7 Simple Practices That Help Me Live with More Intention| Blog 112

Discover seven simple practices that help me live with more intention, stay connected and bring more calm and wonder into my everyday life.

Stars in the sky

Introduction

Over the years, I've tried so many different things on my wellness journey.

Some worked.

Some didn't.

Some quietly found their place in my everyday life. These practices help me live more intention.

I'm not sharing these because they're popular or trending. I'm sharing them because I've researched them, tried them for myself and kept coming back to them because they genuinely help me.

They haven't made my life perfect. I still have busy weeks, hard days, things that don't go to plan and moments when I forget my own advice.

But they help me return to myself.

They help me pause, notice what is already here and make better choices for myself.

Will they all work for you?

Probably not.

We're all different. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't and make it work for your own life.

And please know, I don't do all of these perfectly or every day. Life happens, and that is completely okay.

Why Connection Is Part of These Practices

I've also noticed that some of these practices mean more to me when I share them with certain people in my life.

In Human Design, I am a Generator with a 4/6 profile, so connection is really important to me. I love sharing these practices with people I trust, hearing how their week went and encouraging each other along the way.

Your Human Design may be completely different, or you may not be interested in Human Design at all. That's okay too. You don't need to know your type to try any of these practices.

If you're curious, you can read these 2 blogs on this topic of human design:

7 Practice help me Live with More Intention, while bring more Calm, Connection and Wonder into my Everyday Life.

1. Say Yes to One New Experience a Week!

Last weekend, I said yes to something different.

After work on Friday, I went to my cousin's place. She cooked dinner, we chatted for hours, I stayed overnight, and the next morning we tried Xtra Club before heading out for breakfast.

Nothing extraordinary happened. But when I got home, it felt like I'd had a much longer weekend.

The weekend was still only 48 hours. The only thing that changed was that I'd done something different.

It made me wonder if we're always craving more time, or if sometimes we just need a new experience.

It could be a new cafe, a different walking track, trying a class, calling someone you've been meaning to speak to or saying yes to an invitation you might normally decline.

It doesn't need to be big, expensive or far away. One small change can bring a little more sparkle, wonder and adventure into an ordinary week.

A question to ask yourself: What is one new experience I can say yes to this week?

2. Remember Than Your Life is Built an Ordinary Tuesday

We spend so much time waiting for the perfect time.

Monday.

Next month.

When work settles down.

When the kids go back to school.

When life feels easier.

But life isn't only built in the big moments. It's built on an ordinary Tuesday, through the small choices we make when no one is watching.

For me, this isn't really about discipline. It's about who I am becoming.

Who am I becoming?

Am I becoming the person who moves her body because it feels good? The person who pauses for a few minutes to breathe? The person who chooses nourishing food because she loves her body? The person who keeps showing up without needing to do it perfectly?

I don't need every day to be impressive. I just want my everyday choices to support the person I am becoming.

A question to ask yourself: What would the version of me I am becoming choose today?

3. Find 3 Positive when Life Doesn't Go to Plan

When something 'bad' happens, my mind can go straight to frustration, worry or 'Why me?'

This doesn't mean pretending something difficult is good. It simply helps me pause and look at the whole picture.

At the end of a PT session recently, I felt a pinch in my lower back. It was uncomfortable and definitely not what I wanted.

Instead of focusing only on the negative, I looked for three positives.

1. It happened at the end of my workout, not the beginning.

2. My body was telling me that something needed attention.

3. It showed me that I needed to strengthen my back and core.

The situation didn't change, but how I looked at it did.

This isn't about ignoring how I feel or pretending everything is fine. It simply helps me see that even a difficult situation may be showing me something useful.

When something like this happens, I write the three positives in the notes app on my phone. Seeing them written down helps me look at the situation differently.

A question to ask yourself: What else can be true about this situation?

4. Choose 3 things you have Control and 3 Things you are Manifesting each week!

I like to start this seven-day practice on Friday and finish on Thursday because that works for me. You can choose whatever day works for you.

In the notes section of my phone, I write the start date and the end date, seven days later.

Then I create two simple sections.

First, I write down three things within my control that I want to do that week. These are things I can actually take action on.

Then I write three things I am manifesting into my life over the next seven days. I always finish with three thank you.

I love that this gives me something practical to work on, while also leaving room for the things I am calling into my life.

I also love sharing this with someone. We can encourage each other, celebrate what happened and be honest about what didn't.

I first got this idea from Amanda Riley, @lifeofamandariley, and it has now become part of my own week. Thank you, Amanda!

I do this with my cousin each week. I send her mine on Friday, then on Thursday or Friday we check in and share how it went. I love doing it together. It keeps us connected and makes me more accountable for the things I said I would do.

Focus on what is yours to do, then leave a little room for life to surprise you.

5. Write down 3 Wonders from Your Week

We are so used to tracking what we didn't do.

The missed workout.

The unfinished task.

The thing we promised we'd get to.

But what about what actually happened?

The small moment. The unexpected joy. The thing that made you pause, even for a second.

I call them wonders.

At the end of the week, I write down three wonders. The stressful moments can easily take up the most space in our minds, and if I don't stop to notice the good, I can move straight past it.

