In the hustle and bustle of our modern world it's easy to fall into routine of what everyone else is doing, just following the herd without questioning if the things you're doing are truly serving you. I encourage you to step out of autopilot and create a more meaningful life by making some small (or big) changes that will help you live intentionally.
Are you ready to learn 10 actionable ways to live intentionally? If all of these ideas are new to you don't feel like you have to take action on all of them at once. In fact, I recommend choosing one or two at first that resonate with you and build on it as you can.
10 Actionable Ways to Live Intentionally
1. Grow Some of Your Own Food
This is number one for a reason; I believe growing your own food is the most powerful thing a person can do.
If you don’t have a yard feasible for a garden don’t throw this idea out totally! All you need is a porch, deck or even a small balcony. Growing your own food doesn’t have to be all or nothing – pick a vegetable or fruit that you eat the most of and grow a few plants in some pots. Or if you’re really strapped for outdoor space, consider growing a kitchen herb garden.
The idea is to get your hands in the dirt, learn a new skill and take charge of your food source, no matter the quantity of which you're able to do so.
2. Know Where Your Food Comes From
This one is huge. Every person should be able to open up their refrigerator or pantry and know where at least 50% of their food products came from, more would be ideal.
This can look like buying meat from local farmers, getting produce from the farmers market, growing some of your own food, becoming a part of a herd share, etc.
If this feels overwhelming to you, don’t feel like you have to do all of it at once. Choose one option that feels right for you and your family and go from there.
3. Cook from Scratch
Cooking from scratch is a great way to implement intentional living because you are creating meals step-by-step with your own two hands, and you get to control the ingredients that go into each prepared meal.
The problem is that cooking from scratch has turned into somewhat of a lost skill. Luckily anyone can learn if you are capable of following a recipe.
This book is a great beginning guide to cooking from scratch and basic kitchen skills.
4. Reduce Your Trash
This might not be a topic that many people consider when thinking about intentional living, but it is an idea worth bringing up. The average person produces about 4.5 pounds of trash per day which is a number that I think most of us could reduce if we were conscious of our daily choices.
Some ways we can reduce our daily waste is by composting, recycling, choosing products with low waste packaging, making some of our own common household items from home and using reusable food containers. There are so many opportunities to decrease our waste, you may just have to think outside the box.
This kitchen composter is a great way to reduce trash.
5. Preserve Food
Food preservation used to be a skill that everyone knew because it was a necessity. Nowadays everything you need is available at the grocery store year-round… but what if it wasn’t? What if, say, a pandemic occurred, and grocery store shelves weren’t always stocked? Sound familiar?
Preserving food while you're in abundance for months of scarcity is so important. There are many different ways of preserving such as canning, dehydrating, cold storage, freezing, etc. Choose what method to use based on the storage space you have and the food you are preserving.
Food preservation can seem like such an intimidating task for some people, but once you get the hang of it, it will come second nature.
My biggest piece of advice is to follow a reputable source when learning how to preserve food, such as the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
6. Know What's in Your Food
Not enough people think about this which is quite scary. Most foods you pick up at the grocery store will read a long ingredient list with substances that are unfamiliar to the average person. But people buy them anyway!
Folks, if you do not know what is in the food you are purchasing, why on Earth would you put it in your body?
Some ways to avoid not knowing what is in your food is by cooking from scratch. You control what goes into your meal. Also, read the ingredient lists of every food before you buy it – a rule I go by is that I do not purchase anything with more than five ingredients. Do this and the next time you go grocery shopping you will be shocked.
Another great way to know what is in your food is by shopping at Azure Standard. It is a natural and organic food distributor. You can see where each product comes from and have peace of mind in knowing you’re purchasing healthy food and supporting a great company.
7. Learn Herbal Medicine
I know there are a lot of differences of opinions around this topic but if you are willing to give herbal medicine a chance, it is a great way to achieve intentional living.
Herbal medicine has been used for thousands of years and has been proven by millions of people worldwide. Please note, there is a time and place for doctor intervention but using these ancient remedies can be a great start to good health.
This book is a great introduction to this topic and includes lots of recipes you can make from home.
8. Do-It-Yourself
In our modern world it’s easy to pay someone to do something for you instead of figuring it out yourself or just buying something instead of making it. It’s the new norm, but I refuse to accept it as such, and you should too.
Sure, spending money is easier than learning how to do it yourself but sometimes the easier option isn’t the best one. Why not put in some effort to learn a new skill that will save you money in the long run?
Can you learn how to change your own oil, make your own laundry detergent, mend old clothes, make homemade shampoo…? The possibilities are endless.
9. Shop Small Business
We already talked about the importance of buying local food but what about supporting local and small businesses?
Take a second to think of the items you purchase at Walmart: beauty products, soaps, home goods, etc. I have no doubt that you can find a small business to purchase these items from instead. What about the products you get from Lowes? Support your local hardware store instead.
Yes, shopping with small businesses is usually a bit more expensive and it can take time to source but it is so worth it. It’s worth it to know you are helping a family put food on their table and it’s worth it to know the products you're purchasing are the result of someone's passion and hard work.
10. Start a Side-Hustle
Creating an additional income stream will help you live a more intentional life for multiple reasons. The first being that it will allow you to have some extra money to help fund the things we’ve talked thus so far because like we discussed, some of these ideas cost a little extra but are always worth it.
The next reason a side hustle will help you live intentionally is because extra income can help you build a savings. This savings will allow you to have peace of mind in your daily life. It will allow you to make decisions on purpose and with intention rather than doing it because you have to.
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