The 5 Pillars of an Intentional Life

This newsletter equips you to be a more conscious leader and live a more connected and conscious life. Our destiny doesn't happen by chance. It is the result of the decisions we make along the way.?Each moment gives us the opportunity to begin right where we are to shape our destiny.?Thank you for inviting me on your journey and for joining me on mine.

On March 26, 2023, I was honored with the opportunity to set the stage as the opening keynote for 400 women at the annual women's leadership conference held by The Women's Center . I knew it was my message that was determine how the attendees would feel going into the day, and it was important to me to get this right. The theme of the conference was Intentionality.

In the weeks leading up to the conference, I meditated and reflected on what an Intentional life meant to me. How does one create an Intentional life? How does one embody intentionality in the face of everyday distractions and challenges? When we have competing priorities and demands pulling at us in every direction, how can we possibly remain focused on Intention?

Experience has taught me that it is our most chaotic moments that provide us the greatest opportunities to be conscious, to be present, to be Intentional. My personal and professional journeys have taught me that there are 5 pillars of an intentional life.

The following is an excerpt from my keynote.

?The first pillar is PRESENCE. What does it mean to be truly present??Beyond silencing your phone, or turning it face down on the table when you are out to dinner, what does it really mean?

?To quote Ram Dass, presence is being here now.?It is being so dialed into the present moment you are in that you are not thinking about what has transpired previously, or what lies ahead. We can only focus on one moment at a time. We can not focus on the present while we are thinking of the past, and we can think of the past while we are in the present.

?My question to you is, how present are you right now? Are you allowing yourself to be here now?

The second pillar is PERSPECTIVE. Our perspective informs our reality, and our perspective influences every choice we make. If we view the world as a hostile, difficult place, we will make choices to insulate ourselves from being unsafe. We will guard our hearts in relationships. We will avoid opportunities to grow because we will fear defeat or failure. The intention of our life will be one of self-preservation.

?If we view the world as a blank canvas where we can create the life we envision for ourselves, we will move towards this vision. Will there be challenges? Of course!?Will there be heartbreak??Without a doubt. Will life kick us so hard that we wonder if we can rise again? Experience has emphatically taught me yes. ?And still we rise. ?

We have the power to shift our perspective in any moment. As in right now!! I encourage you to ask yourself, “What are you currently doubting??Why are you doubting it??What story have you told yourself that fuels your doubt? What inner and outer voices have unconsciously altered your perspective? What stories are you creating about others that may be holding you back TODAY from meeting someone new?” By becoming aware of the influences of your perspectives, you have the power to reframe your perspective, and therefore your path.

?The third pillar of an intentional life is POSSIBILITY. When we become intentional about what is possible, without empowering our self-limiting beliefs, we can step into our greatest dreams.

?I have a Lifetime Legacy Mission to impact 1 billion people – to empower 1 billion human beings to live their most joyful lives. Wil I ever know if I’ve achieved this? No. But this mission inspires me to get up every day and move towards this goal – to be intentional about where I direct my energy, with whom I invest my time, and how I apply my gifts and skills.

I encourage you to ask yourself, “How big do you dream? What is stopping you from dreaming bigger?” ?

The fourth pillar of an intentional life is PRIORITY. Priorities are set when Intention and Attention are aligned. ?We often say, “I didn’t have time.”?Somehow, we fill every hour of our day. How many of those hours are intentionally filled? We can set all the intentions in the world, but if we don’t create space to fulfill them, they will go unanswered.

?My intention is to live a life balanced in what I called the 4 Food Groups:?Mind, Body, Heart, Spirit. This intention motivates me to feed each one of these groups every day. This intention drags me out of bed most mornings to work out at 5 AM. It fuels me to avoid sugar, processed foods, meat, and food that glows in the dark. It keeps me conscious of my decisions throughout the day. And ultimately it feeds up to a larger life intention to remain as healthy as possible so that I maintain my financial and physical independence, can experience as much of this world as possible, and ultimately fulfill my lifetime legacy mission: to raise the consciousness of 1 billion people. I can only do this if I am healthy in mind, body, heart and spirit. So, knowing who we are and why we exist directly impacts our priorities.

In my office, this statement above my monitor faces me every day: “When making a decision, remember this question: ?Does this support the life I am trying to create?”

?Our priorities shape our destinies. Our destinies create our life.

I encourage you to ask yourself, “What are my top priorities??How do these priorities align with the life I wish to create?”

The fifth pillar of an Intentional life is Self-Perception.

?This may be the most important pillar of all, for it shapes all the other pillars. When you look in the mirror every morning, what do you see? What messages do you tell yourself? Where have those messages originated? From the voice of comparison created or amplified by social media??Or the critical stories you’ve told yourself so many times that you believed them??Or input, opinions, and judgements others have cast on you throughout your life that had no basis in truth but you treated them as gospel?

How do we rewind those tapes, and silence those voices??

For me, the process of self-discovery and self-awareness, and the transformation from self-loathing and self-marginalization to self-love has been deeply painful.

Through my own shadow work, I’ve asked myself these questions:

“Who am I without the need for validation from others?”

“Do I truly serve and love unconditionally, or do I do it expecting something in return?”

“How do I serve without creating a connection between self-worth and service?”

As a mom, a servant leader, a devoted friend, the girlfriend who drops everything to support her friends, who relishes the opportunity to hold space for her clients and loved ones – the supreme giver which is a role I so valiantly play – who am I without these roles? I’ve worn the badge of honor for self-sacrifice for so long, but is that really who I am? It is so easy for all of us to confuse our roles and unconscious motives with our identities.

It takes Intention and Courage. Intention and Courage to examine oneself, accept oneself, and love oneself. is a lofty Intention but it’s possible. Self-love is not self-absorption. It is not narcissistic. It is embracing the beauty and perfection that exists within you.??

As I have experienced along my path devastating loneliness, excruciating pain, deep self-loathing, and experiences that brought me to my knees temporarily causing me to believe that I will never rise again, I can stand here today and share with you what I see when I look in the mirror - which is unconditional love.

I encourage you to ask yourself this. “What do I unconditionally love about myself? How am I powerful beyond measure?”

Presence. Perspective. Possibility. Priority. Self-Perception.

This model of Intentionality resonated with 400 exceptional women on the morning of March 26th. My hope is that it resonates with you as well. How do you live a life of Intention? What does Intention mean to you? Would love to know your thoughts/feelings/reflections about my model, and your approach to an Intentional life.

About the Author

Marissa Levin is a 5x, 30-year entrepreneur, speaker, best-selling author, mindset expert, and globally recognized growth & spiritual strategist. She was recognized as one of the Top 200 Biggest Voices of Leadership globally for 2023. She is CEO and co-founder of i5 Conscious Leadership, a leadership education, coaching, and consulting firm. Guided by a mission to elevate the consciousness of the world through leadership, i5 Conscious Leadership bridges self-consciousness and organizational consciousness for leaders that are ready to embrace higher level leadership to achieve exceptional employee engagement and business growth. She is also the CEO of Marissa International, her global speaking and coaching platform to help individuals step into their highest potential.