# Live with Intention

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👀 Witnessing a spectrum of leaders at Harvard Business School, from people pleasers to goal-getters, led me to a vital question:\
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Who did I want to be? ✨\
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As a reformed people pleaser, here are 5 steps I took to ditch auto-pilot and create my own intentional journey 🚀\
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🧭 I observed two distinct paths in others:\
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\- one of intention and self-awareness\
\- the other of passivity and external validation\
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I had a choice to make that would define not only my HBS experience but also my life trajectory.\
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🌱 This realization led to a chapter of anxiety, overwhelm & self-doubt. I found myself questioning everything I knew about how I had navigated life until that point.\
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Through self-reflection, I discovered how to leave auto-pilot ✈️ behind for a more fulfilling, purposeful journey.\
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💡 Living with intention became my focus.\
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The Japanese concept "Ikigai" became my guiding principle:\
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The intersection of what you love, what you're good at, and what you can do for the world.\
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Here are my 5 steps for living with intention:\
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✨ Reflect:\
Determined my Ikigai\
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✨ Set goals:\
Crafted a vision + SMART goals\
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✨ Prioritize:\
Focused on what mattered to me\
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✨ Cultivate gratitude:\
Appreciated what I had\
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✨ Stay present:\
Practiced mindfulness. Especially, mindful productivity :)\
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🧠 My "why" reflection led me to create [Smarty](https://www.linkedin.com/company/smartyai/)\
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With a passion for productivity, AI, and technology, I used my strengths and skills to make a difference by changing how we work with technology – and how it works for us.\
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🌺 My journey hasn't been perfect (I still find myself people-pleasing once in a while)... but living with intention has unlocked a beauty in my life.\
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You have the power to choose your path. Make conscious decisions, and watch your life bloom with beautiful moments! 💪


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