November Notes on Choosing Intention over Impulse
Nov 09, 2025
The air feels softer this month—somewhere between the full bloom of Spring and the and first whisper of Summer that is just around the corner. There is a pause woven into November, a breath between what has been and what is soon to unfold. A time that invites us to slow down, tune in and remember that just because the world speeds up doesn’t mean we have to.
Everywhere you look, Christmas decorations are already shimmering under fluorescent lights. Supermarket shelves are lined with festive sweets & treats and the hum of busyness has begun its crescendo but amidst the glitter and to-do lists, I find myself grounding in one gentle truth:
Just because the decorations are on display and the presents are waiting to be purchased doesn’t mean we have to rush ahead.
We get to use the time in each month to pause, breathe and live the season we are actually in.
6 years ago I lovingly started referring to this month as No-vember—not because it’s about saying no to life, but because it’s about saying no to pressure, perfection and performing.
No to rushing.
No to burnout - not that we as humans can burnout as were not a candle.
No to “shoulds.”
No to losing yourself in the noise of what everyone else is doing.
November is the in-between sacred space for grounding, for tying up loose threads and for coming home to intention. It’s the calm before the festive storm, a quiet invitation to realign your rhythm with your heart rather than your calendar.
I’ll admit—I am one of those people who has already purchased all but three Christmas gifts.
I started choosing presence over pressure back in February, picking up treasures the moment I saw something that felt right for those who hold a special place in my heart and life.
I have always believed the most meaningful gifts are the ones that find you—the ones that whisper, “I saw this and thought of you.”
But here’s the truth: what I love even more than giving the perfect gift is being present enough to notice those moments in the first place.
That is what November is teaching me—to choose presence over pressure, attention over assumption and intention over impulse because it’s not really about the gifts, is it?
It’s about the energy behind them.
The thought, the care, the love.
The same applies to the way we spend our days.
The emails we send.
The emails we send.
The meals we prepare.
The conversations we hold.
Each one is an offering a chance to choose presence, purpose, and alignment.
Impulse says, Do it now so it’s done.
Intention says, Do it consciously so it means something.
Impulse rushes through life collecting moments.
Intention savours them, letting meaning unfold.
Impulse is driven by fear—fear of missing out, fear of falling behind.
Intention is anchored in trust—trust that timing has its own intelligence, and that you can move slower without falling apart.
This month, I am choosing to continue to act from intention.
To let my yes mean yes, and my no mean no.
To pause before I purchase, before I say yes to another event, before I fill my calendar with commitments that crowd my inner calm because every mindful moment becomes a quiet act of rebellion against the world’s rush.
November is a month for self-reminders as it gently whispers:
You are not behind.
You do not need to prove.
You are allowed to take your time.
As the year edges toward its close, it’s easy to get swept up in urgency—to finish, to plan, to prepare. Always remember that slowing down is not a failure. It is a homecoming.
When we choose intention over impulse, we choose to live aligned with our truth rather than our tension.
Take a breath.
Feel your feet on the earth.
Ask yourself:
What am I rushing toward that I could instead move through with grace?
Where am I saying yes when my body is whispering no?
What would it feel like to let peace, not productivity, lead my choices this month?
Light a candle at sunset.
Write down three - five things you want to release before the year ends.
Then write three things you want to savour before the year closes—simple joys like ocean swims, unhurried meals, heartfelt laughter or a quiet morning with coffee and sunlight.
Keep that list somewhere visible.
Let it remind you that life is not a race to the finish line—it’s a series of sacred pauses.
Let it remind you that life is not a race to the finish line—it’s a series of sacred pauses.
The following mantra is guiding me through the rest of this month;
I move through this month with calm intention.
I release the rush and honour my own rhythm.
I trust that I have enough time, enough energy, and enough wisdom to meet life exactly where I am.
Let this mantra be your anchor when the world feels loud. Whisper it each morning as you light a candle, take a breath or make your tea.
Where in my life am I currently acting from impulse rather than intention?
What does being present look and feel like for me this month?
How can I slow down enough to truly savour the simple joys of the season?
This month, may you trade urgency for ease, hustle for harmony and distraction for depth.
May you find yourself lingering in the spaces that feel nourishing and may you remember that No-vember is not about saying no to joy—it’s about saying no to everything that dulls it.
Take your time.
Trust the unfolding.
Choose intention over impulse and watch how peace begins to bloom in the spaces you once filled with hurry.
