If you repeated today for the next five years, where would you end up?

It’s a sobering thought, I know.

The majority of people don’t choose their days, they just wake up and go (over and over again). When this happens, life becomes more reactive instead of intentional. You’ll spend time catching up when you could be planning your next move. While it isn’t a total loss of control, it isn’t optimal to get you where you want to be.

The idea of being intentional with your day lies with you deciding on how you’re going to live your day before that’s dictated for you.

Consider this:

You’ve been saying you want to work out five days per week, but you began your Monday morning with a three snooze alarms and 20 minutes of searching for what to wear. Before you know it, you’re 50 minutes into the day and realize that even if you do get to the gym, you won’t be there for very long before you have to leave to make it to work on time. So, you decide to skip the gym for today. You haven’t lost the day, but you missed out on your opportunity to start the way you wanted to because you didn’t wake up with intention.

This is what Memento Mori means as it encourages people fully live intentional lives by refusing to simply exist.

Remember, intention is a choice.

You’re either drifting, or you have direction. Someone who’s drifting is scrolling, reacting to the world around them, and filling time with tasks that ultimately don’t make them feel whole. Now, direction, is choosing actions that actually align with your values.

Let’s say your core values are integrity, compassion, and resilience. You can say those are the values you hold tightly, but are you directing your life in a way to embody those things? This is where living with intention will allow you to hold true to your word (integrity), show love for those around you (compassion), and be strong enough to push through when things get tough (resilience).

Because what kind of example would you be if you preached those values, but never showed them? This is where you can truly be a leader. Be it at home, in your workplace, or in public. Don’t be afraid to be in a position to lead by example, and don’t be so inclined to avoid it.

People tend to avoid intention because it requires work. It requires one to plan their day the night before an event instead of waiting until the last minute to prepare. It requires responsibility, and responsibility frightens people. They’re afraid it will expose their misalignment with their proposed values. They say one thing, but act in a way that indicates another.

This is where you commit. Start small, and the effects will compound.

Be intentional.

Be intentional with your days.
Be intentional with your weeks.
Be intentional with your life.

Small decisions will begin shaping your identity. And as those small habits become more and more a part of you, the more seamlessly you will be able to integrate intention into your daily life. You won’t rise to your goals; you will fall to your daily standards. So set the standard.

And remember: The lack of intention is still a decision.

The Daily Intention Reset (5 minutes)

Every morning, decide 3 things:

Bonus: What would make today a win?

This isn’t about being perfect, it’s about direction. Just get moving.