Encored Episode "The Power of Intentionality"

Mariana Thomas 0:00

Welcome back, guys. Happy New Year. Happy 2021 This is our first episode in 2021. And today, I am back with my friend, Steve Season. In this episode, which we recorded last year, Steve and I are talking about the power of intentionality. I love this topic. It’s really, really close to my heart. I hope that this brings a lot of insights to you and that you enjoy this episode, share it with friends and families. Subscribe if you haven’t. And without further ado, let’s get to it.

Intro 0:58

Welcome to Mindfully Recharged with Mariana Thomas. In this podcast. Mariana brings you mindful conversations with people that will develop and recharge you from the inside out so that you can increase productivity in your personal and professional life. This is Mindfully Recharged.

Mariana Thomas 1:18

Okay, everyone, welcome back to Mindfully Recharged. I am so excited today because if you remember the first three episodes, I had my very good friend, Steve, interview me. Well, that went so well. And I felt so comfortable with him that here we are again. We are back. The power couple is back on the road. So today, Steve and I are going to speak about the power of intentionality. Are you excited, Steve? Welcome.

Steve 2:10

I’m very excited to be back. Mariana. Thank you for having me. Looking forward to the conversation today.

Mariana Thomas 2:15

Yes, I cannot imagine doing this topic without you. we actually record another one. So we’re just going to be going, this energy between us is really flowing. So I’m just super excited to have Steve back with us, you guys. So be ready. I hope that you are ready because this is a really beautiful topic. Intentionality is one of the topics that I take to heart. I don’t know about you, Steve.

Steve 2:51

Definitely! Especially the older we get.

Mariana Thomas 2:54

Yeah! Especially the older we get, we get to be more intentional with everything that we do. So let’s get rolling, friend.

Steve 3:03

Let’s do it.

Mariana Thomas 3:04

Let’s do it. So where do we start? Let’s define what intentionality is. If you want to go ahead and say something about that.

Steve 3:13

No, I think for me intentionality is just, it's just figuring out what you want to do. And what you need to do to get there. And, you know, taking steps in your life to be intentional about not just your career or your personal life. But even in your interactions in your relationships with other people. I think it's intentional in those Yeah, well,

Mariana Thomas 3:38

Yeah. Not only with yourself and with others, right? Yes, the way you treat yourself and the way you are with yourself is a reflection of what you do out there in the world. Right?

Steve 3:52

Definitely. Yes.

Mariana Thomas 3:54

So beautiful. I love that. So how I define intentionality is these steps that you take in your life, you know, like, what do you do today is going to reflect tomorrow.

Steve 4:08

Right.

Mariana Thomas 4;10

It’s not going, I wouldn’t say the word magical, because you actually kind of work for them. Right? What are you doing today right now, right in the present moment that you're already manifesting in the future?

Steve 4:26

Right.

Mariana Thomas 4:27

Yah. Even though the future is not here yet. Right?

Steve 4:30

Yeah. What you do today is gonna get you to that future, whatever that future may be.

Mariana Thomas 4:36

Exactly. So that's my little quote. What you do today will reflect tomorrow. That to me is intentionality and I just came out with a quote today, Steve, so you know.

Steve 4:52

You just did that one on the fly right here on the podcast.

Mariana Thomas 4:56

Right on the fly, my friend. So, I just wanted to tell you and to tell the audience, last night, I was so intentional before I went to bed. I was talking to myself and I say, “What do I need to know? For tomorrow? As you know, so in my dreams, that came true. So that was very intentional and it was about what we were doing today. No. And here we are, here we are with this amazing topic about intentionality. So that's one of the things so I did it last night, it's a reflection of what's going to happen today.

Steve 5:35

That's great because so many people just kind of go through life, and just deal with things that get thrown at them instead of being intentional about, you know, not necessarily planning like, I don't even have a five-year plan like some people will have a 25-year plan. But you know, just taking steps to get where you want to be, I think is important, whether again, whether that be relational, or with your career, or what have you. I just think it's you have to sometimes you know, those intentional isn't always having a plan. Sometimes it just involves looking for opportunities to be intentional.

