History of ROJoson Intentional Living Journey
Start and Development of ROJoson Intentional Living Journey
I did not use the phrase "Intentional Living" or "Intentional Living Journey" when I started doing something along the same line as early as after my graduation from Xavier School in 1966. However, whatever I was doing in terms of life planning have the essential ingredients of "Intentional Living" starting after graduation from Xavier School.
I recall that I have been always searching for the purpose of my life on earth since after graduation from high school in Xavier School in 1966. I started planning on what I was going to do with my life after graduation.
I initially tried entering the priesthood under the Society of Jesus Order but after a psychological testing, I was told to come back to reapply one year after. I then decided to take up and complete a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Medicine (a premedical course) in the University of the Philippines Diliman (1966-1970). Thereafter, I took up Doctor of Medicine in the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (1970-1974); then Internship at the Philippine General Hospital (1974-1975); then General Surgery Residency Program in the Philippine General Hospital (1976-1981); then private practice, academe, marriage and family thereafter.
During all this while, I have the habit of planning my life at intervals, yearly after 1994.
I have formal records as early as 1970 in what I wanted to do for the next 10 years (1970 to 1980). [I will keep this a little private with some entries hidden from public view.] I was able to accomplish the 1970 typewritten life plan except for the following: 1) I did not finish the course in Chinese medicine; 2) I became a certified surgeon in 1981 (instead of 1980); and 3) I did not get married in 1979.
After I became a certified surgeon in 1981 and thereafter, spending my life doing private practice, teaching in the academe, marrying and raising a family, up to this time, 2019, I have been doing interval life planning and assessment at significant crossroads in my life and practically every January 31st of each year (or December of each year). I have documentations of my life milestones every year.
In January 31, 1994 (at age 45 years old), I made a formal document entitled: ROJoson's Self-declared Life Plan in 1994. Note the statement "I plan to live for another 25 years to make a total of 70 years on Earth."
This life plan marks the start of my advocacy on Intentional Life Plan or Intentional Living targeting age 70. (Note: it was only in 2019 that I started using the phrase Intentional Living. All the while, I have been using "Self-declared Life Plan" as seen in the 1994 document and then Purposeful Life then Intentional Life Plan in 2018 and early 2019.)
What prompted me to advocate such an Intentional Life Plan or Intentional Living in 1994 was the experience that I had with dying patients in my 12 years of practice (1982 to 1994). I had seen a lot of dying terminally-ill patients not contented with their lives at the time of death, even those who are more than 70 to 90 years old. I told myself that, to be able to live a contented life on earth, all persons should be reminded that there is a limit to life; they should prepare for the graduation day; and they should have an intentional life plan targeting 70 years old. I thought of 70 years old as this is the average lifespan of Filipinos (67 for males and 72 for females – round-off average is 70, to be used as a fighting target and easy to use to teach people). Note: In 2017, I was so happy to learn from the World Health Organization that the average lifespan of all people all over the world is 70 and to die before 70 is considered to die a premature death.
Since 1994 up to 2019, I have been personally implementing an intentional life plan targeting 70 years old (I reached 70 on January 31, 2019). At the same time that I am doing it myself, I have been advising people, especially my patients, to do the same, to make an intentional life plan targeting 70 years old initially, accomplish whatever they want to accomplish before 70 and to be contented and to prepare for the graduation day.
Before I reached 70 years old last January 31, 2019, I could not go all out to teach people on Intentional Living as I have not reached 70 years old. Now that I have reached 70 years old last January 31, 2019 and since I have a first-hand experience with Intentional Living, I can rightfully and with utmost confidence serve as a role model and go all out to teach people on how to live life with an Intentional Life plan targeting 70 years old.
After I completed my first phase of life last January 31, 2019 when I reached 70 years old, I made another Intentional Life Plan for my second phase of life (5 years - 2019 to 2024 or @70to75). One of my focused projects in the 2nd phase Intentional Life Plan includes ROJoson's Intentional Life Plan Project. Last January 2019, I spelled the following goals and objectives and action plans.
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Goals and Objectives:
To refine (make more structured) my How to Live Life in the Context of Health or Intentional Life Plan Project of yesteryears (done before January 31, 2019).
To strengthen my promoting awareness on How to Live Life in the Context of Health or Intentional Life Plan Project.
To strengthen my providing advisories on How to Live Life in the Context of Health or Intentional Life Plan Project.
To target at least 30 people (particularly my patients) a year (2019 to 2023) and convince them to make an Intentional Life Plan.
To evaluate the outcome of people who made an Intentional Life Plan in terms of contentment at least (key performance indicator: at least 90% are contented).
Action Plans:
Change my Profile Pictures in my Timelines and Group Page to include How to Live Life in the Context of Health (done – March 2019).
Make an easy-to-use template on “How to Make an Intentional Life Plan” to assist people on how to make one (done – March 2019).
Convince at least 30 people (particularly my patients) a year (2019 to 2023) and convince them to make an Intentional Life Plan.
I have made an easy-to-use template on “How to Make an Intentional Life Plan” to assist people on how to make one last March 2019.
In terms of convincing people (particularly my patients) to make an Intentional Life Plan, as of September 15, 2019 (I started my campaign only in March 2019), only 9 persons / patients have submitted. I needed 21 more to submit before the end of 2019.
After I returned from my Holy Land Pilgrimage in September 14, 2019, I decided I should exert more efforts if I were to achieve my 30-person target by December 2019. I thought of spending more time convincing and coaching my patients in my clinic to do Intentional Life Plans. I was confident I could do it as I have more than 21 patients whom I can easily convince. I started doing this on September 17, 2019 when I resumed holding clinic, then September 19, 21 and 23. I already convinced at least 10 patients to do an Intentional Life Plan.
