Living Intentionally

Life is fickle. It’s like a flowing stream. But it flows one day at a time. When you are caught up in the daily chores of life you might end up missing the big picture.

[Tweet “Just living is too small to be the purpose of living.”]

While living for yourself alone is too small to be the purpose of living, living with a mindset that you are the superman of the world is also not the purpose of living.

You may have seen people who fall on both extremes. On the one hand are those who are just so consumed with themselves and their immediate family that they don’t even know that the world is bigger than them.

On the other hand are those who think they are the superman of the world. That without them the world is heading to a ditch. They have little or no regard for their immediate family.

But Living intentionally is somewhere in between.

Living intentionally is creating the balance between my personal desires and making the world better than I met it.

As we move from day to day it is easy to get engrossed in the daily needs. What to eat, what to wear, school fees to be paid, deadlines to be met, sales targets to be achieved, etc. This is what is known as the rat race and so many people are caught in it.

The environment acts on the people that are in the rat race. These are the people that flare up at every little thing. It is known as the survival mode. It is not a good place to be at.

If you recall the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Survival or Physiological needs is at the bottom of the pyramid. Let’s take a look at the list.

6. Physiological/Survival

5. Safety

4. Love and Belonging

3. Esteem

2. Self-actualization

1. Self-transcendence

Even though Maslow never used the pyramid to describe the hierarchy of needs, it however is a perfect illustration.

The base of the pyramid has the largest surface area indicating that more people are at that level. That is the seat of physiological needs.

At the top of the pyramid is Self-transcendence, a level that was not on his initial publication but later reviewed to include this level. Because all other levels has to do with the self even though the focus on self decreases as you climb up the pyramid. But at the tip of the pyramid there is no self.

Living intentionally is not just about fighting or working very hard so you can move from the Physiological needs level to the Safety needs level and so on until you gradually move to the top of the pyramid. Everybody is doing that.

Living intentionally is functioning at the top of the pyramid even when one is still at the bottom of the pyramid. It is looking beyond self.

Moving from Physiological to Safety needs may look like being deliberate but in truth the person is just trying to be more comfortable and though there is nothing wrong with it, it is actually just looking out for self.

But at the Self-transcendence level, the focus shifts from the self to adding value to others. It is “transcending self.”

It does not absolve the person from the challenges or needs of the level he actually is but he is saying, “In spite of this need I choose to function at this level. I choose to live above self”

I believe this is part of what Jesus meant when he said “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you.”

When you function at this level, it is only a matter of time before you have all your needs met. Because no man will get out of his way to add value to others without getting value in return.

When you function at this level, the environment does not act on you, instead you act on the environment. This is the man who has refused to let the cares of this world choke him. This is the man who is giving back to the world.

Are you living intentionally or are you caught up in one of the other levels of the pyramid? Is having a more comfortable car of more importance to you than adding value to the lives of others?

This is a guest post by Mute Efe. Mute Efe is the Chief Responsibility Officer at Personal Leadership Resources. A Leadership Training & Development company that uses Social Media platforms as its primary media for training people. An Electrical Engineer and Certified Safety Professional, Mute is also certified in Basic and Advanced Leadership.

He is the author of two books, The Beautiful Life: Classic Notes on Personal Leadership and What They Don’t Tell You About Mentoring (eBook). He is a speaker, writer and coach.

You can connect with him on any of the following:
Facebook: www.fb.com/mutehimself
Twitter: @Mute_Efe
WhatsApp: 08038749796‎

This post is part of the #Last70Days Blog-Athon in 2015, a 70-day challenge toward the end of each year to help you to apply intentional approach to excellence in the coming year. If you want to follow the series in 2016, you can subscribe using the form below.

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