We’re starting with definition and intention because it will help set the foundation for living our best life on our own terms. 

Before we can get about the business of creating and living our best lives, we have to define it for ourselves and be intentional about pursuing it. 

Without this way of intentionally defining what is important to us and committing to pursuing it, we are left in a life of unfulfilling chaos, a life of surviving and not thriving. 

And this isn’t me just being woo woo with you guys. This is actually brain science. In our brains we have this structure called the reticular activating system that basically acts as a sift for all the information our brain receives and then decides what’s important. So it basically filters everything you see, taste, hear, feel, and smell and decides what to pay attention to and what to ignore. 

Intention allows us to orient that structure in our brain to what’s important to us and in turn give more attention and energy to what actually matters. And the result of doing so, is exponentially multiplying what you want in life. In my own life defining what I value and living more intentionally has helped me streamline my goals and catapult my results in so many areas of my life. It helped me decide to pivot businesses and start modAmbtion. It has helped me be a more conscious parent and wife. It’s even helped me fill up my cup with things that bring me joy so that things like anxiety and burnout have no room to be stirred in.

Values guide our beliefs, attitudes, and behavior. They’re those qualities about life that make you feel like you’re living your best life. 

For instance, one of my values is looking good by my own standards. Plainly put, when I look good I feel good. Taking time alone, (without my kids climbing all over me or asking me for a snack), to shower, get dressed nicely, and put on a little makeup makes me feel like my best most fabulous self. Just me loving on myself in the bathroom is something I deeply cherish.

But there are times when we lose touch of those things that make life worth living. And when we lose touch with our values, it can feel like we’re just going through the motions in life and that’s when things like anxiety, depression, and overwhelm can creep in and steal your joy like a thief in the night, day, and heck even morning. 

When I had postpartum depression, what I realized in my healing work was that I had stopped doing all the things that make me feel like myself. I had lost touch with so many things that were important to me. My life became consumed with nurturing this new baby, and my yoga and nature adventures had been replaced with night feedings and blowouts. And let me just say that there is nothing wrong with breastfeeding and blowouts, I cherished every moment with my baby but the problem was those were the only moments I was having and I wasn’t making space to live a more full life. 

And in this episode, I want to help you define what it means to have it all according to what’s important to you, and then set an intention on how you will move closer to what you want. 

Ok so here are 3 things I want to share with you to help you use intention to have it all!

This episode is brought to you by modAmbtion. With modern planners and business accessories, we help ambitious women have it all in style and without the overwhelm. Visit modAmbition.com to shop our collection of planners, office supplies, and organizational tools designed for chic women with big goals. Finally, luxury planning and organizational accessories made for fashionable women!

ONE: How to know if you are burned out and disconnected from your values

So I want you to assess: are you just going through the motions in life and not connected to your values in life? 

Remember, we want to be clear that burning out trying to do it all is not the dream. A recent study by ForbesWomen found that 92 percent of working moms felt overwhelmed by work, home and parenting responsibilities. 

Just because you want to have it all, doesn’t mean you have to do it all. Defining your values and intentions will help you clarify this. 

Here are  4 signs you’re just surviving and not thriving

• You have fell into the cycle of feeling helpless about all the things you have to do in life, which leads to feeling hopeless about improving it
• You feel a constant state of exhaustion and fatigue
• You have lost your motivation and passion
• You feel like life is mechanical and on autopilot

TWO: How to figure out my values? - Determine your core life values

Goals may pivot, but your values grow with you as the season’s change. The Dalai Lama said, “Open your arms to change but don’t let go of your values. 

The question then becomes how do you figure out what your values are. Taking a moment to explicitly define your values will help you live a more intentional life.

And, I want to share 3 questions that can get you started with figuring out your values: 

• What makes you feel like your best self?
• Who do you admire and why?
• In all the domains in your life, what’s one word to describe what’s most important to you within each domain?

THREE: Success Hack to Help You Have It All

Okay, so lastly I want to talk to you about a success hack that can help you have it all as an ambitious woman, which is knowing how to use intention in your everyday life. Goal setting is great, I have a whole program on manifesting goals called Dream Life Academy. 

But intention will allow you to achieve those goals in a way that is meaningful and joyful because it helps you define HOW you want to move closer to those goals. Intention is the Success Hack to Help You Have It All

Here’s how to implement this hack: 

• Take time to regularly set an intention for the time you are moving into.
• Decide when you would like to set an intention and then schedule it. I set intentions for my year, quarter, month, week, and most days. For example, if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I set weekly and daily intentions and share them on my stories. Taking this time to set my intention even for just that week helps me tap into how I want to show up for JV (that’s the hubby), my children, my work, and anything else that is important to me. It allows me to look at my goals for that week and decide how I will show up energetically to get those things done. 
• Focus less on a tangible goal, and more on how you want to feel and show up according to what matters most to you. This week when I’m recording this, my intention for this week is “impact” because I am hosting live webinars this week and I want to make sure they are providing as much value as possible for the people that take their time to tune in.  

If you’re feeling like nothing can help, intention can be the game-changer for you. This process is laid out for you in our Prosperity Planner that will be releasing so soon. In our prosperity planner, I made sure to include clear practical tools for clarifying your values and using intention. 

I would love to end this episode by offering an intention for you this week: May you tap into what’s most important to you and intentionally attract a life full of what matters.

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