“An unintentional life accepts everything and does nothing. An intentional
life embraces only the things that will add to the mission of significance.”  ~John C Maxwell

G and I had the opportunity to be in the same room with one another for a total of 2 weeks at the end of last year.  In our brainstorming, we stumbled upon an idea.  G had just written a blog about Being rather than Doing.  It was about presence, intentionality, being in your own life rather than running circles around it and calling that life.  Something about this idea of Being stuck with us.  We continued to drill down into what it might mean each day, week, month or even year.  We wondered what it would look like up against our goals and resolutions for the new year.  At the outset, Being feels passive, but it’s far from it when you set it against the life you are working toward.  For example, if you are Being Healthy that isn’t just a passive mindset, it takes dedication, intention, a plan, working out, eating well, etc… There is nothing passive about health.

Then we started thinking about common goals, stories,  and habits that most of us have and eventually came up with 12 words that resonated with us, and we hope will mean something to you.  These 12 words attached to Being turn them into a year-long set of goals for all of us.  They are specific enough to get you motivated, but broad enough that you can customize your own goals and resolutions right along with us.

This is our year at-a-glance:
January – Being Intentional
February – Being Loving
March – Being Well
April – Being Present
May – Being Uncomfortable
June – Being Open
July – Being Alive
August – Being Here (formerly Being Exceptional)
September – Being Surrender (formerly Being Curious)
October – Being Open (formerly Being Abundant)
November – Being Giving
December – Being Joyful

Pandemic note: As 2020 turned out way different than any of us ever could fully imagine, we’ve made some adjustments to our themes. You will find the updated themes in blue)

What does all of this mean, when do we begin and where do we start?  It begins right now, right where we are and it starts with Being Intentional.  I know, right now you are having a little panic attack because you thought we were going to say something about health and fitness. Don’t freak out.  We are laying a foundation for new habits that last, not a last-minute plan to get healthy that fades before you can say, Super Bowl.

Being Intentional does not mean you can’t be in the gym everyday and eating your greens.  What it means is that you dial back your goals to figure out your motivation, your plan and get real about what you really want. So many of us say we are going to get healthy and on January 1st we find ourselves punting to next week because New Year’s Eve kicked us in the butt.  Let’s stop wishing and dreaming and actually create a life from the ground up that we want to spend time Being in.

So, this month we will focus on Being Intentional; creating a solid plan that takes our life and commitments into consideration. That may look like getting more sleep, drinking more water, throwing out the leftover cookies, laying your clothes out for the gym, having a workout plan at the ready and/or getting healthy food in the house. It also may look like you and a journal getting clear and honest about what you want and if you are willing to become a better version of yourself in 2020.

Whatever it is that you want to accomplish this year, take this month to prepare.  Schedule the class, put it in your calendar; intentions are not wishes and dreams. They are what you actually INTEND to do to make that dream a reality.

This is your month to get focused, to get real, and actually put your plan into action.  This week, take time to think about your goals and how they fit into #365 Being.  How can you use this framework to increase your chances for success?
We will be writing about all of this to help you along.  If you have questions or thoughts about the process, let us know.  We are working toward a better life, right along side

Here’s to 2020 Being your best year yet!

Sunshine & Sarcasm,
Lowi & G