With Intention Challenge Day 4

Listen to your heart, do more of what you love and let go of all the rest.

Hello! Jennifer here ?? and welcome to the final day of the With Intention Challenge! I’m really excited because today I’m going to share with you how I’ve made simple and intentional living a lifestyle—this is KEY to following through and creating long-term change—but first, let’s look back at everything we’ve done so far.

First of all, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about my life (have you enjoyed my crazy stories?! ?) but I hope that throughout the week, you also found some time to think about your life and what you want for your future.

Do you want to continue on the path you’re currently on?

Or do you want something different for yourself?

If you’re happy with how your life is going then that’s wonderful news. I think the world needs more people who are truly living to their full capacity, so I’m thrilled to hear that you’re thriving. ❤️

BUT … if you’re not happy with the direction your life is heading (whether you’re just slightly off course or hopelessly lost) then I beg you, please, do something about it.

I know that sometimes it can be really hard to move forward. Some of you have bravely shared your stories in the comments and I want you to know that I don’t take them lightly. I understand how, when you’re facing the enormous task of changing the course of your life, it can feel insurmountable—almost as if there’s no point in even trying.

But I promise you, if you can find the courage to continue taking small steps forward, then you’ll discover that you’re more powerful than you think. I’ll be here cheering you on, every step of the way. ??


RECAP: Day Three of With Intention was all about taking the first small but significant step in the direction of the life you want most. Today, on the final day of With Intention, you’ll learn how to maintain that momentum and really commit to simple and intentional living.

(Need to catch up? Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 )

Today is going to be a little different from the other days in this challenge because I don’t have any more “big” exciting stories to share with you.

There are no more aeroplanes, no more starting over, and no more drama.

Instead, I have a truth to share with you.

When people who work online (like myself) talk about creating change, it’s often presented like some sort of magic trick. Just “take my advice” and overnight, your whole life will be different!

I try to be mindful of how I present my story online but just in case I haven’t been clear, this is NOT how things work in the real world. ??‍♀️

There was an “ah-ha” turning point and a series of small changes that set the ball rolling but the real change—the “transformation” I told you about on Day One—was the result of years of commitment to myself.

Intentional living is not a one-time, “set and forget” activity. Instead, it’s a lifestyle, and arguably, a lifelong commitment; a continual process of reflecting and refining. You’ve taken the first step but from here on out, if you want real change, then you need to do the hard work.

You must create the habit of simple and intentional living.

You need a system that helps you:

  • continually clarify and connect with what matters most (the more you connect with this personal vision, the more real it will become)
  • audit your life—a clear way of reviewing what is supporting your vision and what’s not (so you can align your life accordingly)
  • move forward and ACT on your intentions (this is so important because it’s not intentional living if you’re not following through with intentional action!)

I’ve been doing these three things regularly for the past five years and I can tell you with confidence, it works. It takes time and commitment—it’s not a quick fix—but it’s a powerful system.

I paid off all my debt, went on a seven-month honeymoon, quit my full-time job, started a family, and grew my blog into a business. I learned to prioritise self-care and I find quiet time every day for myself and my loved ones. My life isn’t perfect (far from it!) but I wake up every day with gratitude and hope in my heart.

I’m not promising you the exact same results because these are the things that matter to me BUT I truly believe that if you commit to intentional living, you can move your life into alignment with your personal vision.

So how can you make this commitment and create this habit?

Introducing …

Values + Vision: Align Your Life With What Matters Most ?

If you’re ready to commit to living true to yourself, then I’d love for you to consider Values + Vision: Align Your Life With What Matters Most. I’ve curated the lessons and tools that have made the biggest impact on my life and I’ve packaged them for you in my signature online course!

Values + Vision will help you dive deep into your values and what matters most to YOU, so you can create a clear personal vision. I know we’ve touched on this topic during the challenge but experience (and feedback from other students) has taught me that finding true clarity is often harder than expected.

After all, we’ve spent our entire lives being bombarded by messages from family, friends and society telling us what we should care about—so it’s no wonder if we’re confused.

I know I spent years chasing what everyone told me would make me happy and it wasn’t until I did some deep inner work that I was able to truly identify my own personal values and vision.

