Ever since I was young, I have adapted my stride to keep up with my older brother and dad, both of whom are taller than 6 ft. So naturally, whether I’m at school or the mall, my biggest pet peeve is when people, who can walk fast, strolling lazily to their destination at the pace of a snail.
One core memory I have is my mother telling me, “When you’re walking, always walk with a purpose. Walk like you are trying to get somewhere.” Since then, taking a slow stroll seems like something I would never do. Every time my feet hit a sidewalk or a tiled hallway floor, no matter if I’m in fuzzy slippers or stiletto heels, the word intent replays in my head over and over.
In Relation to Intent for Social Media
The other day, I woke up and immediately checked my phone before rolling out of bed. This got me thinking: Our generation’s reliance on phones has just amplified the importance of intent.
TikTok is an app that perfectly tests my ability to do things with intent and self-control. Despite what I would like to think, almost every time I open up TikTok, or practically any social media, there’s no real reason I chose to open it at that moment. I used to tell myself, “But you learned how to chop an apple more efficiently!” or “Well that video was really funny!” These reassurances would flood my mind and all mean the same thing: “it was worth it, wasn’t it?” The truth is, in order to get to these videos, I spent an equal amount of time mindlessly scrolling, most videos failing to produce a giggle or even a slight eyebrow raise out of me.
Well great, I’ve just pointed out how unproductive most of us are being, but that won’t do you all much good. I could tell you to delete all social media, but that’s like telling someone to live their life off the grid. Many of us are heavily connected to our extracurriculars and relationships through social media and it gives us a break from the stresses of teenage life, so taking that away would just do more harm than good.
Although it’s near impossible for us to perfect the art of intent on social media, we can do little things to achieve this goal. Here are some ideas to make your time on social media a little less wasteful:
- Check your socials on your computer. Having to open your laptop instead of pulling out your phone forces you to think a little more. When you check your laptop, most of the time there’s going to be a reason for doing so instead of robotically or absently scrolling as you would on your phone.
- Set a designated time to scroll on your phone, but make sure the time stays set!
- Depending on the type of phone you have (iPhones definitely have this), you can set a time limit for certain apps.
- Check the amount of time you spend on certain apps.
Intent doesn’t only apply to walking and our phones. Intent is a crucial building block for success. It may not be what inspires you to set a goal, but it is what allows you to achieve it and embrace any challenges along the way. That is why I challenge you: take a few hours, a day, maybe even a week, and pay attention to how much you are doing with intent. If you find yourself doing something without this key to success, figure out how to incorporate it into your task.
The next time you take a walk, let intent repeat in your mind with every step. If you can help it, don’t be the source of my irritation at the mall and walk with intent! Live every day with intent!
