Intentional living is a deliberate way of living your life. It does not make life perfect, nor will it wipe out all your challenges. Intentional living equips individuals with the tools to face life’s challenges with resilience and learned optimism. Studies show that those who practice intentionality are more effective at bouncing back from setbacks and maintaining a positive outlook, even in difficult times.
We all face challenges and setbacks in our lives. Many things happen around us we cannot control, but we may need to navigate through those hard times. How do you face these dark days?
Resilience is an inner strength that helps us navigate and move forward. It is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to challenging life experiences through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility. You can learn resilience and set intentional goals to build this internal strength.
Learned optimism is another tool, it is a concept introduced by Martin Seligman, the founding father of positive psychology. The concept asserts we can develop a positive perspective by consciously challenging negative self-talk and adopting more optimistic attitudes and behaviors.
Unbreakable You: How Goals Forge Resilience, by Linda L. Pilcher
“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.”
Roger Crawford
Living with intention unlocks the power to shape our lives according to our deepest values and dreams.
Navigating Challenges and Setbacks
A positive mental attitude helps you overcome setbacks. Sift your perspective from negative thoughts and focus on solutions; change your mindset to a more optimistic view.
Challenges and setbacks are part of life; everyone experiences them. Many setbacks are opportunities for personal or professional growth. Resilience can be learned, so build resilience by learning from challenges and adapting. In trying to get the book Chicken Soup for the Soul published, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were rejected 144 times. Chicken Soup for the Soul is now a consumer goods and media company based in Connecticut. The book has been translated into 42 languages and published in over 100 countries. It has sold over 500 million copies.
Daily gratitude is about shifting your focus from what you do not have to what you have. Set an intentional goal to be grateful daily. Stop and take time to assess your life, especially during tough times, and find something to be thankful for.
Daily routines can help set the tone for the day. Building intentional habits and rituals into your day provides structure and consistency. Routines eliminate constant decision-making. For example, don’t struggle about when you are going to exercise. Set a time and make that your ritual. Mine is walking a mile at daybreak; I don’t have to think about it or decide; I am up and ready. This one routine sets the tone for my day. Remember, we design our lives by the choices we make.
Through learned optimism, you can learn to focus on the solutions instead of dwelling on the problem. We need to consciously challenge negative self-talk and adopt a more optimistic attitude. Learned optimism involves recognizing and challenging pessimistic thoughts and seeing them as temporary setbacks.
Resilience is not something someone can give you; you must learn the skills to cope with life’s ups and downs. Feeling overwhelmed after setbacks is common. Allow these feelings, but don’t dwell on them; instead, focus on what matters.
Resilience can be learned.
“You have setbacks in your life, and adversity. You can be discouraged about it or have courage to get through it and be better.”
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Stories of Resilience and Triumph
Two stories have strongly inspired me as I overcame a silent disease. These two men are my heroes because they pursued their passions, focused on what was important, and affected other people’s lives by showing the way to overcome challenges and setbacks.
Doug Landis’ story on his website. I was not an artist until I broke my neck in a high school wrestling match and was paralyzed from the neck down. Being a quadriplegic. I decided not to dwell on what I couldn’t do, but to explore what I could do. I taught myself to draw and paint by mouth. To overcome my limited reach, I learned to draw upside down and sideways to create the intricate details that have become my style. I love wildlife, and their beauty inspires me every day.
Doug’s story teaches us that if there is a will, there is a way, and that passion can be a driving force in our lives.
Nick was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a very rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. Nick Vujicic is a Christian evangelist and motivational speaker. As a child, Nick was sent to public school, where he was bullied and teased constantly. When Nick was 17, his high school janitor changed his life forever. The janitor told Nick he was going to be a speaker and encouraged him to share his story.
Since then, Nick has traveled to over sixty countries and inspired millions of people worldwide. Nick is married and has four children. Nick took control of his life and found a purpose. He is happy, productive, and able to do so much more than anyone would have expected.
Nick Vujicic’s story teaches us that anything is possible with a positive attitude. Never lose hope and believe in yourself. Keep moving forward without looking back. A purpose-driven life can overcome challenges and setbacks.
Look for stories of people who have overcome their challenges and setbacks.
- Stephen King- Rejected by 30 publishers. King has published 65 novels/novellas, five non-fiction books, as well as over 200 short stories.
- Stephen Hawking, a physicist, cosmologist, and author who took on impossible odds. Despite his physical challenges of a diagnosis of a rare and debilitating motor neuro disease at 21 and left confined to a wheelchair, unable to speak without a computer. Hawkins became one of our time’s most influential scientists.
- J. K. Rowling finally finished her first draft of what would become ‘Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone.’ However, the book was rejected by no less than twelve publishers! She was a struggling single mother living on government assistance. Her books are sold worldwide, and she inspires a global phenomenon. She has become an advocate for social justice and equality, using her platform to raise social awareness.
- Margaret Mitchell was rejected 38 times before she published Gone With the Wind.
- Jim Carrey faced personal challenges, including battles with depression and the death of loved ones. He shared his story about his struggles and depression and has used his platform to raise awareness about mental health issues.
Conclusion
Being a person who’s dealt with chronic illness my entire life, I am not blinded by the fact that in your dark days, things look different; things feel different. But you need to have control of your mind and your thoughts. You have control over what you can do in your life and how you design each day.
Overcoming specific setbacks in intentional living is about resilience and a positive mental attitude. Life is like a roller coaster; it is full of challenges. Some days, we are on the way up, and other days, we are looking at a deep decline, but in the long run, it balances out.
So, part of intentional living is finding grounding in your life, finding a purpose that you believe deeply in, that will carry you through these hard days. Life is always going to hand us challenges. You can either face them head-on or try to hide or ignore them.
Stories of resilience and triumph have a profound and inspiring effect on people. Stories humanize experiences; we connect with their struggles and emotions. Stories of resilience provide hope. They show that in our darkest hours, there is hope and the possibility for growth, turning challenges into opportunities. Finding role models helps show us that a positive mental attitude can fuel our potential. Look around you; you may find some of these heroes in your close environment. Family or friends who have struggled and overcome those dark days.
Challenges and setbacks are part of life; everyone experiences them. Many setbacks are opportunities for personal or professional growth. Look inside yourself, seek the focus and clarity you need to take control, and become intentional in your daily life. Challenges and setbacks can paralyze you, keeping you from your aspirations. You can learn to deal with these setbacks and keep your life moving forward in a progressive direction.
In John Maxwell’s book Intentional Living, he states that intentional living equips us with the resilience needed to navigate life’s inevitable obstacles. Developing resilience involves building a mindset that embraces challenges as opportunities for growth and learning.
Setbacks are not roadblocks; they’re detours on the path of intentional living. It is not about avoiding obstacles, but intentionally choosing how to overcome them.
Let’s Get Intentional!
Recommended Reading
Learned Optimism, How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, by Martin E. Seligman, Ph.D.
Living Life With Intention: 17 Key Steps Toward a Purposeful Life, by Stephen Montagne
The Ultimate Guide to Intentional Living, by Sarah Stone
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth
Citations
Photo by Daoudi Aissa on Unsplash, Dark clouds
Photo by Dedu Adrian on Unsplash, Sunny Day
Large cat, art by Doug Landis, www.mouthart.com
Thanks for the shoutout Linda. And yes, we need to master resilience because life is always full of ups and downs and never linear.