I’m not the only one who felt this way. Here’s what Allison, a Values + Vision student, had to say about the process of clarifying what matters most:

“I really loved these activities. I found consistent themes in my values that I knew where important to me but I didn’t realize how important. I also realized that some things I thought were values actually weren’t. I found that some things I thought were a habit or a personality quirk were actually values I held and lastly, it really helped me understand some of my boundaries and priorities better.” – Allison Elliott, Values + Vision Student

I’m so pleased to hear that Allison had these breakthroughs but as I’ve mentioned, knowing what matters most is only the first step. Once you’ve clarified your values and vision, you need tools to help you follow through and act on your best intentions.

This is something I really struggled when I first returned to Australia. Despite the commitment I made to myself, I often found myself getting busy and losing focus. Sometimes weeks or even months would pass before I’d catch myself and recommit.

I knew that I needed a better system—something structured enough to help me stay focused yet flexible enough that I could stick with it—so I created one. The end result (after years of trial and error) is the framework I teach in Values + Vision.

Here’s what Desiree had to say about this framework:

“It gives action to all the things we’ve discussed earlier. We made plans and thought about what was important and this was like “here’s a way to get after it”. It’s so so helpful to have actual actions to do that can help with the process. I feel like this sets this apart from a lot of books and stuff I’ve read about this. Self help books talk about the subject a lot but don’t usually offer action solutions so that was super valuable to me that this course included that.” – Desiree Orchard, Values + Vision Student

If you’re reading this and you’ve done all four days of this challenge, then you’ve already come so far! You’ve made the decision to change, so why not keep up the momentum? Values + Vision comes with Nothing to Lose: 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

Intentional living is the greatest gift you can give yourself. If you’re ready to have more of what matters and less of everything else, then click here to find out more about Values + Vision ❤️


Regardless of your interest in my course or not, I highly encourage you to take the next step and think seriously about how you can make intentional living a daily habit.

Will you start a journal? Put a daily reminder on your phone? Ask a friend or partner to hold you accountable?

Let us know in the comments what you’ll be doing to stay committed to what matters most.

It might not seem like a big deal but I assure you that taking a few minutes to think about how you’ll commit to intentional living is important.

Whatever you choose, I wish you all the best and I want you to know that Simply + Fiercely community will always be here to support you. ✨

All the best,

xx Jen

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

—attributed to Mahatma Gandhi

 

7 thoughts on “With Intention Challenge Day 4”

  1. I find it very interesting that this is supposed to be a “week-long” but once you try to sell something in day 4 you stop? Smh

    Reply
    • Hi there and thanks for your feedback!

      Perhaps you missed the information on the sign up page — “ Over the course of a week, you’ll get four emails with a link to each lesson.”

      I’m sorry if you feel this free program doesn’t provide enough value. Many readers enjoy it but, of course, it’s not for everyone.

      Take care 🙂

      Reply
      • Hi Jennifer,
        like the previous comment, I assumed that a week meant 7 emails and was a bit disappointed . However, having followed you from early days , and finding real value in your decluttering guide and advice on capsule wardrobe etc. I have always found you genuine and sincere, I also appreciate that you have to have some means of living. I hope you weren’t disheartened by the inference of the previous comment. A person is entitled to some recompense for the work they do.
        We live in a very different world now, I think it has given many a pause for thought and reflection, You are just a bit ahead of the game by navigating changing your life to one of intention and meaning. Keep doing what you are doing, and best wishes for your wee family.
        yours sincerely
        Evelyn McIntosh

        Reply
  2. Thank you so much for creating this challenge. Day 4 made a key point for me- to make sure to create a system that supports taking actions each day that are aligned with what I value and would make me feel like I am living an intentional life, and the system must include regularly assessing how I am doing. I might try the full course, but for now I am going to experiment with this: 1) Read what I wrote about my values/what makes a good day and think about how to make them happen- ideas of things I would like to do/try/etc. 2) Each day, pick 3 things, no matter how small, I want to do and think are achievable write them on a post-it note to check off when I do them. 3) Collect the notes for the week to re-cap how I did and feel about the week in a Sunday journal entry. 4) Use that information to decide what I want for the next week. Why 3 things? I tend to make unrealistic to-do lists and feel bad for not doing everything. If I keep it short, I will usually end up doing those, and sometimes more, because doing a few key things makes me feel great and gives me momentum. Why paper post-it notes? It seems easy and even though I know there are lots of apps out there I really don’t want to spend more time online/looking at my phone.

    Reply
  3. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
    Very profound prolific statement

    Reply

Leave a Comment