What Is Your Purpose?
If you’re like many of us, you do what you need to do in order to get through each day. You “work for the weekend”. Sure, maybe your friends, pets, and loved ones make you happy, but there is still underlying stress.
For some people, that stress might manifest itself as the question, “Am I good enough?” or, “What is my purpose?” or maybe even, “Am I wasting my time?”
Having short-term goals is a good thing, but without long-term goals, we as humans are likely to feel lost and out of touch with reality.
Once you establish a set of life principles, you’ll be well on your way to reducing daily stress and promoting overall wellness.
Step 1: Set Your Goals
Like many things, this is easier said than done. It will take self-dedication and perseverance.
Think about your day-to-day life. Which moments out of your day make you happy and why? Is there anything that you realize you long for—something that seems out of reach?
And on the other hand, think about any occurrences throughout your day that cause you sadness, direct stress, or grief. How often do these moments occur, and why do they occur?
Do you find that certain events delay your happiness and you feel like you can’t wait for them to end? (For example, “I can’t wait until I leave [X] environment. Only 2 more hours/days/etc.!”)
These seemingly insignificant moments, even though they might take up a small fraction of your time, can make a big difference when thinking about your long-term goals—positive or negative.
Take a minute to picture your future. Do you think any part of your short-term schedule helps you reach the future you’ve envisioned?
Step 2: Get Organized
Now that you’ve thought a bit about your purpose and future, it’s time to make some changes to help you get there. From your behaviors down to your thoughts, you’ll want to stay aligned with your purpose: your ultimate goal.
Understand that organizing and improving your thoughts and behaviors cannot happen overnight!
Learning to recognize unwanted thoughts and behaviors, perhaps even before they arrive, is key. Then, you can learn to identify their triggers, eventually preventing them from occurring in the first place. If you continue to do something that brings consistent negativity and eventually stress, this behavior must be evaluated.
Practical examples could include writing your goals down, participating in spring cleaning for your attic or house, or even making your bed every morning.
Creating small goals lead to an increase in motivation and untimely start your day on the right path to organization and success.
Step 3: Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is at the core of the previous two steps. Being present in each situation you experience will help align you with your goals.
But just because you are physically present doesn’t mean you’re mentally or emotionally present. If you can’t help but think about future events, past events, or other stressors during any given situation, you can’t be present at that time.
At any given point, evaluate your current feelings. Enjoying and embracing the moment will propel you even further toward your purpose and goals. From eating to watching television to exercise to spending time with friends, being present is crucial.
Establishing life principles is an important journey, but it might not be an easy one.
Understanding your life’s goals and purpose will help you get the most out of each day. But it is not an easy road.
An experienced author and motivational speaker, Jenelle Kim is dedicated to positively affecting the lives of others and sticks to her 8 keys to improve your life have been extremely effective in reducing stress and relieving anxiety.
Most importantly, finding the steps that work for you is ultimately the goal to create a feeling of balance and homeostasis in your life.