By Dominique McGee

Hey Gals! I hope you enjoyed your special date with yourself. It should’ve been a time for necessary self-reflection and just getting to know YOU. That date was definitely intentional which is so important when it comes down to loving yourself.

First, let’s get to the root of what it means to be intentional and then try the Intentionality Challenge.

Pretend that you love to plant flowers and you just got some lily seeds. Imagine if you potted those seeds and put it in a dark room with no water. You come back in a week and I’m sure you won’t see any lilies. Why didn’t that plant grow? Because you can’t just pot seeds and think that they’ll just grow. You must be INTENTIONAL about caring for your plant. Same thing applies with you, your confidence will never grow, you’ll never learn who you are or what you like, you won’t love yourself if there is no intention. Intention equals action. If you’re struggling to love yourself you have to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, “I am a bolder sister and I am going to love myself boldly today and for the rest of my life and I am going to do_____ today.”

If you’d like to be more intentional try the Intentionality Challenge. Grab a journal or if you really want to be creative you can use a cork board and colorful paper or post it notes.

1. Write out a new positive adjective for each day of the day week. Example: Monday-Beautiful, Tuesday-Bold
2. For each day make a mental note to try something that will evoke the adjective for that day. Example: “I’m going to try a new lipstick.”
3. At the end of that day after you’ve tried it, describe it and how it made you feel using the adjective and the action. Example: “Today, I felt beautiful because I wore a bright red lipstick. (Be sure to elaborate, by writing out a couple of sentences).

This challenge will not only help you be intentional, but also force you to see the beautiful parts of yourself that you’ll love. Please believe that you hold so much power when you know your own worth and you love who you are. Honestly, the journey to loving myself was not easy. I definitely still have days when I beat myself up too much or I feel like my stomach is too bloated, but at the end of the day I am able to readjust my thoughts and put myself back on the right track because I am intentional about learning myself and loving all of me.

Dominique Mcgee is a motivational blogger who resides in the south suburbs of Chicago with her husband. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Communication Arts from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL. Her other interests include DIY, fashion and lifestyle blogging. Dominique says if she is not motivating and uplifting women she is not fulfilling her purpose.