Mariana Thomas 6:18

Exactly. I love that. I love the fact that you are like me, I don't make five-year plans. I just, you know, a lot of people are like, “So what is your goal in 10 years? Where will you see yourself?” I'm like, “I have no idea.”. You know, I’m leaving it here in the now, because tomorrow is not there yet. So yes, I can be intentional right now, and expect for tomorrow for the future, but as I go every single day, I may have some other things in my heart that will appear and that I want to be intentional with it. So why should I make a five-year plan?

Steve 7:04

Exactly, because you don't know what opportunities you're gonna have. And if you're just sticking to a plan, you may pass on some opportunities. Is that good for you? Because Oh, those aren't part of my plan.

Mariana Thomas 7:19

Exactly. What I think about a five-year plan is that it just seems so far away from me. You know.

Steve 7:27

I agree I agree.

Mariana Thomas 7:28

Why did I want to wait for that? You know, let’s do right now, right now, right at this moment? Let’s be intentional with what we have right now because yesterday's done?

Steve 7:42

That's right.

Mariana Thomas 7:44

We’ll know about tomorrow? Right. So reflecting on what's even what's happening right now, you know, in the world? How are you being intentional with every decision that you're making in your life? And with every step that you are taken, every single day? So how does that show up for you, Steve?

Steve 8:09

I think for me, you know, just especially looking at culture and things that we've tried to be intentional about the way we raise her son. And we actually, we're having this conversation with our small group couples the other night about, and it kind of goes back to what I just said, about looking for opportunities to be intentional. We were talking about disciplining children, you know, when you know, different ages, and how at each stage of their growth, discipline is going to look a little different, you know. Because you know, you don't discipline a 16-year-old the same way you do a three-year-old.

Mariana Thomas 8:53

Absolutely, probably wants to, they want to go to school right now. Right?

Steve 8:57

That's right. That's right. So one of the things that I mentioned in that conversation was, you know, when I discipline my

son, I try not to react in the emotion of the moment, even if I'm angry. I try to think, intentionally, I think, Okay, this may be a learning or teachable moment for him. So maybe in the course of disciplining him, I need to be intentional about that discipline and make sure it's a teachable moment as well and then he learns from it.

Mariana Thomas 9:29

Beautiful! I love that.

Steve 9:32

It’s not just discipline. And again, that's involves, you know, kind of, we talked before the podcast started a little bit. You know, sometimes being intentional means you have to step back and kind of look at the big picture of things, instead of getting mired in all the details.

Mariana Thomas 9:51

Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, you just had a situation before we started recording, and you were telling me You know, you have a big company that you run, and we will get into that when I formally interview you, but you had a situation there also with a car that you don't even drive that much. A car do you appreciate because you know, guys like to drive convertibles and take the top down and you know go into town.

Steve 10:28

Crank a little Van Halen on there. Yeah, that's right. Rest in peace, Eddie.

Mariana Thomas 10:30

That's right. And the guy who’s, you know, working in your car is like, “I had this issue and this is going on, and I just I was just looking at you so calm.” You know, replying to it and, “you know, it's okay. It's okay for you can fix it. Oh, I don't even drive that car that much.” You know, it's very striking to me and very beautiful to watch how intentional you are. And how calm you were replying to him about something that, yeah, for some people can be a big deal.

Steve 11:10

Yes, car repairs can be very stressful for many people, but..

Mariana Thomas 11:18

If you're not, you are not intentional with the way you listen to reply or listen to respond, because one thing is to reply out of, you know, stress or you're listening to respond in a calm manner, is something that's not so big that it is just going to be it's going to bring stress to your life if you let it, right?

Steve 11:46

Definitely.

Mariana Thomas 11:47

So that was beautiful to watch, my friend. That was a really beautiful moment for me,

Steve 11:53

You know, one of the things in line with what you just said, mentioned my company one of the things that we do in our training is we always tell our staff that we hire it you know when you're brought with either whether it's a complaint or a compliment, we want you this is the way we word it in our training thing we want you to listen effectively and then respond appropriately.

Mariana Thomas 12:18

Exactly. Beautiful.Love that.

Steve 12:22

So I try to practice that as much as I can. And always successful but I try.

Mariana Thomas 12:29

You got to be the example, right? You got to be an example for your team. So beautiful. So when it comes to intentionality you mentioned disciplining your son and that discipline can lead you being the example, of being the role model, who teaches yourself especially during this time that we are going through so much, and what is the role that your wife plays during this time and when it comes to being intentional at home?

