Being proactive about life is a major hack towards success + peace. It puts you in control to shape life the way you would like. Instead of life happening to you, it happens as per you. This is the crux of what I mean by intentionality.
Are we being thoughtful about the small and big pathways in our lives?
Can we drive our next decision forward looking?
Are we being intentional about how we lead our lives?
This principle is clear, yet most people lead lives on auto-pilot, reacting to life situations as they get presented. We pursue the career that is aspirational and makes sense for the world, instead of figuring out one that we will thrive the most in (being Intentional requires self-awareness, courage, risk taking ability).
We pursue the job that pays us the most, instead of being deliberate about long term compounding. We make friends by chance instead of being deliberate about surrounding ourselves as we grow, with the kind of people that bring us joy + growth.
We let time pass by, things happen, until we HAVE to change (think health, wealth, partnerships, habits). We mostly rectify and figure out when an incidence takes place, instead of making strong foundational choices.