I’d like to thank Michelle from Boomer Eco Crusader to being my first guest post of the new year! I hope you all enjoy her post on living more intentionally [ which is so on brand with MBS – wouldn’t you say?] & the 5 steps to get your new year started with this mindset. If you aren’t already, be sure to check out Michelle’s blog. I’ll be leaving her details at the end of this post. If you are a blogger & are interesting in guest posting / collaborating this year, please contact me. I’d love to work with you! I’ll be back next week with my own original content.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Hi, I’m Michelle, the boomer behind Boomer Eco Crusader. First, a big thank you to Bee for the
opportunity to share this guest post. I’ve been following Mind Beauty Simplicity for a while now and
Bee’s posts always resonate with me. Despite the difference in our ages, we share a common passion for
simplicity and intentional living.
So, what is intentional living?
In simple terms, it’s about living a life consistent with your goals and values. That sounds easy enough, but modern life makes it difficult.
The truth is our world doesn’t support intentional living. Between the daily barrage of advertising messages, and the constant pressure to be more, do more and have more, it’s easy to get distracted from what matters. Sadly, as our society has become more driven by consumption, our happiness and mental health have suffered. Searching for happiness at the mall, or even with the next raise or promotion, just leads to an endless cycle of never truly being grateful or satisfied with what we have.
It takes courage to step off the consumption treadmill and live more intentionally in a world that constantly tells us to do the opposite. But this conscious choice is the key to peace and joy, two things we could all use a little more of in our lives.
Are you ready to start living more intentionally in 2023? Here are 5 ways to get started.
Know your values
To live a life consistent with your values, you first need to know what they are. Grab a pen and a
notebook and make a list of the things that matter the most to you. Then put them in order of
importance from highest to lowest. If you have more than four or five things on the list, you have some work to do. Intentional living is about focus—doing less, but better. For each item on the list, ask yourself why it matters to you. Then keep asking why. You’ll end up crossing some things off the list. At the end of the exercise, you’ll have a list of three to five core values. These are your north stars, the things that will guide your decision making when life tries to distract you from what matters.
Reset your relationship with material things
It’s hard to be intentional when you’re surrounded by physical clutter. With your values in mind, take a
good, hard look around your home. If it’s filled with things that don’t support your values, get rid of
them. Start with the low-hanging fruit in areas you spend the most time in, and then build from there.
Once you’ve cleared the clutter, commit to being selective about what you bring into your home. Be
mindful about your purchases and buy only items that serve a clear purpose and align with your values.
Invest your time wisely
With physical clutter taken care of, move on to how you spend your time. Time is the one thing none of us can get more of. This leads many people to spend their lives frantically trying to squeeze the most out of every available minute. This “do it all” mentality often leaves them burned out and exhausted, struggling to find purpose and meaning. To make the most out of the time you have available, think of the time you spend as an investment in your values. Before taking on another task, or accepting an invitation, ask yourself if it’s the best use of your time. Does it align with your values? Would spending that time in a different way move you closer to your goals?
Embrace JOMO
Most people have heard of FOMO—the fear of missing out, but what about its younger and brighter
cousin, JOMO?
JOMO stands for the JOY of missing out. It involves consciously choosing to do less and own less, and
shutting out the noise that tells us to do otherwise.
Embracing JOMO can help you enjoy the beauty of your surroundings, and the people around you. And
it frees up time to do things that are important to you—listen to music, read a book, work on a project
or just get outside and breathe fresh air.
Yes, that’s right, instead of worrying that you’re missing out on something, JOMO involves learning to
say no to things that don’t support your values and goals. From deliberately stepping away from
notifications and social media feeds, to saying no to social invitations, JOMO lets you live in the present
so you can take care of the person who matters most—you!
Choose the right influencers
In our consumption-driven society, the term influencer has become synonymous with consumerism and
keeping up with the [ Joneses ] Kardashians. But don’t be fooled. These influencers don’t have your best
intentions in mind.
Take a good, hard luck at your social media feeds. Be bold and unfollow people and companies that
don’t align with your values. Then, find people to follow who share positive messages that support the
life you want to live.
Make this the year you start to ignore outside pressures and live a life true to yourself and your values.
You’ll be glad you did.
about the guest poster / blogger:
I’m Michelle and I live in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, where I’m a blogger, singer, and proud mom of two
young adult daughters. Thanks to my career in the retirement and health benefits field, I’m an advocate
of all aspects of wellness: physical, mental, social, and financial. My blog, Boomer Eco Crusader, focuses
on simplicity, sustainability, decluttering and ways to get the most out of our precious time here on
Earth.
Mind Beauty Simplicity 