Intentional Lifestyle Archives - Our Intentional Farm

December 8, 2021November 17, 2021

Minimalism Happened To Our Finances And Simplified Our Budget

As I journey toward simplifying my family’s life, I have had to evaluate just about every aspect of our existence. Finances did not escape this exercise. In fact, finances are probably one of the most affected areas of this minimalism journey to date.

One day I looked up and realized that we have 3 mortgages and far too many bank accounts. I’m not suggesting that this financial picture happened without my knowledge, but sometimes you’re just living life without pausing to take inventory.

December 1, 2021December 1, 2021

3 Simple Things I Did To Kickstart Minimalism

I’ve admired the minimalist lifestyle for some time but thought it was too extreme for me. How could I possibly pare my wardrobe and personal possessions down to all fit in one backpack? This is what I thought minimalism was. As I started to delve into it a bit more, I realized that like many other things, there’s a spectrum and many of the principles of minimalism I had already in some way began incorporating into my life. When I came to that realization, I began my own personal journey. Here are 3 simple things I did to kickstart my minimalist journey.

November 24, 2021November 10, 2021

Gratitude Walking My Way To Better Mental Health

Gratitude walking my way to better mental health is just one of the ways that I keep myself grounded. I’ve talked about my gratitude walks previously but let’s delve into this process a little more and exactly how I am able to use these walks to direct my day.

The holidays are approaching and we all know that they can cause anxiety for some. Whether it’s the emotions you associate with the season due to past experiences, missing those who are no longer here to celebrate or overwhelmed with the gift buying process, the holidays can bring with them negative emotions. It’s important to be intentional and develop a game plan before they get here so we are being proactive instead of reactive.

November 10, 2021November 9, 2021

When Delayed Gratification Gets Old

All journeys require that we exercise some degree of patience. But patience can be a difficult practice, and delayed gratification gets old- especially in today’s world.

With technology ever-evolving, just a simple thought spams your social media feeds and internet browsers with exactly the thing that visits your daydreams. And if you actually search for a sectional or sofa? Forget it! You’ll see so many sofas online that your nightly dreams will be plagued with flying chairs.

How they are able to do this is beyond my understanding but I am very clear on the why. The more we see that wishlist item, the more likely we are to succumb to our desires, pull out the debit/credit card, and buy.

October 27, 2021October 22, 2021

It’s Our Blog Anniversary, Here’s A Q&A To Celebrate!

It has been an entire year since we launched our intentional farm and we thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A to celebrate our blog anniversary. So here goes!

October 13, 2021October 12, 2021

Donuts Make Everything Better

_{I wrote this many months back when I was overworked and overwhelmed. I’ve made a lot of changes for the better since then, but still wanted to get this piece out because it’s a reality that lots of us walk through every day. I hope you all are well. Not just appear well, but that you are really well.} 🙂

*************************

I woke up this morning with anxiety. It happens more often than I’d like to admit. But here I am, admitting it.

After sitting in a corner of my dark closet for a 10-minute meditation, I felt better…for a spell. I called my therapist for a chat but he couldn’t squeeze me in today. He couldn’t get me in until next week.

Next week it is then. Carry on…

February 22, 2021January 24, 2021

Finding Courage To Live Your Intentional Life

Intentional living is a personal journey. A journey that sometimes means finding the courage to go against the norm. It’s about taking steps, usually small ones, to get closer to the life you envision. And since everyone’s dreams and priorities are vastly different, your journey will be different as well.

February 15, 2021January 31, 2021

Water, The Drink I Once Hated Is Now My Drink Of Choice

As a child, my mom always stressed the importance of drinking plenty of water and eating our vegetables. Vegetables were tolerable but water was not my drink of choice. I loved soda, orange crush to be specific! As I got older, I began to take my health much more seriously. But it wasn’t until I watched a video by the late Dick Gregory that I took an assessment of what I was drinking. He explained that our body is composed of the same amount of water as planet earth. To sustain life, we must all drink a sufficient amount of water.

That made sense to me and I began to read more about how soda wasn’t good for me.

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021

Cooking Helped My Personal Growth And Changed My Perspective

The kitchen is a sacred space. It’s where delicious food comes to life. But I never wanted to prepare the meals, I just wanted to enjoy them. Unfortunately or fortunately, Simone never agreed to this philosophy. I fought this responsibility for a long time for a few reasons, but cooking helped my personal growth and changed my perspective. Embracing this shared cooking responsibility has been a long time coming. Let me first explain.

January 25, 2021January 10, 2021

Finding Inspiration And Hope In The Art Of Storytelling

Finding inspiration and hope is something that I think is critical in life. There will always be times when we need a little encouragement or motivation.

I’m inspired by history, especially those persons who advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable. I’m inspired by quotes and by everyday people who do extraordinary things. It’s what gives me hope. But what really inspires me is reading or watching how people transform their lives through the art of storytelling.

Recently I began reading Barack Obama’s book, Promise Land, and in it, he details how he floundered around in high school and actually described himself as a “lackadaisical student.” But all that changed in the 10th grade when he stumbled upon a few books at a garage sale authored by notable social activist. He feverishly read those books from cover to cover and this began his political awakening. This political awakening gave him a better understanding of social issues as he entered college.