Being intentional means living like a human-BEING, not a human-DOER

“Goals are dreams with deadlines.” ― Diana Scharf

When I spoke to one of my friends before traveling to share details about my upcoming trip, he said, “I think what you’re doing is great.  So many people just go through life doing things, but not really experiencing life.  They are almost like human-doers, doing things and not really thinking about why.  But when you take a trip like this, you can really be a human-being, and “be” what it means to be human.  You can live in the moment and get the most out of life”

What he said really struck a chord with me.  It is easy to get stuck in the routine nature of life, taking the present for granted and looking forward to a future with more — more time, more money, more friends, more opportunities.  But living your life in that way removes your ability to make the most of the present; in other words, if live your present as if it were your future, you can take responsibility to create more of whatever you want today, rather than waiting for an ambiguous “tomorrow” or “later.”  Of course, even by living life in the present it takes effort to get more, but by approaching each day with that mindset you can set the stage to enjoy the present while also setting the stage for a fulfilling future.

And that really is fundamentally what I am trying to get out of my trip.  I have thought about taking this trip once I retire – but have opted instead to pursue one of my future dreams, today.  There were a lot of barriers to overcome – scheduling, funding the trip, getting time off from work – which I took on and ultimately worked through to turn my dream into reality.