An Intentional Year – One Little Word

MaryJo Materazo

4 hours ago

Did you make a new year’s resolution, set goals and | or create aspirations for the new year? I select a word to guide me every year rather than setting targets which can quickly become daunting. For this year I decided on the word intentional. Join me as I set out to have an intentional year.

Since I have been living with MS for about the last five years my life has changed drastically. Always being prepared and having a plan helps me navigate the disease better, and being intentional will add another layer of purpose as I approach tasks and goals. In my younger years I tended to be spontaneous and impulsive, but my mindset has shifted in this stage in life.

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Inspiration for my Intentional One Little Word of the Year

I started the one little word ritual two decades ago when I was an avid scrapbooker. Ali Edwards was an inspiration and one to follow at the time in the scrapbooking world and she started the One Little Word movement in 2006. That year I chose “better” as my word, and since then I have used words like balance, order, simple, declutter, present, active, timely, happy, wellness, grace… and more. This year “intentional” takes the stage.

My blogging friend Deb at the Debbie Dabble blog just posted her word for the year and guess what it is? Yup. Her word is “intention”. Her post on the subject is inspirational and it gave me the affirmation to settle on the word. I was still deciding on my word for the year, and although intentional was at the top of my list, Deb’s thoughts and sentiments gave me the final push.

What does Intentional Mean?

According to the Oxford English dictionaries:

in-ten-tion-al (adjective) done on purpose; deliberate

Beyond that what does intentional mean? According to AI (which is everyone’s friend now), to be intentional means to act with purpose, thought and design rather than coasting on autopilot. The autopilot part gave me pause. That’s how I get through many days right now, just going with the flow and not giving much thought or plan to what I want to do and accomplish. Just reading that sentence makes me sad. Nobody wants a sad existence.

Intentional living aligns with personal values and beliefs. My intention is to turn the cruise control off, think things through, and bring purposeful action to the forefront. Whether it’s for my wellness journey or this blog or my home or the favorite people in my life, I will be deliberate and purposeful in order to nurture everything important to me.

Intentional Action Items

Act with Purpose
Give Thought
Be Deliberate
Use Introspection
Visualize Results
Be Mindful
Manifest Outcomes
Align with Values

Intentional Living

Making deliberate choices to reflect what is most important to us is at the heart of intentional living. With intentional living comes a positive mindset, achievable results, clarity, and focus. I like the sound of that. While reading about intentional living, an article posed the questions “what brings you purpose?” and “what gets you out of bed everyday?” Well, the health and happiness of my family has always been at the forefront for me. That being said, getting out of bed now and getting ready for the day is a task all on its own.

Being realistic and setting proper goals is something I struggle with since my limitations are frustrating and I have a hard time accepting my newish reality. Like with any issue, acknowledging and embracing it is the first step. My intentions will need to reflect and shift with my new lifestyle. I need to change my frame of mind from what I can’t do to what I can accomplish and more importantly how to go about it.

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Closing Thoughts

Living with intention is at the pinnacle of mastering the art of Joie the Vivre, which is what this blog is all about. Intentional living aspirations have me excited for the year ahead. My intention is to focus on meaningful things and avoid distracting stuff.

Do you have one little word for the year? I would love to hear; please share in the comments below. Thanks for dropping by today and can’t wait to see you next time. Au revoir!

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Join Me as We Master the Art of Joie De Vivre. XOXO