Too often we wander through life aimlessly, filling the time with empty pursuits. A life with purpose feels driven, fulfilled, and can even improve your health. So how do you go from the ho-hum day in, day out, to a focused machine full of drive and meaning?
Build Your Life Around a Purpose
1. Passion
Any purpose-driven life begins with a purpose. What’s your passion? What’s your obsession, your favorite daydream, your go-to happy place?
Do you live for the adventure of travel or the fulfillment of caring for your family? Are you most at peace in a room full of books, or people? What articles catch your eye, what topics are you drawn to?
Finding your passion can sometimes be as easy as mining your hobbies, but for some, it’s a little trickier. Consider why your hobbies appeal to you — strip it down to the basic principles.
Do you love working with people because you are fulfilled by leading a team? Are you an app addict because you’re fascinated with the way mobile technology changes our day-to-day lives? Do you love cooking for your family because you get a thrill from impressing them with your skill? Chase the basic principle down the rabbit hole and that will help you build your life around a purpose.
2. Purpose in work
Work dominates our waking lives. Aligning your work with your passion can help you strip away the dead parts of your life and transform the mundane to satisfying. Finding purpose-driven career can also help you chase your cause with more resources than you’d have on your own.
Help those in need, pursue sustainability, or make the world a better place. Likewise, apply your skill set to a field where you excel.
Don’t have the tools you need to get started? Make your first step a pursuit of those tools. From research to education, a purposeful job can be a key component to build your life in a way that fulfills you.
3. Declutter
A life without purpose can carry a lot of weight — metaphorically and physically. The junk and clutter we all accumulate throughout a lifetime can easily bring you down. Strip away the unnecessary — if it doesn’t bring you happiness or work to serve your purpose, get rid of it. Ignore the guilt, the forgotten goals. Everyone has that 5-year-old pair of skinny jeans they want to fit into again. Does looking at them make you feel bad about yourself? Donate them. Surround yourself with happiness and purpose.
4. Let It Go
The Buddhist principle of non-attachment teaches how to strip away obstructions in pursuit of happiness. Shed your fears, expectations, and beliefs about yourself. Negative expectations about our abilities can tie us down and prevent us from leaping into our true purpose. Let go of the mental slideshow of losses and failures or the people who hold you back. Mindfulness and meditation can help you focus on your goals without the noise of negativity.
5. Do it
You’ve soul-searched, decluttered and let the unhelpful attachments go — all that’s left is to get started! Your purpose begins with the first step, and every piece of progress or moment spent moving forward is crafting your life.
What about you? Are you ready to take the necessary steps to build your life around a purpose? You can share your comment in the comment section below 🙂
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Avery Phillips
Avery T. Phillips is a freelance human being with too much to say. She loves nature and examining human interactions with the world. Comment or tweet her @a_taylorian with any questions or suggestions.
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