Are You Living Intentionally or Just Going Through the Motions?

How intentional are you about the life you're creating for yourself?

It's easy to get caught up in our daily routines, responsibilities, and habits. We make decisions about what we want, commit to making changes, and start taking action. But somewhere along the way, we can lose sight of those intentions and slip right back into our old patterns.

Before we know it, days have passed, and we're left wondering why life feels like it's slipping through our fingers.

In this week's Tuesday Talks with Twila, we're exploring the power of setting daily intentions and how a few simple moments of intentionality can change the way we experience our lives.

The sneaky pull of autopilot

Our brains love efficiency. They want to take the easiest route possible, which often means repeating familiar habits and patterns without requiring much thought.

Think about driving somewhere you go regularly. You can get lost in your thoughts and end up heading toward your usual destination without even realizing it. Your brain has taken over, following the familiar route instead of paying attention to where you actually want to go.

The same thing happens in our lives.

We fall into routines, repeat the same thoughts, and move through our days without stopping to ask ourselves what we actually want. We might even convince ourselves that being intentional takes too much time or effort.

But here's the interesting thing: being intentional doesn't have to be hard, and it doesn't have to take much time.

Sometimes, all it takes is a moment to pause and ask a different question.

A simple question that can change your day

What if you started each day by asking yourself:

• What do I want today to be like?

• What do I want to make sure I get done?

• What do I want to experience today?

• How do I want to show up?

• What do I want to feel?

• What do I want to remember about this day?

These questions help you shift from simply reacting to whatever happens to making conscious decisions about how you want to experience your day.

And you don't need to add another hour-long morning routine to your schedule. You can practice setting intentions while brushing your teeth, taking a shower, or enjoying your morning coffee.

It's a small investment of time that can make a meaningful difference in how you approach the hours ahead.

Make an ordinary day feel different

We often think about being intentional when something significant is happening, such as an important meeting, a big decision, or a special event.

But what about an ordinary Tuesday?

How often do you reach the end of a regular day and struggle to remember anything particularly meaningful about it? The day wasn't necessarily bad. It just happened. You went through the motions, checked things off your list, and moved on to the next thing.

What if you decided to make an ordinary day a little more memorable?

Maybe you listen to your favorite music on the way to work instead of settling for whatever happens to be on the radio. Maybe you take an extra walk, make time for something you enjoy, or consciously choose a thought you want to carry with you throughout the day.

These things don't have to be big or complicated. They're small choices that help you bring more of yourself into your everyday life.

You get to decide what you want to experience and what you want your day to be remembered for.

Your old patterns may come back—and that's okay

One thing I've noticed in my own life is that I can be very intentional about something for days or even weeks. Eventually, it starts to feel automatic, and I assume I've got it handled.

Then, without realizing it, I stop doing the very thing that was helping me.

Maybe you've experienced something similar. You establish a new habit, start thinking differently, or make a change that feels great. Then life gets busy, and before you know it, you're back to your old patterns.

This doesn't mean you've failed or that your progress wasn't real.

It means you may need to keep practicing.

For me, that sometimes means using a sticky note as a reminder, moving it when I get used to seeing it, or finding another way to bring my attention back to what matters.

The goal isn't to be perfect. It's to notice when you're drifting into autopilot and intentionally bring yourself back.

Choose how you want to show up—even when life gets messy

Setting an intention doesn't mean every day will go according to plan.

Your boss might have a difficult day. Work might become chaotic. Something unexpected might happen that leaves you frustrated or stressed.

Being intentional doesn't prevent these things from happening. What it can do is help you approach them differently.

Instead of automatically getting swept up in the stress, you can pause and ask yourself how you want to handle the situation.

You can decide how you want to respond, what you want to focus on, and how you want to move through the experience.

You may not control everything that happens during your day, but you can be more deliberate about how you show up for it.

Setting intentions helps you get better at knowing what you want

There's another benefit to this simple practice: it gives you regular opportunities to ask yourself what you actually want.

Many of us spend so much time responding to responsibilities, meeting expectations, and doing what needs to be done that we rarely stop to consider our own wants and desires.

When you ask yourself what you want from today, you're practicing listening to yourself. You're creating space to notice your intuition, connect with what matters to you, and make choices that reflect your own desires.

And the more you practice asking and answering that question, the easier it becomes to recognize what you want in other areas of your life, too.

After all, how can you create a life you truly want if you never stop to ask yourself what that life looks like?

Your challenge: Be intentional about being intentional

For the next week, I invite you to make setting a daily intention part of your routine.

Choose a time that already works for you, such as when you're brushing your teeth, taking your morning shower, or drinking your coffee.

Pause and ask yourself:

What do I want this day to be like?

Choose one thing you want to experience, one way you want to show up, or one thought you want to carry with you.

Your intention can change from day to day. Some days, it might be to look for the good in unexpected places. Other days, it might be to make time for something you enjoy or to approach challenges with more patience.

There is no right or wrong answer. The important part is that you're making a conscious choice instead of letting your old patterns make it for you.

And if you forget for a day or two? Simply begin again.

Don't let your days slip by without checking in with yourself. Take back the reins, decide what matters to you, and be intentional about the life you're creating—one day at a time.