Ten Tips for Living Intentionally This 2025
- Char Truth W.
- Feb 1
- 8 min read
We Curated 10 Tips for Living with Intention Authentically as We Enter the New Month
Alright, DLT Family, we’ve made it!
Can you believe it’s already another year in the rearview mirror? And with the first month of the year wrapping up, we’ve got the perfect moment to pause, reflect, and honestly get intentional about what’s next. Whether this month has felt like a fresh start or a struggle to get through, you're here, you're present, that's a blessing, and that matters.
As we step into February (yes, already!), let’s get real for a second. It's easy to get wrapped up in goals, resolutions, and what we "should" be doing. But let’s not forget, changing to begin living authentically comes when we take the time to be kind to ourselves in the process. Living intentionally and genuinely isn't about having it all together, it’s about being in alignment with your values and treating yourself with care while figuring things out.
Go easy on yourself, love!
So, here’s the deal: these tips are based on my own life situations as well as some experiences from the Dirty Little Truth Team. Some might hit close to home, others might not. But if any of them resonate, I’m hoping they can help you live a bit more intentionally and authentically this month (and every month after). Always remember you're here on earth for a mission but also to enjoy yourself. After all, you're with yourself 24/7, so make it worthwhile. We chose 10, so that you can be a 10 by the end of the year.
Stay Truly Unbothered Through Daily Breathwork
We’ve all heard it before: "Just breathe." But here's the thing, not all breathing is created equal. When we talk about intentional breathing, we mean slowing down to actually breathe, not just going through the motions.
Try this: Inhale deeply, and say to yourself, “Breathing in, I know I’m breathing in." Then exhale, saying, “Breathing out, I know I’m breathing out." You can interchange words or phrases that are more comfortable for you and your routine. The 4/4 method is also very popular in breathwork. Breath in for a count of four, hold the breath for a count of four, release the breath for a count of four and hold for four. Repeat the cycle as needed.
Simple, right? True, this little tool helps you to ground, calms the chaos in your mind, and brings clarity, which is something we could all use heading into a new month. Let's be real, breathing as a form of self soothing, meditation, focus and awareness all serves as a tool to help instantly get into alignment. This year, you don't have to fuss, fight or react, simply practice your breathing techniques and then respond and move accordingly.
Do What You Say You’ll Do | Commit To You
Living intentionally is all about follow-through. And let’s face it, sometimes it’s easier said than done. If you’re serious about your goals, bring someone in to keep you accountable. Whether it's a friend, a therapist, or someone you trust, letting them in on your goals can create the support you need to make them a reality. If you are your only support system, try using a mirror. Write your goals on a sticky note wherever you will see your reflection in the mirror daily and recite them to yourself with words of affirmation. Tell the truth. Be honest about your capacity and availability to accomplish certain things this year, especially for others that do not help benefit your goals or well being.
No need to overwhelm yourself this year babe, you come first. Try This: Write out your goal at the top of a piece of paper. Make a column for rewards and a column for disciplined action needed to take to catch up on work undone or incomplete that was needed in order to reach the goal. Are there any gaps and holes in the skills, connections or education needed to complete the goal? This method teaches you not to negatively punish yourself, but positively reinforces critical thinking and action planning to keep driving results and successful habits along the journey to your goal achievement.
Hidden Truths | Look at What’s Influencing You In today’s world, we’re surrounded by external influences, especially on social media. But here’s the thing: not all of them should shape your goals. When you set intentions for the future, focus on your own intrinsic motivations. What’s driving you? What do you really want for yourself? Choose this answer wisely from a place of peace and internal reflection, not because it’s trending or you saw someone post about it, but because it aligns with who you are from within. Try This: Survey your environment and see what you are directly spending time focusing on like your phone or other technologies. Take a second note of things that influence or affect you externally in some form, like living near a highway, children, or traffic because you live in a city. What are some ways you can balance living with or near these influences? What can you do to protect yourself so that you can focus your awareness on your goals without controlling the external pressures?
Aim for Authenticity, Not Perfection Listen, nobody’s perfect; at first, and thank goodness for that. Perfection through someone else’s lens is a myth, but as the artist of your own life, you hold the key to your own version of perfection. Art can be perceived as perfection by many, but usually not at the start of the masterpiece.
The trick to achieving personal perfection is striving for excellence through authenticity instead. True progress is perfection. You can never go wrong by just being yourself no matter what you are engaged in at the moment. It's not in how you do what you do, but the fact that you are doing something with and for yourself that is so remarkable. It's a great honor to put your mind to a goal and consistently work through actionable steps, to the best of your abilities, and achieve the significant award that is your well earned results. You've already set a goal, so go after it, and if you miss a mark or mess up? Learn from it. But don’t let it define you or stop you. The DLT: Always stay true to who you are the core. We all experience failure or discourse at some points throughout life. No big deal. The negative criticism of someone else's idea of perfection will only hold you back; excellence through authenticity, on the other hand, will push you forward. You are perfect from the point of view and fact that there is only one you.