Steve 13:00

She pretty much you know back during the spring, because of the COVID lockdowns, she, she pretty much did all of his school, he was doing virtual school back then, and she handles most of his schooling. She's very intentional about I come in sometimes because she gets frustrated every now and then because she deals with it so much. There are certain subjects I'm better at and I'll help him with like history is one of them. I love history. But her roles, you know, she’s very intentional about making sure that he gets his homework done, although he's now getting to the age because he's in the fifth grade, halfway through the fifth grade, where you know what you're supposed to do, and you need to do it. We’re not going to stand over you make you do it. And we just hold him accountable and say, you know, “If you don't do your

homework tonight, then you're just gonna have to deal with the consequences tomorrow when you go to school. Whatever those are.”

Mariana Thomas 14:04

And the reason why I asked that question, Steve is because I believe that during this time, especially women, they are either stay-at-home moms or those that are working part-time or full time and we are staying at home, right? Doing those activities, we are on the computer working with clients, online events. Not only that, we have to take care of, you know, the kids in the house, the husband, the dog, and all those things that, you know, in this society's eyes women are responsible for.

Steve 14:47

My wife has done all of those things during this time.

Mariana Thomas 14:51

Yeah, right? So I want to, this is the moment that I want to remind women that it’s very important that we are intentional with ourselves, you know, because we tend to take care of everyone else and we forget about ourselves.

Steve 15:12

And my wife does that to a fault sometimes. And I'll tell her, you know, he did take some time.

Mariana Thomas 15:20

Exactly. So I need names out there listening to this. Do not forget that women are working really hard out there.

Steve 15:31

Go hang out with your friends go shopping. I’ll take care of Matthew and the dog and the cat.

Mariana Thomas 15:38

That's right. Shopping online these days, right? Yeah, well, that'd be sharper. And not one of those that go to the, you know, the big ball is spent hours. So the online thing is actually amazing for me, because I'm like, oh, yeah, hang out with a bunch of crowds and all that. So this is actually beautiful for me because that's the way I function.

Steve 16:03

Yeah, it's funny, because we actually had her do that a few weeks ago. She said, “Do you mind if I go to the outlet mall?” And I said, “No. So you go.” So, she went with her mom, and they spent the whole day up there. And I had my son, and we just hung out down here and, and had a good time together down here. 

Mariana Thomas 16:25

Beautiful beautiful, that was very intentional, right? You got a plan and you’re doing your sacrifice, she can go and have some time by herself and with her mom.

Steve 16:37

Another way we've been intentional this fall again, and you know this a little bit, but I'll say it's the audience knows. We've, because of the COVID it's been difficult to travel, obviously. So you're just taking an RV, and we've gone around and as a family to different places and just, you know, been self-contained in our, in our RV. And it's been a lot of fun. They go to the lake or the beach, go to the mountains.

Mariana Thomas 17:04

So what made you start doing that? What made you start being intentional with that because I know you for a few years now and I have not seen you doing this type of thing up until I would say a few months.

Steve 17:21

Yeah. Yeah, I think a lot of it's just COVID-related, you know, we've been locked up in a house all together for months. And we get out obviously, a little bit but, you know, I think COVID allowed us to refocus our priorities in life a little bit. And, for me, I felt like, we needed to do some things together like that. And, you know, ironically, as a result of all this, you know, we've made plans now next summer, we're gonna take a, we're gonna take a month off of work, and we’re gonna go to the National Park to around the US. So that's our plan for next summer.

Mariana Thomas 18:03

So that brings me to the reflection of what we did today will reflect it tomorrow, right? So you started to travel with your family a little bit getting there, you know, close by four maybe a three hours away, you know, in a modern phone and all that. And now you guys are planning something bigger to go away for a whole entire body? Yes. That's amazing. So that is the power, the intentionality.

Steve 18:37

That's it and sitting next to me on my desk is my calendar for next July. And I've been going through, you know, planning our route, where we're going to go and I think, you know, that's kind of what I've been doing. And it has, I have thought about the intentionality that because there are some things you can do spontaneously in life. There are others, you have to plan for.

