Pillar #5: Setting Your Intention for Sustainable Health & Wellness
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Episode Summary
In episode 5 of the Foundational Health Podcast, Dr. Kevin Schultz explores the importance of living an intentional life, the fifth and most crucial pillar of Foundational Health. Dr. Kevin shares personal insights on how choosing one guiding word for the year can help streamline your goals, and explains the concept of finding your "Big Why" for long-term motivation. He also discusses the value of feeding your mind with the right information, setting up a vision board, and influencing your immediate world before letting your impact ripple outward.
Listeners will gain practical tools such as the use of audible affirmations, including Dr. Kevin's personal list, to stay focused on living with intention. Tune in to discover how small, daily habits can align your actions with your life's purpose, and how living with intention can transform your health, relationships, and mindset.
The Importance of Living an Intentional Life
Today, we're diving deep into one of the most critical pillars of Foundational Health—intention. In fact, although it’s our fifth pillar, I believe it’s the most essential of them all.
When you live with intention, you incorporate all the previous pillars—nutrition, motion, hydration, and recovery—into a cohesive, purposeful plan for living. You can know all the right things about how to eat, move, rest, and hydrate, but without intention, it’s hard to make any of it stick.
Living an intentional life is about having both an aim and a plan. Today, I’m sharing some powerful tools and insights that have shaped my life, and I hope they’ll inspire you to live more intentionally too.
One Word to Change Your Life
Years ago, I came across a simple yet powerful concept from a book called One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon and his co-authors. It's a very short read—something you can finish in about an hour—but it’s packed with life-changing wisdom.
The premise is simple: instead of making resolutions that are hard to keep, choose one word that will guide your actions for the year. This word encompasses every aspect of your life, making it a more holistic approach than a traditional goal.
For example, my word for this year is “productivity.” Every action I take—whether at work, home, or even while preparing for this podcast—is viewed through the lens of productivity.
I’ve also chosen a word for life: “intentional.” It serves as a constant reminder to live with purpose and direction, making sure that everything I do has meaning.
Why Choose One Word:
It simplifies your goals.
It offers a lasting focus for the entire year.
It guides all aspects of your life.
Finding Your Big Why
Another concept that has impacted my life deeply is finding my "Big Why." It's the reason behind everything I do. Having a “Big Why” keeps me motivated long after the short-term goals or “little why’s” have faded.
For example, a “little why” for me is getting in shape for my annual trip to Mexico. While that’s great for motivation, it’s short-lived. Once the trip is over, so is the urgency.
But my "Big Why" is much larger. I want to live a long, vibrant life, filled with health and joy, to the point where I’m walking on the beach with my wife at 100 years old and playing with my great-grandchildren. That vision keeps me focused every day on taking care of my health.
The Difference Between a Big Why and a Little Why:
Little Why: Short-term motivation (e.g., fitting into a wedding outfit).
Big Why: Lifelong driving force (e.g., living to 100 in good health).
Feeding Your Mind
What we feed our minds is just as important as what we feed our bodies. If you want to live with intention, you need to fill your mind with things that align with your goals.
This doesn’t mean you need to constantly consume self-improvement material, but it’s important to be mindful of what you’re watching, reading, and listening to. For example, if you want to improve your nutrition, start watching documentaries or reading books that support that goal.
It’s about creating an environment where success is more likely because you're feeding your mind with the right information.
Setting Up a Vision Board
I'm a huge advocate of vision boards. My family and I each have one in our home, and it’s been a game-changer for keeping us focused on our goals. Our vision boards are filled with images of places we want to visit, like a family trip to Italy, as well as quotes, Bible verses, and life goals.
Having a visual representation of what you want helps solidify those dreams in your mind. It’s a constant reminder of where you're headed.
Why You Should Create a Vision Board:
It visually reinforces your goals.
It helps keep you focused on the bigger picture.
It can be customized to reflect every aspect of your life—health, relationships, career, etc.
Motivating With Audible Affirmations
Every morning, I listen to a recording of my favorite affirmations, Bible verses, and reminders of who I want to be. This practice helps set my intention for the day. I keep these in Google Keep and update them every six months or so. My current recording is around 6.5 minutes long, and I listen to it every day without fail.
Here’s a glimpse into my audible affirmations:
My Words for the Year and Life: "Productivity" and "Intentional."
Remember Who You Are: I remind myself daily that I am:
A man of God
A leader
A loving father and husband
Five Steps to Be the Best Dad Ever:
Guide my children toward a relationship with God and Jesus.
Show respect and love for Sarah and teach my kids how to do the same.
Discipline with patience and love, not anger.
Spend quality time with each child individually.
Show my affection through words, hugs, and kisses.
These affirmations help me focus on the most important aspects of my life, ensuring I stay true to my purpose. These affirmations may not resonate with you personally, but hopefully can give you an idea of the types of things you can include in your daily affirmations.
The Circle of an Intentional Life
One of the most impactful lessons I’ve learned about living with intention came from my mentor, Dr. Ben Lerner. He introduced me to the concept of the "Circle of an Intentional Life."
Visualize yourself as a dot at the center of a series of expanding circles. The innermost circle represents your immediate world—your friends, family, and coworkers. The next circles represent your neighborhood, town, state, country, and the world at large.
Most people let the outer circles—the world, the news, the negativity around them—shape who they are at the center. But that’s backward. Instead, we should be influencing those outer circles with our actions and positive energy.
By controlling your inner world, you become a force for good in your family, your community, and eventually, the world.
How to Live an Intentional Life:
Start by focusing on your personal actions.
Influence your immediate circle through leadership and example.
Let your positive energy ripple outward to influence larger circles.
Intention Takeaways
To wrap it up, here are the key takeaways for living an intentional life:
Success equals simple habits performed daily over time - You don’t have to implement all of these intentional tips at once. Commit to simple habits at first that push you in the right direction, and you’ll be well on your way.
Buy the book “One Word That Will Change Your Life” - It’s a quick and easy read and provides a simple framework to incorporate more intention into your daily life.
Focus on results, not reasons - Focus on your intentions and your goals, not the reasons that come up as to why you can’t achieve them.
You are a leader - When you begin living a more intentional life, you’ll inspire all of those around you to do the same.
Conclusion
I hope you can now see why this fifth pillar, Intention, forms the backbone for each of the pillars of Foundational Health, and why I find it so important. Being intentional through life is the first step in your journey towards sustainable wellness and living a life where you look better, feel better, and heal better.
Thank you, as always, for listening and reading along to these first 5 episodes of the Foundational Health podcast that form the pillars of the entire Foundational Health mission. I hope you enjoyed them, and I hope you enjoy the future inspirational and educational content to come!