Having purpose in life gives meaning to life

By Mandy Kendall

Do you ever notice that some days you leap out of bed looking forward to the day and other days not so much?

It could be that your purpose for that day was the reason you had that feeling of anticipation and, dare I say it, excitement.

Asking someone what their purpose in life is can fill some people with dread, whereas others seem to know exactly what their purpose is and, if they are really lucky, they are in the process of fulfilling it.

Mandy Kendall

The word “purpose” can be a multipurpose term used for a number of purposes (case in point) but generally is used to describe; the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc. as well as; to set as an aim, intention, or goal for oneself.

If you don’t already know what your purpose in life is, it can be quite a daunting prospect to try to figure it out. Where do you start? How specific or general do you have to be? How big or small should it be? The answer is, there is no right answer.

Your purpose should be what makes you happy. It should be the thing that has you leaping out of bed in the morning. It should give you the reason to go forward when everything seems to be pushing you back. It should be as grand or simple as makes you happy. It should be your thing.

Now I know we all have responsibilities that might stop us from totally engaging in our purpose, our passion in life, but that shouldn’t stop us from finding out what it is and at least acknowledging it. Sometimes just recognizing and embracing our purpose can open up doors to opportunities we may never have seen.

Your purpose should give you great joy and be derived from what you most value. It is not meant to be a life sentence where you give up things you enjoy for things that seem more worthy.

Your passion, your purpose should be your own. It might not be obvious immediately, it might be somewhat elusive, but it might be as plain as the nose on your face if you just look for it.

As the late Steve Jobs stated; “If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

So here are a few Qwik-e tips to help set you on the path toward finding your passion.

Write a list of all the things that interest you — Think about all the things you do in your spare time, and at work, that you love doing, i.e. what kind of books you read, what articles you are drawn to in magazines, what do you look forward to doing most, what gives you that ‘I’m glad to be alive’ feeling? Take time on this as you may be surprised by some of the things on your list. Then ask yourself why they interest you. Digging deeper into what is it about these things that interests you will take you closer to figuring out your purpose?

Find your genius — Make a list (yes another one) about all the things you do naturally without thinking about them, or things that are enjoyable and effortless for you. (It’s a good idea to ask other people too as they often see skills in us that we don’t necessarily see in ourselves). These talents can be used to help determine and fulfill our purpose.

Design your purpose — By combining things from the “what do I love doing” list with talents from the “genius” list our purpose can manifest itself and appear pretty obvious (and sometimes the more the obscure the combination the better).

List everything you want to achieve in your life — Try not to let reality limit this list. Don’t worry about the how. Dream big. Imagine there were no limits, what would you spend your time doing? Then ask yourself why you want to do these things. This can give you real insight into what it is you really want to achieve and this understanding of why can give you powerful motivation to follow your purpose.

Until next time.

Mandy Kendall operates Health Connective in South Lake Tahoe. If you have any questions, would like some advice, or would like to request some Qwik-e tips on any health and wellbeing topic, please feel free to drop me an email at healthconnective@gmail.com, visit us on Facebook, or keep an eye out on Lake Tahoe News for regular Qwik-e tips on how to make healthy changes one Quick and Easy step at a time.