Intentional living mistakes
–The Mistake of Abandoning Intentional Living When Life Gets Messy
When life throws curveballs—and it will—it’s tempting to drop everything we were carefully building in the name of “handling it.” I’ve done this more than once. I abandoned routines and made reactive choices that, in hindsight, hurt me more than the actual crisis ever did.
Abandoning Routines
Another mistake? Letting go of my routines.
When life got hard, I told myself I didn’t have time or energy for them. But routines are not a luxury, they’re part of the scaffolding that holds you up when everything else feels like it’s crumbling.
Instead of anchoring into the habits that grounded me, I dropped them to “fix” everything. The result? burnout. More chaos. Less clarity.
What I’ve learned: routines don’t slow you down, they stabilize you. Especially in the storm.
Inconsistent self-care
Self-care is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. Ignoring your physical, mental, and emotional well-being can lead to burnout and hinder your ability to live intentionally. Make self-care a priority by incorporating activities that rejuvenate you into your daily routine.
Neglecting wealth growth
One of the biggest mistakes I made was neglecting money. I had good intentions, strong values, and discipline in other areas, but I underestimated how deeply money influences everything. It shapes the food we eat, the products we use, the jobs we stay in, and whether we can truly live in freedom.
Pretending that money wasn’t central to intentional living left me in situations I didn’t want to be in. That realization directly conflicted with the life I was trying to build. I did invest and I cared about finances, but it wasn’t one of my main focuses. Looking back, I think it should have been closer to the top of my priorities—not because money itself matters most, but because of the freedom and opportunities it creates for you and the people you want to help.
I also wish I had invested more and focused a little less on hobbies and passions. Still, as the saying goes, the best time to start building something was yesterday. The second best time is today. Now, finances are a key pillar of how I try to live with intention.
The All-or-Nothing Trap
Intentional living isn’t about perfection. It’s not about always having it together.
It’s about choosing systems, boundaries, and practices that support you, especially when things fall apart. I used to believe I had to abandon everything to respond to life’s messiness. Now I know better.
Resilience goes beyond bouncing back, it’s having something in place to bounce from.