprint mean to me.

Mind

What does being mindful mean? Having a mindful life is being aware of and controlling everyday experiences.  It is taking responsibility for what I am thinking, saying, or doing. In other words, owning my thoughts, words, and deeds.

I often find myself reacting in my life. Shaming myself on the scale is a prime example. These are not the experiences I want. I need to be acting and not reacting. In my example, acting is being aware of why I struggle with weight and taking control of that situation.

Body

What does focusing on body mean? It is about my physical health. It is being aware of the food I eat, its nutritional value, and how to affects my health. It is being an active person, exercising regularly, and optimizing my fitness to be a healthier person.

My heart attack in 2005 made me aware of the importance of taking care of my body. It is the most important piece of the mind-body-spirit trilogy. Without a healthy body, little could be realized in developing my mind and spirit in an intentional purposeful life.

Spirit

What does being spiritual mean? It is being connected to something bigger than myself and living an interconnected life. It’s managing my mind and body to maintain a positive outlook, be motivated, enthusiastic, and move forward.

Ask a friend. “What’s the secret to living a long life?” The answer is typically being active and eating well. The spirit is generally overlooked. My spirit manages the non-physical aspects of the mind and body nurturing a healthy outlook on life and well-being.

Intention

What does living every day with intention mean? It is taking responsibility for myself and life. It is setting rules to live by. Living with intention involves laying out a plan to move forward, my blueprint for life. That means making the plan achievable and leading to the life I want to live.

I am a master at creating elaborate plans. My work life taught me that. This type of plan falls short as a blueprint for life. In prior years, Developing good habits fell short and change did not materialize. I began not trusting my ability to make changes and saw myself lacking the discipline to follow through.

Living with intention is setting a realistic blueprint. This blueprint doesn’t need to spec out every change from where I am today to where I want to ultimately find myself. I just need to identify and take the first steps down that path. Being accountable may involve things other than meeting numbers.

Purpose

What does living every day with a purpose mean? It is living in the present and focusing on what excites and motivates me. My daily actions have to work for me instead of against me. It is doing things to the best of my abilities without any expectations.

Most things in my life are driven by expectations of a positive outcome. Past experiences influence expectations, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Living purposely is doing the right thing relying on feeling fulfilled and confident with less reliance on expectations.

As with living life with intention, it does not need to start with knowing all the details. I acknowledge my past decisions and current circumstances to move forward. It is committing to take small steps forward, knowing the path forward reveals itself when I walk with purposeful intent.

Life habits for the 20s

The biggest change in transforming my vision for life into a blueprint for life is the absence of goals. I began looking at habits in my 2019 goals. Although I fell short in achieving several goals in that life vision, I recognized the importance of habits in my life.

My blueprint for the 20s is based on adopting habits of making exercise a priority, quitting eating garbage, and caring and connecting. Habits shifted the reliance on numbers to taking positive actions leading to a healthy happy life. The details of my life habits for the 20s are found here.

” You can see the glass half empty, or you can see it half full.  You can focus on what’s wrong in your life, or you can focus on what’s right.  But whatever you focus on, you’re going to get more of.” 

Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love