It is time to slow down, stop merely existing, and start living again.
Before we begin, take a moment to let your mind settle.Then gently ask yourself:
* Who am I?
* What do I want?
* How can I serve?
* What do health, happiness, and intention mean for me?
This month, I’ve been writing about living with intention.We’ve explored how easily we slip into autopilot, how we speak to ourselves, and the difference between people-pleasing and genuine kindness.
This week, I want to broaden the lens and bring intention to the everyday.
Living with intention isn’t something we practise only in difficult moments.It’s something we carry into our ordinary days:
* The way we start our mornings.
* The choices we make when we’re tired.
* How we speak to ourselves when no one is watching.
Focusing on living intentionally in the present as you go about your day is where confidence can truly grow.
Learning to stay present
It took me years to learn to stay in the present moment.My low self-esteem and lack of confidence meant my days were spent either replaying the past or worrying about the future. I struggled to pause long enough to notice birdsong, passing clouds, or the quiet beauty of everyday life.
I’m not even sure I truly understood what being present meant until I came across Eckhart Tolle and The Power of Now. It helped me see how much of life I had been missing, not because it wasn’t there, but because I wasn’t present.
A Life Driven by Pressure
After the end of my first marriage and my third abusive relationship, my career took off. On the surface, it looked like success. In reality, it brought a different kind of pressure.
I arrived at work early, left late, and ate lunch at my desk. I was in constant work mode and found it hard to switch off and relax. Looking back, I can see how close I was to burnout.
Modern life teaches us to live under pressure, to do more, achieve more, and keep up. At the same time, we’re told we should be calmer, more balanced, and more confident. Even personal growth can become another source of pressure if we’re not mindful.
When life is driven by performance and approval, confidence becomes fragile. Your sense of worth begins to depend on getting things right.
Living on purpose is different
Living your days on purpose doesn’t mean having a perfect routine or a clearly mapped-out life.
It means aligning your daily choices with what matters to you. Purpose isn’t about achievement, it’s about direction.
It looks like:
* Choosing rest over hustle, knowing your body needs it.
* Choosing honesty over people-pleasing.
* Choosing kindness instead of self-criticism.
* Choosing presence over constant distraction.
These choices may not impress anyone, but that’s not the point. They build something far more important than approval.
They build self-trust.
Confidence grows when your actions align with your values. Each time you make a choice that reflects what matters to you, you quietly reinforce self-trust. You listen to your needs and act in ways that make sense to you because they align with your core values.
I built my confidence through consistency rather than intensity.
Instead of pushing harder, I began making more honest choices. I worked fewer hours. I ate my lunch in the park whenever I could. On rainy days, I stepped away from my desk to talk with colleagues or simply sit and read. Sometimes I just watched the world go by through the window.
These small changes matter.
Find purpose in small moments
We often believe our purpose has to be grand, like a calling, a mission, or a bold vision. While thinking big can be inspiring, it often comes with “one day” or “when the time is right.” When that day never comes, self-doubt creeps back in.
Most of life is made up of small moments.That’s where purpose truly lives.
* In how you respond to a message.
* In what you say yes or no to.
* In how you treat yourself on an ordinary day.
Living on purpose means letting your values guide those moments instead of fear, habit, or pressure.
A daily check-in
Once a day, when you have a choice to make, pause and ask yourself:
What matters most to me right now?
The four questions I posed at the beginning are there to bring out what is important to you, beneath all the masks and labels. Let what matters be your guide.
Purpose isn’t something you chase; it’s something you return to. Living your days on purpose doesn’t mean every day feels good. It means your life feels like yours.
Being internally led rather than externally driven is one of the strongest foundations of confidence.
Reflection
You might also like to reflect on one or two of these:
* What values matter most to me at this stage of my life?
* Where do I feel most aligned in my daily choices?
* Where do I notice pressure driving my behaviour instead of purpose?
* What small change would help my days feel more intentional?
* How does alignment affect my sense of confidence?
If living with intention matters to you, The Confidence Circle is a calm, supportive space to explore confidence together.
Each month, paid subscribers gather for gentle, supportive sessions where we explore confidence as a lived experience, not something to achieve but something to return to. We reflect, realign, and build self-trust in ways that fit real life.
Until next timeMuch LoveSue xx
