Living life with purpose? What does this really mean?
It can be easy to avoid or ignore the most existential question of all: what is my life about? I can tell you after working with the clients I coach for twenty years now, it is the question that all clients struggle with the most.
Clients would rather discuss their need to find work which not only pays their bills but also gives them satisfaction. They often discuss their anxiety about their current job or feeling lost about what they would rather do. Clients will discuss their need to support the family, their health and or their sense of well being. Most of all they desire a plan, a direction, and a sense of purpose in their life.
Your sense of purpose matters
A sense of purpose of your life matters because this enables you to have a guiding light and direction. For each person, the best path to choose will be different. It starts with a deep self-awareness and sense of self. It means having a sense of urgency about your life, having a driving reason to jump out of bed in the morning. This purpose comes after deep reflection. It usually doesn’t come until after a person is over 40.
After 40, a sense of purpose appears!
When it does appear, it can bring new energy, new guidance, and a new direction. All of a sudden, your life might make more sense and your values get clearer. A sense of purpose is best represented through the work you do. This is work which gives you meaning, passion, and happiness. This is work which enables new ideas, new creativity, and new plans.
A purposeful life is available to every person. This takes nurturing attention and deep thought. A sense of purpose can be represented by a new commitment to pay more attention to family, to your health, your appearance, and daily attitude. When purpose emerges, new priorities also become clear. What was once important is no longer is, and old feuds and anger can fade away.
Discard negativity
Negativity avoids purpose as it knows it will not win. Think now about the purpose of your life. Take a moment and imagine that you are 100 years old sitting in your favorite rocking chair as it swivels back and forth, back and forth. As you think about your life, what have you accomplished that you feel most proud of? What do you want to do NOW that you have not had a chance to do? Now with these memories of proud accomplishments as well as your incomplete ambitions travel back to TODAY.
Feel good
Feel good about WHAT you have accomplished and better yet, what you WILL accomplish in the future. Take your past disappointments, regrets, and mistakes that make you feel bad and FORGIVE yourself.
Learn from the past
Instead, learn from the past and give yourself new insight and more importantly PERMISSION to move forward NOW towards what you want most in your life. Believe in yourself, in your dreams, your goals and in others.
Doing so will enable you NOW to live YOUR life with purpose, new energy and passion to make an even greater difference in your life.
I’ll be cheering you on as you go!
Craig Nathanson