Make your inner child proud

In a serendipitous spiral of events, a couple of weeks ago, a brilliant writer and creative, Alexa Phillips, wrote about a movie called The Life List on Netflix in her newsletter, Creatives Anonymous.

When I opened her newsletter and read the brief movie premise, I instantly felt I’d enjoy the movie, so I stopped reading and planned to watch the film before continuing.

A couple of hours later, my mother-in-law texted me and asked if I had seen The Life List because she thought I’d enjoy it.

So, last weekend, I sat down and watched the film. I won’t get into its specifics, but I would encourage you to read Alexa’s issue of Creatives Anonymous because it’s that good.

However, the general idea is that the late mother of the main character (Elizabeth) sends her daughter (Alex) on a quest to complete her teenage bucket list in hopes that she will rediscover and find herself again. Elizabeth believes Alex has settled in multiple aspects of her life (her relationship, career, etc.) and hopes to give her the boost and love she needs to shed a life that isn’t true to herself.

After watching the movie (adorable, by the way!), I knew I needed to dig out my Barbie Special Memories Album to see what young Alyssa had to say.

Some essential callouts before we dive in:

• I was 7 years and 10 months old (so specific) when I wrote these reflections

• This album doesn’t contain a bucket list, per se, but I did capture several other reflections and dreams

What I said I liked best about myself? My creativity.

What did I want to be when I grew up? Everything, apparently. Would you look at that, though? A writer and I wrote in author! (And I wanted to be president, LOL.)

Finally, I made a list of people who are important to me. Would you look at that? ❤️

7-year-old Alyssa wasn’t focused on chasing the traditional life path, a well-respected job title, or society’s versions of success. She was focused on creativity, imagination, and wonder.

Intentional living isn’t about becoming someone the world tells you to be, nor is it about having all the answers—it’s about asking: Who am I, and what did I love before society told me who I should become?

The answers are within you.

Time Well Spent: Weekly Roundup

1. Quality time is such a gift, and I spent one-on-one time with my sister early in the week and my mom later in the week. I’ve been fortunate to live near all my immediate family members my whole life, and this week reminded me how lucky I am because of it.

2. Admittedly, I am not always good at pausing to celebrate the good stuff, but I did spend time reflecting on Time Intentional this week. You can read the full reflection on LinkedIn (if you aren’t on LinkedIn but want to read it, email me, and I’ll send it to you), but above all else, I want you to know how grateful I am that YOU read this newsletter.

3. I’ve been a fan of Alex & Books (@AlexAndBooks_) for years! I’m inspired by the fact that he gets to do what he loves for a living (reading and sharing books!). I recently learned about his newsletter, and when you subscribe, you receive an eBook with 100 books that can change your life. When Breath Becomes Air* (from a previous issue of Time Intentional) is on the list. I’m adding tons of new books to my Want to Read list and look forward to Alex’s emails!

The Takeaways

• Who do you desire more quality time with? What’s one small step you can take to spend more time with them in the near future?

• Identify a recent personal or professional accomplishment. Aim for one YOU feel excited about and are proud of, not one you should feel happy about. Now, spend a few minutes celebrating!

• So much of spending time intentionally is about cutting what doesn’t feel intentional (especially from our inboxes). How might you add new content to your world (maybe your inbox) to help you spend time more intentionally (doing something you love)?

Time Intentional 🕰️ Reader Love 💞

• A BIG thank you to Bob Towns for supporting me on Buy Me a Coffee last week!

One More Thing Before You Go…

I’m Alyssa Towns, a freelance writer, and this is Time Intentional, a newsletter exploring what it means to spend our limited (and precious) time intentionally. Only you can decide how to spend your time in a way that feels intentional!

Extend your love and support by sharing this newsletter with someone you know or buying me a coffee! ☕

Your love and support mean the world to me! If you read some of my work and love it or find it valuable, please email me to let me know! I do my best to respond to every message I receive. (No, really!)

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