What is on Your Blank Pages: Be Intentional

I recently read a blog from Maria Shriver. She said “All those positive attributes you admire in others. Guess what? They live within you as well. All those things you marvel at others for doing … you can do them too, if you want. You are the artist of your life.” 

I love that, and oh, so so true. It’s not you not having the attributes or gifts you want, it’s you telling yourself you don’t have those attributes or gifts. 

Yes, we all have certain strengths and weaknesses. But I think you can get good at just about anything if you are intentional about it and you put in the work. I also think that most of us subconsciously tend to want to do something that uses our strengths, but we tell ourselves they aren’t really strengths.

The last part of Maria’s quote, “you are the artist of your life”, reminded me of a couple of my favorite all-time blogs (and I get a lot). One was titled, The Unwritten Page by Chance Scoggins (see below) and the other, A Life That Matters was written by John Maxwell (see below). Please read the blogs below, these two leaders and writers do a much better job than I could ever do in describing how to create the life and story you really want for yourself. 

I love how Chance writes about telling yourself a different story than you have in the past, and therefore, writing a new story for yourself going forward. And John describes brilliantly that if we are intentional, there is almost no limit to what you can do, and therefore, no limit to the story you can create in your life.

I sent these two blogs out to friends shortly before I changed the story in my life, and became the dream coach. When I did, I told the story of my friend Jody, who inspired her fellow workers by buying them blank books titled, The Greatest Story Ever Told. That inspired me to write my own story.  

I also shared how my friend Rob, moved me to create a life that mattered to me, by the work he did to serve others (a work he passed away while doing). 

I have found that as much as anything, being intentional is a key to getting what you want. You have to be intentional on figuring out: why you want something, the strategy and process how to get that something, and taking action to make that something happen. 

Anthony Iannarino says, “Any perceived gap between the life you want and the life you are living, belongs to you, and you alone. You are responsible for closing the gap, should that be your desire.” 

We can’t blame this or that, we have to take ownership and be intentional on changing what we want changed. Yes, we all have different circumstances in life, but there is always something you can do to impact your life and move it in the direction you want.

Many say, I said it for years, “I need to wait until … or I want to be happy before I …. It’s not getting happy then doing, it’s doing which creates the happiness, especially in my opinion, if it comes from the heart, from a place of love, service to others, or inspiration (spirituality) or joy.

Don’t wait for things to be perfect, they never will be. There are no books out there that are just one page long. Start by writing the first page, and then the next and the next, you will see the story taking shape.

In the last few years I have started to paint. I love it (I need to do it way more). What it provides me is a freedom to just put whatever I want on the canvas. Most of my life I am somewhat a perfectionist (not a good one - you can tell by my non perfect life history). 

In painting, I find a freedom to be imperfect, by doing that I realize I can do anything, if I am intentional about it, because I don’t have to be perfect at it (if that makes sense). And what I usually see is that something that doesn’t look like much, starts to take shape, and eventually turns out to be a beautiful picture (at least in my mind – which is really all that counts).

Hey, if I can start to write or paint my own story at age 62, you all can. Most of you have a lot more blank pages than I had when I started. And for others it is never too late.  

Stop settling, and reading the same page of your life over and over. If you are not intentional and don't take action, you will tend to wander and keep getting what you are getting, and experience what you are experiencing. Turn the paint, start a new painting.

As the new year, and new decade have started, we all have a great opportunity to write a wonderful story with our lives. For some, it is just a new chapter in life, you are already making every moment count, for others, it may be a brand new story, no matter which one – be who you are, dream the life you desire – then live it and fill those unwritten pages and paint that picture of the life you want for yourself. 

What do you intend to do – do it – take action – be intentional. 

Write your own story, paint your own picture, you have the ability to make it turn out like you want.

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"If you start now, you will start seeing the result one day earlier than if you wait until tomorrow." Unkown

"Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story."  Cheryl Strayed

“Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others' choices make us.” Richie Norton

“The power of intention is the power to manifest, to create, to live a life of unlimited abundance, and to attract into your life the right people at the right moments.” Wayne Dyer

?"Be intentional with your space. Don't be afraid to step out on a limb and design your home the way you love it."  Joanna Gaines