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Intention Plan: April 2016

Since the start of this year, each month I’ve been writing an ‘Intention Plan‘ and sharing it with you here. But to be honest, not many of you have been reading it.

And I can’t say I blame you.

Today, in preparation for writing this post, I went back and read my previous Intention Plans … and what I realised that they have been varying shades of unclear, unhelpful, or just plain boring to read (yikes – sorry!)

My first instinct was to pull the plug on the whole series, but then I took some time to think about why I even started writing Intention Plans in the first place.

I strongly believe that the key to creating a life you love is to show up everyday and make a deliberate, intentional choice, to do more of what you love and less of everything else.

I want my Intention Plans to show you how I put this theory into action, and to provide practical advice and inspiration. As I’ve written many times of this blog, my life is a work in progress – and I think it’s valuable to share the growth process (the wins, losses and everything in between.)

So on that note, I think my Intention Plans are worth continuing for now. I promise to try and move forward with more clarity and less fluff, and I hope you’ll let me know if you’re enjoying these posts or not.

So onwards and upwards … ?
Each month I share an Intention Plan because I strongly believe that the key to creating a life you love is to show up everyday and make a deliberate, intentional choice, to do more of what you love and less of everything else. Here's what I have in mind for April.

I normally start these posts by doing a recap of the last month, but my gut is telling me to start fresh. Instead, I think it might be more helpful to do summary about myself and where I am right now – so that there is a starting point to refer back to in future months.

If you’ve had a poke around my blog, you may know that:

  • I’m currently travelling around the world and I’m returning back to Australia in 10 weeks.
  • I have no plans to go back to full time ‘career’ work, instead I hope to do short term temp work to fund my further travels.
  • I also hope to grow my blog and would like to explore what other opportunities (such as freelance writing) come from it.

A few things you may not know are that I’m generally pretty happy with where I am with my life but I’m nervous if I’ll still feel this way when I get back to Australia. Also, I’ve made huge strives in the past few years, but I still struggle with stress, mood swings, overwhelm and insecurity more than I’d like to. Fortunately, I’m dealing with this better than I would have a few years ago (when I probably would have turned to shopping) but there is still room for improvement.

Looking forward to April …

In April, I want to meditate more. (If you happened to read my March Intention Plan, it was a focus but to be honest I mostly forgot about it.)

I want to meditate more because I know that when I do, I feel better about myself and better equiped to deal with difficult emotions (namely anger, frustration, and hurt.)

(And remember, the goal is to do more of what makes us feel good!)

Meditation, for me, is a lot like minimalism.

Let me use this analogy: in my pre-minimalist life if I saw a pair of shoes I loved, I would have to stop and try them on – and then I’d either buy them or obsess about them. Since embracing minimalism, I can walk by a pair of shoes I love, admire their beauty, and then move on without the need to own them.

Meditation works the same way. Right now, when a thought is bothering me, it’s very difficult for me to walk away. Instead, it sits in my mind, I obsess, and I struggle to move on.

However, when I meditate, I can look my troublesome thought in the eye, acknowledge it, and then walk away. It’s not about changing my thoughts, but it’s about accepting them, and then choosing to move on.

I’ve wanted to include more meditation in my life for awhile now, but I’ve struggled to really make it stick – so this month I’m doing some research on how we create habits (here and here are some great resources.) I’ll report back next month on what works for me and what doesn’t – hopefully I’ll have something valuable to share!

That’s it for this month! I know in previous months I’ve tackled a few different topics, but I think that I have a better chance at making real, positive changes in my life if I narrow my focus.

What is something you’d love to have more of in your life? And what is keeping you back from doing it? I’d love to hear your thoughts (and I’d love to hear your feedback about my Intention Plans – do you enjoy these posts?)

photo credit : by me

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6 thoughts on “Intention Plan: April 2016”

  1. I’m trying to incorporate meditation more into my everyday life too. It’s been hard for me to devote time to “sitting still” so I add it on the tail end of my morning workout that I do at home. It’s usually mat work so by the end when I’ve exhausted myself, it’s quite easy to just lay down and focus on my breathing ๐Ÿ™‚

    Also, I can’t believe your trip is ending in 10 weeks! It feels like it went by so fast.

    Reply
    • That sounds perfect. From what I’m reading about starting habits is that it’s great if you can tack them onto an existing routine … unfortunately I have absolutely no routine in my life at the moment! I have to admit that there is a part of me that is looking forward to getting home and have a bit of stability in my life (for a while at least!)

      And I know – where has the time gone!

      Reply
  2. I agree it’s easier to focus on just one thing. ๐Ÿ˜€ I want to wake up earlier so I can write in the mornings. I find I’m writing in the early morning instead before bed, which isn’t very healthy. XD Hope your April is fun & intentional, Jennifer!

    Reply
  3. Well, since this is my first time reading your intention plan, I’d say it’s pretty good. I think it’s important not to focus on too many things (which you did) and it is actually inline with my own thoughts for April – carving out more ‘me’ time, introspection and refocus. And this should happen because my work schedule will be more manageable (fingers crossed). Good luck + happy April!

    Reply
    • Thanks Lani! Introspection is definitely important for me, I tend to be on the highly sensitive side and my emotions can sometimes run rampant. So far so good with meditating (but the month is young!) I hope your April is going well so far – and thanks for commenting! x

      Reply

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