We are officially halfway into this year, it’s June of 2022. Man, time flies doesn’t it? The crazy thing is that time is just going to keep on flying by, actually as we get older time will seem to slip by faster and faster. So what can we do to ensure we make the most of our life, we enjoy our life to the fullest, what can we do to ensure we make a difference while we are here?

I remember as a young boy this time of year seemed to last forever. Summer was like a lifetime, and now as an adult I blink and half a year flies by. As time flies by, I get older, my wife gets older and my daughters are growing, life is passing by and what I have realized is that I CAN’T do anything to slow it down or stop it.

I do have a choice though, we all have a choice…

Will you live a life of INTENTION or will life just fly on by without you even noticing?

Intention vs. Attention 

I honestly believe it is easy to just maintain the basics of life. It is easy enough to pay attention and get the basics done. I have caught myself in this trap of just doing the minimum. Here is what it looks like for me when I just pay theminuinum attention to my life:

 I won’t wake early to get my ritual done where I read scripture, pray, and intentionally plan my day. I immediately turn on my computer and get to work because I am behind for the day. Meanwhile my wife and daughters have been up without me for maybe an hour. Normally I would be charged up from my morning routine and I would get to have a slow morning with my ladies enjoying the moment instead of feeling rushed to the next thing. 

I justify to myself and say things like, “I was working late yesterday, so it’s ok to sleep in.” or, “I am the sole income for the household so, it’s ok if I get started with work right away.” And since I work from home it’s easy to say things like, “I have been with my family all day.” And so I can accept that as time with my family. Then at the end of the work day, because I feel “so exhausted” from feeling rushed from one thing to the next, I plop on the coach and just watch tv until I fall asleep.

Now from the outside looking in, this type of day might seem ok. So, I wake up a little late, but I still work a full day to provide for my family. My kids have a roof over their heads, they have food on their plates, and my wife knows I am home with her. So, what’s the big deal? 

Well, at least for me when I have these days I am just paying themininum attention to my life, I feel like something is off. I have this voice inside screaming at me, “Sammy! If you let this day become normal, you will miss the most beautiful, deepest, and most intimate moments of life!” It’s like I know that just because I am physically present, that doesn’t mean I am emotionally, spiritually, and menatally present for life. And that is just NOT acceptable for me and who I want to be. 

If You Want Different Do Different 

It’s one thing to say I want to make a change in my daily routine so that I have fewer and fewer days where I am just giving the minimum. Intellectually I can speak about it but unless I take that thought and solidify it, I will be back to my old habits of waking late and just going through the motions. 

In order to solidify a change in your life let’s refer to what I call the 3 layers of self. The first layer is the conscious intellectual layer, the second layer is the emotional layer, and the third layer is the unconscious identity layer. Here is an exercise I have practiced and will continue to practice to solidify the lasting change I desire.

1. Think – Write out the ideal result you want in your life. Write it out in extreme detail and write it in present tense. For example, I would write something like this, “I wake up every morning at the same time enthusiastic about seeking my God in prayer and scripture. I easily get out of bed, walk to the kitchen and make the perfect cup of coffee. I sit for a few moments with my coffee, God, and in silence. Then I turn on some calm meditative music as I open scripture and seek wisdom…” 
2. Feel – Emotionally connect to this ideal result you have just written down. Add some emotional words and visual descriptions that tug on your heart strings. For example, I might write something like, “…Because I have sought my God and wisdom early before my day starts, I am able to slowly enjoy looking into each one of my wife’s eyes and into each one of my daughter’s eyes everyday they are under my roof. I will not take that for granted. I know I only have a short time that they will want to look into my eyes every morning, and I will not miss this.”
3. Be – In order to get this ideal result to be a part of who you are and not just what you are trying to do, we have to be consistent in our thinking, our emotions, and our actions. There is great wisdom that says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” -Proverbs 23:7. For me the best way to become and manifest this ideal result in my life is to be around other men who call me to this level of greatness. Join other men who are choosing to live with intention by joining our HeRose Challenge Facebook Group

HeRose Take Action Now!

Time is ticking by faster and faster and we don’t know when our last hour, minute or second will be. And so, I implore you to take action today and live with intention. Life is too short to not live my dreams, I want to pursue purposeful work that I truly enjoy. Time is too precious a resource to not be the best husband and dad I can be today and everyday. I only get one shot at this thing called life, and I don’t know when my clock will expire, so I vow to live with INTENTION in all Super Six areas of my life. I invite you to join me on this daily journey, I invite you to live this lifestyle with me. I will leave you with this quote,

“When you live with a people that continuously anticipate greatness in you, it pushes you into your divine destiny!”