The Benefits of Living Your Life on Purpose
Many people equate success with the amount of wealth they have created, the status they’ve achieved, or the material trappings that demonstrate to the world that they’ve “made it”. But is that really how success should be measured? Isn’t it more important to be following your inner compass and living a life of purpose and meaning, whatever that translates to for you?
When you do that you have a sense of fulfillment, your life matters, you have more peace, joy and agency, and you are able to contribute to the greater good — making a difference in your own life, that of your family, and those around you. You’re creating impact and a legacy.
As a trusted advisor, this is a big part of the work I do with others to empower them, help them see possibilities they may not see for themselves, and transform the quality and the meaning of their lives. As a result, they do more of what lights them up and fulfills them now today — not waiting for someday — vs what others think they should do and living with constraints imposed on them (self-imposed and/or imposed by others) that can feel like shackles.
Imagine instead a life of following your intuition, knowing exactly what you are meant to do in this life, and having the ability to pursue the path that’s calling to you — having a sense of direction, living life to the fullest, and playing full out.
When people are following their passion, living their gifts and talents, and pursuing what they are called to do they are happier, more fulfilled and operating at peak capacity, and that creates a ripple effect that uplifts others.
Here are 8 tips (and benefits) for living your life on purpose:
*Honor your values and beliefs, respect and trust others. However, as importantly, listen to your inner voice vs allowing yourself to be influenced by what “they” are telling you to do. Who the heck are “they” anyway? Take counsel from those who you know are providing you with sound guidance.
*Establish priorities for yourself. Know who and what carries the most weight in your life (and if you don’t know, get support in identifying them), and spend the majority of your time concentrating on these things as a means to an end.
*Pursue your passion and live with an optimistic mindset, and a light heart. Aim to wake up each day looking forward to what lies ahead (even “pre-pave” your day in your mind first thing as you’re starting your day). Activate what most lights you up and put your heart into everything you do; aim to delegate, minimize, and ultimately jettison the things that aren’t yours, and that otherwise bring you down and zap your energy.
*As much as possible, aim to surround yourself with your people, kindred souls who fill your spirit, and those who you can trust who have your back. Forge meaningful relationships with family, friends and colleagues. At the same time, strive for balance where you also have plenty of adequate time and reserves to practice stellar self-care.
*Don’t worry about keeping up with the Joneses. Measure your contentment by how much meaning you have in your own life. At the end of your life, the stuff really just doesn’t matter; you can’t take it with you. Be the wise person who knows without hesitation that the grass isn’t any greener on the other side of the fence.
*Try to make the world a better place and strive to make a difference. Not everything we do in life is solely for personal gain; a life well-lived also includes giving back to society and positively impacting our community (and our globe) with our words, actions and a clear and mindful sense of the choices we make and their consequences on a broader scale.
For example, recently, my best friend and I went grocery shopping to fill a local community pantry with food — instead of doing any number of things we could have spent our time doing that day. And it felt so good to give (!). Give it a try.
*Live in the moment. When you’re on purpose, you cherish the people and the moments in your life as they happen, and you’re not living with regret. Instead, you aim to enjoy life’s gifts and experiences as they unfold.
*Never stop believing in yourself, your life, and the possibilities you can create for yourself and others if you want them badly enough. You are more than capable of achieving the things that have meaning if you align with your passions and stay true to your purpose. Stay mindful, be kind to yourself and others and stay focused.
In summary, there’s no reason to live a mediocre life simply because you’ve never really understood the reasons why you’re here. As long as you have a purpose, your life can be filled with meaning, motivation, peace, passion, love and joy. Oh, and by the way, while you’re living a life on purpose remember to leave a little room for serendipity to ride shotgun.
