How I’m Living More Intentionally and Joyfully -Part 2

Living intentionally means that you are living the life you want, in a way that is purposeful and deliberate. Essentially your choices and how you live are more aligned with your values and your sense of self. I honestly find this so hard. I wasn’t raised to think about myself, or what I want. I was raised to simply live, one day to the day. Work, sleep, eat, repeat. And have a happy life because family was the centre of that life. Work wasn’t something that provided a sense of meaning or happiness. It was something you did to make money. So my twenties and thirties were a struggle for me because I went to work every day wishing I was somewhere else. Well, maybe not every day. But a lot of days. And when I came home a lot of energy was used towards wishing I could always stay home.

This is no way to live.

I have been on a journey now for several years where I am seeking to discover myself and live more authentically. I’ve reached a point where I’ve begun this blog to share this journey, to encourage and inspire others to practice self care and to embrace who they are. Some days I still feel like I am still on a hamster wheel, but there are days when I am more introspective and really thinking about how I want to live.

I’ve come to realize I want to live more simply.

I used to envision a simple lifestyle where I had a little house in the country and I would sit at a desk looking out into a vast field banked by big, glorious trees. But now I see simple living as living with less. Not minimal exactly, but perhaps I am setting my feet upon that road. In part one of my living more intentionally series, I talked about how I want to spend my money more intentionally. Today’s post will discuss more about how I am using my living space and looking towards sustainability.

Creating A Beautiful Space

My husband and I have already decided that we are not interested in acquiring more debt by purchasing a house. Our condo it significant for two, and we have been working hard to make our space functional, beautiful and much more minimal. We really don’t see a reason to buy a house simply to have more space when the space we do have is comfortable and affordable. I’ll be sharing more about how we are downsizing our possessions in an upcoming post. So far we are very happy with our progress and although I am sure there is much more to do, and more that we will find needs changing in the future, so far we both agree that the condo feels far more calming and cozy.

Living More Sustainably

Reducing my hazardous footprint on the environment is something I’ve been struggling with for years. I made the switch from chemical cleaners to eco friendly cleaning products years ago. I recently switched some personal care products to reusable and washable ones. But I want to do more. So I am beginning to look into items that are manufactured more sustainably such as blue jeans. I recently learned that jeans create a ton of pollution and that the working conditions for those who make these popular (and favourite for me) pants are horrendous. I was appalled and disgusted by what I learned.

I also plan to buy less, thereby reducing the amount of clothes that end up in the trash. This is going to be a big change for me, but one that I am willing to invest some time and extra money in because knowing how horribly human beings have affected our ecosystems makes me shudder. I don’t want to be apart of that so I want to make changes to how I shop, and where.

Is there more I can do?

These are definitely choices I am making in how I am spending my money, and living my life. If I value the natural world, I need to respect it so I am trying to make as many changes as I can in a logical, doable way to lessen the impact my lifestyle has on the environment. I am also trying to live more minimally. Sometimes less really is more. In part one of this series, I talked about making sure that my choices don’t harm animals. But is there more I can do to live a more intentional life? I think the answer is yes, but I am not sure yet what that is. I think I need to make these changes first, and then grow from there.

I hope this post has provided some food for thought. How do you approach intentional living?