Try Something New This Year New year, true you! If you’ve been feeling stuck, try something fresh. Shake it up! It always feels good to reinvent yourself and pop out into the world with a new image, mindset and confidence. It doesn’t need to be a life-altering decision (although, it very well can be). To start, just pick something that adds new flavor to your life. Whether it’s taking a class, having your first photoshoot, starting a business, picking up a hobby, or going on an adventure, give yourself the chance to explore and expand. Try This: Want a new and fun way to find what you should do next in life?
Ask the 8 Ball of Truth a question here.
Be With Yourself & Embrace Solitude My mother used to say the phrase "Peace be still". The hustle of everyday life can make solitude seem daunting, but it’s in those quiet moments that we find the space to reconnect with ourselves. People, environment, and situations can cause stress and unnecessary pressures that can distract you from your goals and disrupt your well being. Constantly giving our energy out and catering to life externally can begin to take us away from our authentic selves. To negate this, we must adopt habits, routines and breaks from life that helps to get us back into alignment. This all starts by becoming comfortable with solitude. At first this process can seem nerve wrecking, but it unfolds into a pleasurable experience that becomes self discovery. Sometimes it becomes addicting. This how someone can turn into an introvert, though balance is key. So, take time to be alone. It’s not about isolating yourself, but rather creating the mental and emotional space to reflect, reset, and recharge. Trust me, you’ll be better for it.
Let It Go Babe, It's Holding You Back Change can be scary, but growth is always worth it. If you’re holding onto habits that are no longer serving you, now is the time to let them go. Whether it’s procrastination, self-doubt, or anything else that’s keeping you stuck, make this the month to shed the old and make room for the new. After all, this is the month of love. Decide what in experiences in your day to day feels good to you and work on replacing the ones that don't.
Writing Is Magical | Start Journaling Your mind is a messy, beautiful place. Journaling helps make sense of it all. It’s not about writing the next great American novel; it’s about getting your thoughts out and giving yourself a clearer view of what’s really going on inside. Have you seen the movie The Matrix? We live in a world that is driven by data: time, frequency, routine, habits, etc.
Journaling opens up the opportunity to get the data of your life and onto paper. Writing things down will help you see everything in a practical sense, make healthy shifts, and receive clarity about how you feel. No matter what comes out onto the paper, practice materializing your thoughts and feelings through the magic of words. Whether it’s deep self-reflection or just a note to remind you about that frozen chicken in the fridge, journaling can help you stay connected with yourself, so you can enjoy being yourself.
Ummm “No”! The DLT is, it's seriously time to start saying no. Though this is repeated so much over social media and seems so cliche', it's true. Boundaries are essential for intentional living. Saying “no” isn’t selfish, it’s self-care. If someone or something is draining your energy or pulling you off-course, it’s time to set a boundary today. Boundaries are for yourself and shows exactly how you should be making your decisions and if they support your goals or not. Remember: you don’t need to explain yourself. Just say “no, thank you” when it’s time to protect your peace.
The Eight-Fold Path I’m not here to preach, but if you’re looking for a way to focus your intentional living, consider exploring the Eight-Fold Path from Buddhism. Right view, right resolve, right speech, and so on, it’s all about cultivating mindfulness and ethical living. Live freely and authentically, while understanding the laws of life and how you impact yourself and the world around you. It’s a great reminder to stay grounded, centered, and true to yourself as you move forward.
The Eightfold Path is a core teaching in Buddhism that provides a guide for living a life of ethical conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom. It's often seen as the path to enlightenment and liberation from suffering (dukkha), and it’s part of the Buddha's teachings on how to overcome the root causes of suffering in life.
The Eightfold Path is divided into three main sections: Wisdom (Prajna), Ethical Conduct (Sila), and Mental Discipline (Samadhi). You can use and cultivate the basis of these teaching to create your own personal pillars to live by. You can create your own mantras of truth and live by your own set of rules so that you stay intentional with your year.
Yasss...And there you have it loves! Ten simple ways to live intentionally as we step into a brand-new month.
The Dirty Litty Truth is: Don’t overthink it, don’t overcomplicate it... just show up for yourself, and let this next chapter be about progress, and create your own version of perfection through authenticity. Let’s fall in love with more than our potential, but our true efforts toward intentional change and transformation and truly make February count!
With so much love,
Truth
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