Mariana Thomas 19:02

Exactly. So you now are planning for that study, with the intention of getting together with a family connecting more based on, you know, what the world is going through right now. You know, we are all going through this together, but that was intentional, what you started doing, and it took you to something paper. You know, and you've probably your family connection is even stronger now.

Steve 19:33

Yeah, I think so.

Mariana Thomas 19:34

Yeah. So that's it.

Steve 19:36

Although we were happy when my son went back to school in August. And

Mariana Thomas 19:41

I think every family is like, you know, crossing their fingers that kids can go to schools that they get private time. Yeah. It's pretty easy to see moms or dads online, you know, taking calls, taking video calls, and the kids, “Mom. Mom, Dad. Yeah. So it's kind of normal now.”

Steve 20:06

Yeah, it is. Yeah, definitely.

Mariana Thomas 20:09

Just beautiful. So you know, the power intentionality is so, so deep into my heart. It’s because for me, it's you know, my story is reading everything in the first three episodes, it took a lot of intentionalities to see the fruit now, everything there are the steps that I took the things that I do, you know, who did I needed to be, and become in order for whatever will happen in the future will be something different to where I was. I did create a five-year plan or a 10-year

plan. We're just being at the moment, and being intentional with everything in every step, you know, all the way, everything that was in front of me, every opportunity that I talk, I knew they will take me somewhere.

Steve 21:18

Exactly.

Mariana Thomas 21:20

I knew they will take me somewhere. I didn't know. I didn't know where. And I wasn't worried about the when and the where even not even the how. I just, I would just be in I was just doing and being, you know what I mean? And, and that was really intentional for me to go through that. And now looking back, I'm like, “Oh, my God, I will not change anything, because it has brought me to where I am. And I think that this has happened to many people in many situations in life.

Steve 22:07

Yes. Yeah, I think it happens to a lot of people that way.

Mariana Thomas 22:12

Yeah, exactly. So from that now, I see intentionality everywhere, everywhere, like you just demonstrated with your family, the things that you're starting to do, the things that you do at work and your company, you know, everything is intentional. So you can have the fruit later on, without worrying how it’s going to look like?

Steve 22:41

What I was just thinking is intentional, but the way you get there is not necessarily as intentional as the outcome if that makes sense. Sometimes.

Mariana Thomas 22:53

That makes sense. Totally. Totally makes sense. Absolutely. So what else friend what else we want to say about,

Steve 23:03

You know, one of the things I was gonna say is just kind of going back a little bit can go back to the trip, you know, I’m playing next summer for the national parks. You gotta figure out where it is you want to go. And you got to figure out, you know, what am I doing right now so that I can get there. So, you know, for instance, again, just going back to this trip, I'm figuring out, okay, which national parks we want to go to, and then how you have to route that, you know, driving, you know, from Atlanta, you know, because we live in Atlanta. But you know, I have to take time and be intentional and sit down and figure out, okay, we're going to drive this many hours the first day, we're gonna stop spend the night here, we're going to go to this part, we're going to do that, you know. And you got to figure out, you know, how many hours do you want to drive a day? And where can you get, you know, also because you don't necessarily want to be driving 10 or 12 hours a day? You want a little more leisurely than that. But yeah, so I feel like, you know, you have to ask yourself those questions, and then figure out what am I doing to get there. For instance, if you wanted to, like, I used to want to go to the radio when I was a kid growing up, you know, now I was not being intentional. About I didn't realize I was being intentional at the time. But I used to carry around a cassette recorder with the microphone. And I recorded a newscast. I did sports and I would play music and put the microphone up to the speaker on my parents stereo and, you know, and play a song and then I would come back and talk about the song and you know, 15 years later, I wind up, you know, working in radio and being on the radio in Alabama. And so that was, again, sometimes you don't realize you're being intentional when you're trying to fulfill your dreams but, but you are because as a child, you don't think that way. And that's what I was doing as a child. Now, as an adult, I did some things to intentionally get there. Once I got into college, you know,

Mariana Thomas 25:15

Beautiful beautiful. I love that. I love that reminds me of when I was a little girl. I wanted to be a flight attendant. Yeah, but I never.

Steve 25:27

But it was a very glamorous thing.

