Name: Jess Lively
Age: 28
Online homes: JessLively, with-intention, Twitter
How you know Karina: I believe I met someone with the company through Twitter!
What are your every day, must-reads, online or off?
Great question! A Course in Miracles, Oh Joy, Elements of Style, and currently The 4-Hour Workweek.
You make every effort to “live with intention.” What does that mean and how does this affect your life?
It means that I try to “begin with the end in mind” with almost everything that I do. I think about what is really, truly most important to me and then I design my habits, hobbies, and actions around these intentions.
It’s not a perfect process and things evolve over time. But so far it’s going really well for me!
You also advocate for life ‘makeunders.’ How does one ‘makeunder’ their life?
Yes! It’s really the process of figuring out what you really want to have in your life, letting go of the excess, and bringing in the intentional. To do a makeunder involves four main steps (you can use these for your closet, home, career, relationships, you name it). You start with creating a vision. Then you exfoliate the unnecessary. After that you identify the intentional obsessions and lastly, evolve over time.
If you could give your 16 year old self advice, what would you say?
I’ve actually written a whole letter to myself as I was graduating college. But beyond that, I would tell myself to relax, enjoy the ride, and realize that the most important decisions you make will be the hardest, but they will also be the most worthwhile in the end.
Your perfect day. What would it look like?
It would look like a relaxing morning with my Hubba (Mr. Lively) and my Puppa (Franklin) in bed. Then we’d go to brunch and do a bit of shopping. After an afternoon nap, we’d go to a great burger place and drink craft beer with friends. I know it doesn’t sound crazy, but to me, that’s a pretty awesome life.