About Student of Intention
Living with intention lets the universe know what we want. And as we learned long ago, actions speak louder than words.
Lessons from my journey
While navigating the isolation of 2020, I rediscovered my passion for writing and self-development. I wrote a book called The 5 Buckets due out early 2021. It details a framework for living with intention. I created the framework to keep me sane and thriving during the year of Covid. I’ll send you a copy of The Intention Guide I use when you subscribe:
Increasing intention in my life was initially a selfish act. I needed it. It filled a gap in my being that had existed for a long time. I found more appreciation for the people, responsibilities, and opportunities in my life. I was more thoughtful in my decisions; aware of my actions. I lost twelve pounds. I told my wife, “I know this sounds crazy but I think I lost mental weight.” She laughed and I shrugged. The weight remains off and I stand by that initial observation.
The biggest shift was my reconnection to writing. I wrote more consistently in those first couple months than I had ever. And future achievement or notoriety wasn’t driving me. I just wanted to put pen to paper. I rediscovered my love for the practice. When sharing the shift with friends, they rightfully questioned what created the change. The truth is, it was a long time coming. Thousands of words hid inside my head and on my phone’s notepad. Writing had always spilled out of me. But I capped and stored it more often than not.
You are reading this text because I feel compelled to help others experience what I am experiencing. Living with intention paves me a road toward purpose. My purpose is to find meaning in my every day and expand that meaning through writing. I write for purpose. I write for meaning. I write for you and for me. It is all well aligned.
My commitment to you
I share everything.
My strategies, triumphs and struggles. Books, pods and people that keep me going. Stories from others figuring stuff out. The occasional poem and maybe an inspirational video message or two. I respond to your comments and questions. You get a raw, weekly summary of my quest to live deliberately.
Stumbling across our purpose
Once we balance important areas of our life and deliberately invest in each, our big questions get answered. I answer them for myself each time I write. Each time I wake up early and make myself tea. Each time I run beside the Pacific. Each time I read Julia Cameron. Each time I put a website together or play the ukulele. Each time I put myself out there for a new friend to find. I stumble across my purpose. Let’s do it together:
More about Bobby
When I first moved to Southern California in 2007, I had one driving ambition: live near the Pacific Ocean. It’s not the loftiest of goals but hey, I grew up in suburban Ohio. I wanted to stick my feet in the sand. Hear the crashing waves. Smell the salt filled air. I wanted to wear flip-flops in December. And I wanted these things woven into my everyday life. I remember feeling spoiled each time I sat on the beach. It was pure bliss.
After a few years, my motivation shifted squarely to my career. I focused on getting a general management position at my first employer. Then building a web startup with a friend. Then climbing the ladder at a software company. Then at another. Chasing bumps in salary and Director, VP and CRO titles. Finally, I started my own consulting business.
During each stint, I obsessed over my next commission, promotion or opportunity. I hopelessly focused on reaching the next success. Hitting some moving target of satisfaction. Even while running my business, I was either dwelling on the day I lose it all or fixating on the day where millions of dollars would roll in. The day where I would feel whole.
The morning I wrote the first pages of my book, I felt more whole than I had in years. Getting words out of my head and onto paper. Sorting through what I was trying to say. Working to nail the messaging, sound and flow. Then I went for a run. Cruised out the door in my Nikes headed toward the pier nearby. Melodic house music streamed from my phone into my ears. I gasped for air, staring at the sunrise in the distance. Once I hit the end of the boardwalk, I stopped to take it all in. No fears consuming my mind. No thoughts of making more money or building a bigger, better business. Just me. Enjoying every exhausted breath while the day unfolded.
From that morning forward, I noticed minor changes in how I approached my days. I woke up earlier. I began writing more. I went for walks outside and rode my bike. I watched less television and read more books. I had increased curiosity and decreased anxiety. I found pleasure in process; slicing a pineapple, preparing tea or reading before bed. A deeper connection with my daily actions.
I didn’t know it yet, but that was the beginning of my discovery of The 5 Buckets. I was living with more intention. A few months later, I would head to a retreat where the concept came to me during a meditation ceremony. I used the framework when I returned home and started writing about my experience only six weeks later.
