Thinking can be incredibly hard work, which is why most people probably don't spend a lot of time doing it.  Yet proper thinking can launch you in all sorts of directions, if you are willing to sit down first and decide which things are the most important things for you to do.  So what should you be "talking to yourself" about?

Most things in life can be properly accomplished if we simply take the time to figure out which stuff is really the most important things to be doing.  Normally, we live in a reactive state, and simply react to situations and emergencies around us.  But by thinking about priorities, you can line everything up proactively. While this will not completely eliminate unexpected events, you will be surprised at the amount of accomplishments that become attainable.

Yuk, sounds awful, doesn't it? But setting goals are extremely important to achieving anything, otherwise, what is there to achieve? You should have several long term goals (2-5 years), several mid-range goals (6 months-2 years), and several more immediate goals (now to 6 months).  By reviewing these goals on a regular basis, you will begin crafting your life in the direction you would like to see it go.

If you haven't already heard, the things that really matter involve others in your life, whether that's family relationships, friends, co-workers, customers.  (But of course you already knew that because you just spent time getting your priorities straight).  What are some ways you can positively impact others?  If you try to think of ways ahead of time, you're more likely to do it.  Can you give advice? Share inspiration? Help around the house? Volunteer a night once a month? Mentor/teach others on specific skills you have?  These are things that have lasting value, and lasting impact on those who are most important to you.

So how does it feel to talk to yourself? (Your own voice sounds weird, doesn't it?) Well, I think you'll find that if you take the time to listen to the voice of your thinking, you have the potential to become very good friends with yourself, and be much more productive.

We look for lots of different things to "blame" unfavorable situations on.  Unexpected things happen, trials come and go.  And yet, while we may have little or no control over some experiences (earthquakes, natural disasters, for example) our response to these unexpected situations is what defines who we are.

One of my favorite lines from the "Batman Begins" movie (and I have lots of 'em) is:  "It's not who you are on the inside, but what you do that defines you."  Convicting, yet resonating as truth, that statement is the beginning of understanding what living an intentional life is all about.  While only God can know your heart, everyone else has to rely on what they see you do to understand what it is you really believe and stand for.  In the movie, Bruce Wayne had to make a decision about standing against injustice, or allowing criminals to ruin the city.  As you can guess, he chose the former by creating the Batman, and then had to live with the consequence of that decision: the sacrifice of having to live a double life to battle crime.

Back in reality, our responses to circumstances, unexpected or otherwise, pave the way for other decisions and responses later on, and sometimes are involved in creating new experiences and situations.  Proactive choices we make are just as volatile. We may choose to pursue a job or career that ends up being not what we thought, or buy a house that has lots of issues, for example.  Once a choice is made, we set ourselves on a path that involves everything that comes with that decision.

My wife and I once made a decision to purchase a used car, and within the first year of us owning it, the transmission needed to be replaced.  Were we just having bad luck, or was there some conspiracy to cause us to have to shell out a couple of thousand dollars?  No, we experienced that result because we made a decision to buy a used car, and we probably should have done a little better research on that vehicle.

Learning to accept responsibility for your choices and responses liberates you to create new choices in a positive direction.  By taking charge of your decisions, you automatically begin to live intentionally, and can then spend your time doing more of what you truly believe in.