Intentional Living: Release and Replace for Personal Growth

Each month, I set a theme to guide my personal and professional growth. This month, I chose Growth and Renewal. It is a time to assess what is serving me. I will release what isn’t serving me. Then I will step into alignment with my values.

A tool that I used is one I learned from Davidji at the Davidji Meditation Academy, called the Enlightened Exchange. This method helps assess where I invest my time and energy. It guides me toward more nourishing choices. It’s a method that helps assess where I invest my time and energy, guiding me toward more nourishing choices. It has become a practice in my own life, my coaching, and my meditation teaching. It is a way to make intentional changes that truly stick.

The Top Five Reflection: What’s Nourishing You?

To start this process, I do a simple but profound exercise: I assess the top five influences in my life.

1. The people I spend the most time with (physically and in my thoughts)
2. The activities that occupy most of my energy
3. The environments where I spend my time

I ask myself: Are these influences helping me grow, or are they draining me?

For example, I recently realized I was spending too much time replaying old conversations in my head. This was especially true for conversations where I felt unheard. I was investing mental energy in something that wasn’t nourishing me. Instead, I decided to redirect that energy into journaling as a way to process my thoughts and move ahead.

I invite you to try this for yourself: Pause for a moment and think about your top five influences. Are they fueling your growth, or do they need to be refreshed?

The Enlightened Exchange: A Simple Yet Powerful Shift

Once you identify what is not nourishing you, the next step is what I call an Enlightened Exchange:

• Release one thing that no longer serves you. This could be a habit, thought pattern, relationship, or activity that feels misaligned.
• Replace it with something more nourishing. Choose something that supports your growth, peace, and well-being.

It’s important to note: This isn’t about eliminating everything negative all at once. It’s about making small, intentional shifts that create a ripple effect.

Examples of an Enlightened Exchange in Action:

🔹 Social Energy: If I find myself doom-scrolling on social media at night, I replace that time with reading a book that inspires me.

🔹 Mindset Shift: If I notice a self-critical thought, I pause and say a positive affirmation instead. (Lately, I’ve been using: I am exactly where I need to be.)

🔹 Work & Creativity: If a project no longer aligns with my goals I evaluate my options to pivot. I then direct my energy toward something that feels more aligned and nourishing.

Take a moment to reflect: What is one small exchange you can make this month?

Practical Exercise: Try This Today

If you’d like to apply this practice right away, here’s a simple step-by-step exercise:

1️⃣ Write down your top five influences (people, habits, environments, activities).
2️⃣ Put a check mark next to the ones that feel nourishing.
3️⃣ Circle the one that feels the least nourishing.
4️⃣ Decide on one small, nourishing exchange you can make today.
5️⃣ Commit to it for a week and notice how it feels.

A Coaching Tool for Growth and Renewal

This practice isn’t just for me—it’s something I guide my coaching clients through as well. It’s a powerful tool for mindfulness, self-awareness, and personal growth. I work with individuals. I teach meditation in schools. I lead corporate wellness sessions. I see firsthand how small shifts lead to powerful transformations.

Aligned Action & Intentional Living

By theming my months, I create a framework for personal evolution. Growth and renewal don’t just happen—they need conscious reflection and aligned action.

So, as I move through March, I invite you to join me in this practice: Look at your top five. Find one enlightened exchange. Release and replace.

💡 What will you release this month? And what will you replace it with? I’d love to hear your thoughts—drop a comment below!