Living purposefully is one of the most enjoyable experiences we can enjoy in life. We often hear about certain people leading a purposeful life. This is usually in relation to some recent publicised success they had winning at a sporting event, winning a best actor award, or being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize – and the list goes on.
But do we have to be fabulously successful at some glamorous profession to be able to feel purposeful in our life, or is there more to it than that? What is really the key to living a purposeful life? Here’s a hint: we all already possess the most critical God-given tool needed to lead a purposeful life. Our mind.
It is in our mind that the decision is made on how much time we waste and how much time we utilise. Whether we’ll procrastine or jump in and get things done. How we react and respond to every person who communicates with us and every situation in which we’re placed. Given the hugely important role that your mind plays, it becomes apparently obvious why functioning on autopilot is the nemesis to leading a purposeful life.
We must be conscious, aware and intentional regarding our decisions and how we use our mind. The first step is to become focused in our thoughts. When we move from having thoughts float around between the conscious and subconscious parts of our brains, to having those thoughts reside fully in the conscious part, we become more aware and focused. It is important to write down the things we want our mind to focus on and meditate on them daily; whether that be through prayer, affirmations or even reading them out loud. The wiring in our brain that helps us to capture ideas also helps us to turn random thoughts into focused goals.
Being intentional with our thoughts is a very effective way to utilise our most important tool. Being mindful and intentional with our thoughts does not turn our goals into reality, however. A purposeful life requires action today, not tomorrow. Often times we wait to make changes. We wait until after the holiday to go back to our diet and exercise routine. We set deadlines for off in the future for us to take first steps at going after a new goal.
But delaying our participation in intentions we’ve set for ourselves means that we are essentially delaying our purpose. If something is important enough to us to the point that it will help us to fulfil our reason for being here and living a purposeful life, then why would we wait for it to happen? It will help us to fulfil our purpose when we make changes to our life today, not tomorrow. So, if you want to improve your diet start with your next meal today — not tomorrow’s first meal. If you want to take up a new endeavour, take a first step right after reading this article. Start now and utilise this opportunity to live with intention and purpose.
