How Your Purpose Affects Your Life!
"He who has a why, can bare almost any how." - Friedrich Nietzsche.
Imagine a drug.
A drug that: added years to your life, reduced the risk of heart disease, helped you sleep better, boosted your immune system, improved your sex life, and cut the risk of alzheimer’s disease by more than 50%.
The company who developed this drug would be worth billions, right?
But it’s not a drug. It’s called PURPOSE! And it’s free!
People who lack purpose in their life become bitter, resentful, revengeful, and cruel. That’s how you start on a downhill path. Perhaps anxiety is a term used to describe what you feel when you lack a sense of purpose, and are aware of its absence.
Just a few weeks ago, I was like that. My mental health had declined, I was dealing with depression. But then, I realized something.
I started to focus on my self-improvement, and the things I was learning and the content I was consuming were making me feel alive again. After this, I had this deep desire of helping people achieve the same goal.
I found my purpose. The days were starting to feel bright again, I had a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I became happy again. I was tired of losing, and my purpose was something nobody could take away from me.
I came to the conclusion that you have to treat yourself like you matter. Because if you don’t, then you don’t take care of yourself, and you are not a positive force. So you suffer more and does everyone around you.
You too have this inner flame that feeds all your dreams. Keep it lit!
Mark Twain spoke to us about the two most important days in our lives. The first being when you’re born. And the second one is when you find out why.
The meaning which gives purpose to our existence takes away burdens and fears. Meaning is the instinct that helps you guide yourself through catastrophes. And most of the meaning lies in the adoption of responsibility. The times when you’re at peace with yourself are almost always conditions under which you’ve adopted responsibility.
Having a purpose is one of the fundamental factors of happiness. Without it, you’ll live with less focus, less efficiency and often feel restless and stressed because you don’t feel connected with what you do. Living your purpose feels alive, clear and authentic.
But purpose isn’t something that happens to us. It’s something we cultivate. We desire a purposeful life, yet the ways we act don’t lead us to that end. Seeking your purpose opens doors to cultivate your well-being.
People who find their purpose allow things to happen and change in their life. They challenge themselves and battle their fears. They tend to live a more meaningful existence. They leave each day to the fullest. They know who they are, where they’re coming from and where they’re going.
Every successful person has a purpose that motivates them to get up in the morning and do what they do. They have a purpose behind their achievement.
Purpose opens opportunities!
Purpose makes you come alive!
Purpose is the purest form of motivation there is!
The strong correlation between purpose and happiness makes sense, because depression often arises from a lack of direction.
Happiness starts when you do something for others. The purposeful, who consistently add value to other people’s lives, are less stressed and have an improved mental health.
When doing so, don’t expect something in return, your intentions should be pure and sincere. Not once has a tree eaten its own fruit. In turn, nature itself will reward you.
Human beings are walking stories, constantly being rewritten. Knowing that there are people out there depending on you, makes giving up impossible. It’s your responsibility. It’s your meaning.
Nothing can motivate you more than having a positive effect on other people. When you don’t have a purpose that’s driving you, it’s easy to throw in the towel on life. Because when you lack purpose, you tend to throw yourself into negative habits, negative jobs, negative relationships, and negative behavior.
Hard times are a reality that we all have to face at different points in our lives. We all struggle. But remember, nothing will fill you up with more joy than knowing you are adding something valuable to the world.
The most powerful antidote to depression is knowing that at least one person’s life somewhere is better off because you exist.
Living with purpose will provide you with all the fulfillement you’ll ever need.
People fall into four categories when it comes to having a sense of purpose:
Purposeful: you found something that is personally meaningful to you. You’ve sustained interest over a long period of time, and you can clearly articulate your “why.”
Dreamers: you think about great ideas, but you have not yet taken any practical action.
Dabblers: you have engaged in potentially purposeful activities without committing to one in particular or sustaining your efforts over a long period of time. You may struggle to articulate your “why.”
Disengaged: you don’t have a sense of purpose in life and don’t have any desire or need to find one.
Studies showed a lower risk of death for participants with a high sense of purpose in life. Mortality was about one-fifth lower for participants with a strong sense of purpose. These people are more likely to grow old in a healthy way, apart from finding it easier to be inspired by the things they do.
To conclude, make your life an ongoing process of being who you are at your deepest level. Live all moments with the same clarity, mindfulness and humor in your deepest realization. Once you start to cultivate your purpose, you will experience layers and layers of purpose, each one getting closer and closer to your deepest purpose. Each purpose is meant to be fully lived to the point where it becomes empty. Then, by discarding it, you are showing yourself a sign of growth.
Even though you may mistake it for a sign of failure, it is important to open yourself to a vision of what is next. You stay open to a vision of your deeper purpose by not filling your time with distractions. Simply wait. When the impulse begins, act on it. Learn by trial and error what is it you are to do!