I told and convinced them that by doing an Intentional Life Plan, it can contribute to LONGEVITY. I also inform them from now on, it is my policy to use a 2-pronged strategy in taking care of my patients: one is through standard medical management and another is through the use of Intentional Life Plan by patients, as the latter not only promote LONGEVITY but also contentment in life.
On September 25, 2019, Wednesday, near midnight, I decided to float the following invitation in my Timeline 1 in Facebook:
A ROJoson's Invitation to all my FB Friends (FREE):
Join me in my Intentional Living Journey (from 2019 to January 31, 2032). Before I die, I will coach you on how to live a life with productivity, peace of mind, contentment, enjoyment, happiness and longevity. .
Send me a private message for the mechanics. Or manifest your interest using the comment box below.
What prompted me to float this invitation in Facebook are: 1) I have been posting about my Intentional Living Journey since I started using Facebook in 2011 (my Facebook friends are more or less acquainted with it); 2) I have been actively posting about ROJoson's Intentional Life Plan Project since March 2019 (my Facebook friends are more or less acquainted with it, that is, if they are reading); and 3) after my Holy Land Pilgrimage, I have decided to pursue actively my Online Collaborative and Interactive Learning Project on Health to include my Intentional Life Plan Project.
Three days after my posting of the invitation (September 28, 2019), I was surprised ID Reyes manifesting interest, the very first person to formally do so. Within the day of September 28, 2019, 28 FB friends followed suit. More manifested interest thereafter. As of October 2, 2019 (one week after posting), there are now about 88 who manifested interest in joining me in my Intentional Living Journey and who wanted me to coach them on how to live a life with productivity, peace of mind, contentment, enjoyment and happiness and longevity.
As of October 2, 2019, 88 friends in my Timelines 1 and 2, 2 Messengers and 1 FB group manifested interest.
I was and am surprised and overwhelmed by the many responders.
I formulated an Online Collaborative and Interactive Learning on Intentional Living Course thereafter. I rolled out the ROJoson Online Collaborative and Interactive Learning on Intentional Living (ROJ-OCIL-IL) on October 10, 2019 by asking interested mentees to officially register for the course. I put out an online registration form.
My operational definition of intentional life plan is as follows:
Intentional Life Plan (ILP) is a plan you make targeting a certain number of years in which you write down things you intend or want to accomplish on your graduation day (last day of your targeted year) which will make you feel you have lived your life to the fullest; you have lived a meaningful life; and you are contented and ready to die a happy death. [Assumption and reality: all of us will die one day.]
Terms being used synonymously or interchangeably:
Intentional Living
Intentional Living or Life Plan
Intentional Living Journey
I will serve or play the roles as a physician and a life coach at the same time.
Instruction to Mentees:
Please place feedback / comments on the contents of this page in the "Comments" boxes provided to show that you are actively COLLABORATING AND INTERACTING in the ONLINE LEARNING.
ROJ@19oct2;19oct4;19oct11
November 8, 2021 Update:
A total of 7 persons have taken up the formal ROJ-OCIL on Intentional Living Plan (as of May 2021).
In October 16, 2021, I had 45 graduates in my ROJoson PEP Talk (Patient Empowerment Program) in which one of the 17 sessions contained a personal project for the mentees to write an Intentional Living Plan. Thus, 45 persons submitted an Intentional Living Plans.
ROJ@21nov8
January 15, 2022
As of today, I have:
45 persons who graduated from the ROJoson PEP Talk (Patient Empowerment Program) in October 2021 who wrote an Intentional Living Plan as part of requirements for the course.
7 persons who enrolled in ROJ-OCIL on Intentional Living as of May 2021 (but 5 of this 7 joined the ROJoson PEP Talk and were not required to make another Intentional Living Plan). Thus, only an additional of 2 to the 45, making it 47 total (as of January 15, 2022)
7 persons who had been given a Certificate of Accomplishment for fully implementing a Near-End-of-Life Intentional Living Plan.
ROJ@22jan15
January 27, 2023
As of today, I have:
45 persons who graduated from the ROJoson PEP Talk (Patient Empowerment Program) in October 2021 who wrote an Intentional Living Plan as part of requirements for the course.
7 persons who enrolled in ROJ-OCIL on Intentional Living as of May 2021 (but 5 of this 7 joined the ROJoson PEP Talk and were not required to make another Intentional Living Plan). Thus, only an additional of 2 to the 45, making it 47 total (as of January 15, 2022)
8 persons who had been given a Certificate of Accomplishment for fully implementing a Near-End-of-Life Intentional Living Plan. (one addition in December 2022)
As of January 27, 2023, total of 47 had made a formal intentional living plan using my template. I am contented with this number (47) already but if there will be more who will make an intentional living plan after this 47, I welcome it but I will no longer actively pursue the training project.
As of January 27, 2023, I already have 8 persons who had been given a Certificate of Accomplishment for fully implementing a Near-End-of-Life Intentional Living Plan. I am contented with this number (8) already but if there will be more who will make a Near-End-of-Life Intentional Living Plan after this 8, I welcome it but I will no longer actively pursue the training project. However, I will continue to advice patients with terminally-ill disease to do a Near-End-of-Life Intentional Living Plan.
Having made the above resolutions, I therefore will now end this 2019 resolution: "Convince at least 30 people (particularly my patients) a year (2019 to 2023) and convince them to make an Intentional Life Plan."
I will just continue to advocate doing an Intentional Living Plan among my relatives, patients and friends through my blogs in WordPress and Google Sites, and posts in my Facebook timelines and pages. [In short - passive advocacy from hereon.]
I will continue to advise my cancer patients particularly in the ROJoson Cancer Crusaders Club to do an Intentional Living Plan.