So much of our life happens in the small moments, not only in holidays, achievements and big celebrations, but in the everyday things we almost miss.

Writing them down helps me stop rushing into the next week and appreciate what was already there.

I also share my wonders with someone I trust. Not for validation, just for connection.

And if your first thought is, 'I didn't have any,' let that be your invitation to look a little closer.

I do this with a dear friend, who I have not seen in person for awhile. We choose one day each week to share our three wonders. She has told me how grateful she is that we do this together because it gives her a reason to look back, remember those moments and enjoy them again.

I first came across this practice through Emily McDonald; you can follow her on IG:@emonthbrain.

A question to ask yourself: What are three wonders I don't want to forget from this week?

6. Share You High, Low and Buffalo

I do this with a friend as a simple way to stay connected, even when life gets busy.

Your high is something good happening in your life or something you're excited about.

Your low is something frustrating, challenging or sad that you're dealing with right now.

Your buffalo is something completely random. It could be an interesting fact, something funny that happened or anything else you feel like sharing.

My friend and I haven't seen each other in person for two years, but we still want to stay connected and know what is happening in each other's lives. She has four children and I have two, so life gets busy for both of us.

Sharing our high, low and buffalo gives us an easy way to keep the friendship close. We celebrate the good, talk about the hard things and usually learn something random about each other too.

I love doing this with her. It gives us a chance to feel those moments again and keeps our connection strong.

It’s also a great way to get to know someone you’ve just met. It moves the conversation beyond small talk and gives you both something meaningful, or completely random, to share.

A question to ask yourself: Who could I share my high, low and buffalo with this week?

7. Choose 3 Important Things for Work and 3 for Home

This one is newer for me, and I definitely don't do it every day.

On the days I do it, I write down the three most important things I want to complete at work before the end of the day.

Then I make another section for home and write down the three things I most want to finish before bed.

I usually take a couple of minutes on the bus to think about what I want to get done that day. It helps me arrive at work knowing what matters most. I do the same for home, instead of carrying one long list around in my head.

They aren't the only things I can do, and there is no guilt if I don't finish all six. The list simply helps me decide what matters most that day.

Some days all three get done. Some days life has other plans.

Either way, I start again the next day.

Choose What Works for You So you can Live a More Intention Life

The list is there to support you, not make you feel guilty.

You Don't Need to Start All Seven.

Please don't read this and think you now have seven more things you should be doing.

That isn't the point.

Choose one that speaks to you and try it in a way that fits your life. See how it feels and whether you want to keep doing it.

You may love the three wonders practice and have no interest in Human Design. You may want to try a new experience but not share it with anyone. You may prefer to do your seven-day reflection on Sunday rather than Friday.

Make it yours.

It has to work in your real life, otherwise it is just another thing on your list.

One Reflection

Before you close this blog and get on with your day, ask yourself:

Which one of these practices feels like something I need right now?

Not which one sounds the most impressive.

Not which one you think you should choose.

Which one feels like it could bring a little more calm, connection, wonder or intention into this season of your life?

Three Gentle Reminders to Leave You With

You don't need a perfect Monday to begin. An ordinary Tuesday will do.

Not every difficult moment is good, but there may still be something useful within it.

The wonders are already there. Sometimes we just need to slow down enough to notice them.

Three Gentle Reminders to Leave You With

• You don't need a perfect Monday to begin. An ordinary Tuesday will do.

  
  

• Not every difficult moment is good, but there may still be something useful within it.

  
  

• The wonders are already there. Sometimes we just need to slow down enough to notice them.

In The Park, which way should I go?

Final Thoughts

These practices haven't stayed in my life because I do them perfectly.

They've stayed because I can keep coming back to them.

They help me notice my life while I'm actually living it. They remind me that wellness doesn't always need to be a big transformation, an expensive program or a complete change to my routine.

Sometimes it is writing down three wonders.

Sometimes it is asking a different question when something goes wrong.

Sometimes it is saying yes to breakfast after trying something new with your cousin and realising the weekend somehow felt longer.

Small practices can make a real difference when we give them time to become part of our lives.

If you're looking for a little more sparkle, wonder or adventure in your everyday life, I hope there is one idea here you would like to try.

My next blog will be out on 23 August, and this one is a little different. It is a collaboration with Katie from Instagram.

You may have seen Katie sharing how she is intentionally building her dream life with the help of AI, asking ChatGPT better questions and following a weekly plan. I have loved watching her journey.

I decided to follow the process alongside her and have used both her free and paid prompts. Next week I will be up to Week 27, and I am really enjoying the journey.

Have I missed a week here and there? Absolutely. Life happens. There is no guilt around it; I simply pick it back up and keep going.

I can't wait to share more about it with you.

Follow her on @upgradingkatie

I would Love to Hear From You 🤍

Which practice would you like to try first?

You can reply, send me a DM or share this blog with someone you'd love to try one of these practices with.

And if you'd like a gentle two-minute pause with me each week, I'd love to welcome you into Friday Ritual. Every Friday, I'll share something that's on my heart, a reflection, a simple practice or something I'm learning on my own wellness journey.

No pressure. No expectations. Just a reminder that you matter too.

Live your life on purpose. 🤍

Until next time,

Mukti 🤍

Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. James Clear, Atomic Habits.