Mariana Thomas 25:30

I just thought I was so glamorous, and the way they dress and all that I was like, “I just want to be one of them.” And then, you know, I started practicing with my toys and talking to my dolls. You know, I was a flight attendant. And then I changed my mind, and I wanted to be in a Marine. So my mom bought me, you know, the hat and that uniform. And all that is I play that, but obviously, none of that came true because I wasn't intentional whether I was just playing right. I would just play with just a game. But when you truly make a decision, if you follow the steps, right, uh, you said you wanted to be in radio, you did it because you took the steps. Right? You do the steps, but I was playing a game. So so when you made that decision cannot be again. You got to be open? You know, and data steps, go through it, whatever that is. Don't worry about the outcome, because we don't know, but it will get there. And maybe those things that you dream, like last night when I was intentional before I went to bed, will come true just exactly like you said it will be without being attached to it if that makes sense.

Steve 27:04

Yeah, definitely. And I think you have to understand there, there's some risk, and you got to be willing to take the risk involved with those things. And now, because there's a lot of unknown when you step out to do something you've never done before. And you know, as a leader, that's kind of challenging, too, because you have to take people somewhere you've never been before.

Mariana Thomas 27:26

I know, I know. Exactly. And that's the hard part, you know, because other leaders supposed to, you know, bring people with you take this somewhere, but what happened was that person is not, you know, hasn't been there. That's a huge deal. And that's probably another topic.

Steve 27:48

Yeah, I think so. Yeah.

Mariana Thomas 27:50

Leadership and that, but um, but yeah, that was that's intentionality, too. So you got to be, before you get there or before you take anyone with you.

Steve 28:02

That's right. Yeah. And I guess I would just, you know, sum up kind of what I picture about intentionality most of the time. That is a quote, from one of my favorite people was Andy Stanley. And he said that your direction, that your intention is what determines your destination. I try to remember that when I'm doing things, even when I have idle time, it's like, because it's easy to waste a lot of time, you know, on the computer, you get lost in the internet and Amazon or whatever, you know, clicking and clicking, then you're down the rabbit hole, and you're like, What am I doing an hour later? It's like it should have been...

Mariana Thomas 28:47

Intentionality is so important there. And I was gonna say, and he's one of my favorites too. And of course, we had done so much more than intentionality with a mentor, John Maxwell.

Steve 29:01

Definitely. Look about it actually.

Mariana Thomas 29:04

Exactly. Exactly. So so we know a lot about that. When it comes to leaders being intentional.

Steve 29:12

No doubt, he was very intentional over his life.

Mariana Thomas 29:17

Yes, but I wanted to make him more raw and just really talk about, you know, regular people what it means. So I will finalize with the quote that I wrote from my heart. Yeah. So this is the quote by Mariana. Sorry, guys to disappoint, I don't have any big name. But I just say intentionality is what you do right now that will show up. Oh, that was will be the reflection of tomorrow. You know, there will be different reflections of tomorrow in here. Where did the show for me is literally and my journey? That's why I came out with that quote, because like, today will be the reflection or tomorrow. You know, it will reflect in your life in a good way or a bad way, it’s up to you.

Steve 30:18

That is correct. That’s important to remember too.

Mariana Thomas 30:24

Exactly. So I think, that’s the end.

Steve 30:30

I think so. I think we covered the topic.

Mariana Thomas 30:34

We covered this topic, you guys. We are done with it. I am super grateful, my friend, to have you here again. Guys, don’t be surprised if you see him on the next episode.

Steve 30:49

Thank you for having me, Mariana. I appreciate it.

Mariana Thomas 30:52

Absolutely. I’m not sure when we’ll do our formal interview so you guys get to know more about Steve and all the awesome things that he does in the world. Once again, thank you so much for listening, for being here with us today. Don’t forget to grab your Mindful and Energetic Living Guide up on the show notes. Just click in there and grab your Mindful guide. See you guys on the next episode. Have a fantastic day!

Mariana Thomas (Outro) 31:30

Hey, guys! Thank you for listening. I hope that you enjoyed this episode. Before you go, I want to remind you about the FREE Mindful and Energetic Living Guide. I only give this to you, so all you have to do is go to the show notes and find the link right there, and it will be right in your Inbox. Make sure you do that and I will see you next week. Have a fantastic rest of the day. Bye!