Some suggestions on how to find more meaning and purpose in life
Last week I shared insights on the 'why' meaning and purpose might be beneficial for your health and wellness.
Here I share some brief pointers on the 'how' of purpose - how to find our own, positive, meaning and purpose for our brief time here on planet earth.
"The world will ask you who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you" - Carl Jung
1. Create some space in your busy schedule for reflection, if possible, using any meditation practice helps you get distance from all the clutter in your mind and habitual thought patterns. This could involve moving your awareness from the brain’s constant thinking to a bodily sensation, such as breathing, or noticing where your body is relaxed or tense, or a relaxing sound such as ocean waves on a beach. Once your awareness is more focused away from your busy thinking mind, then gently bring quieter more deliberate thinking back to the following questions.
2. What direction is your inner compass pointing? Another way of saying this might be, what are your true values. Are you deeply satisfied with life and feeling moments of joy and contentment, even in the midst of dealing with life difficulties, pain and loss? If you are feeling tension, exhaustion, or chronic health problems, you may well be living a life out of alignment with your true values. In this context these problems can actually play a useful role in giving us a message that we need to change how we live.
3. Where are you doing things in your life just to seek approval? We are socialised from a young age to seek others approval as if our lives depend on it. As an independent adult we can start to give up people pleasing. People pleasing doesn’t help others anyway, it just keeps them trapped in their unhealthy patterns of expecting other people to play their game. Except in emergencies, please yourself first. It's not selfish or indulgent, its respecting the person closest to you, which is YOU. Once you’ve done that, then be generous to others.
4. Think of how you will review your life on your deathbed. There has been a lot of research on what dying people think about. Most don’t regret the things they did, but rather they regret the things they did not do. The overwhelming majority of regrets center on them not living a life true to themselves and sacrificing personal happiness for the expectations of others.
5. Use a science-based tool to help you identify your values and strengths, based on top notch research in this area. A long running and respected assessment I’ve used is the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths. The survey is free, it's quick and easy and you can do it here.
A life driven by meaning and purpose, may not always be comfortable. But seeking comfort over meaning and purpose often leads to health problems, and lack of joy and contentment in the long run.
“A ship in harbour is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for” John A. Shedd 1928.
Ideally your purpose will be a mix of what you love, what you are good at, and what the world needs. The Japanese concept of Ikigai has shaped Japanese society for generations and offers us all insights into how purpose can enhance every aspect of our daily life. Experts describe Ikigai is not just about finding happiness, but about creating harmony between what you love, what you’re good at, and what your community needs.
“A person who takes advantage of every moment of his life to become a better person, one who is better able to contribute to the happiness of others, can die in peace” – Mattieu Ricard, Tibetan Buddhist monk and author.
Jo Jarden is a personal trainer, yoga teacher, and the founder of Heart and Mind Yoga studio 54 Holmwood Road, Merivale, Christchurch. She has 12 year's experience as personal trainer, yoga teacher, and workshop facilitator including working with:
Business executives
Gyms, group yoga & fitness classes
Farmers and rural settings
Workplace retreats, events, and conferences
Her approach combines both body and mind practices to help people boost their health and general feelings of positivity. She utilises the combination of ancient yoga wisdom and wellbeing science techniques to help people release tension and grow their inner strengths.
Qualifications include:
Certified Yoga Teacher Santosha Yoga Institute, Registered Australian Yoga Alliance 2017
Certificate in Advanced Personal Training, Fit College New Zealand, 2016
Bachelor of Science with Honours Public Health. University of Canterbury, New Zealand 2006
Bachelor of Arts Mass Communication and Psychology. University of Canterbury, New Zealand 2005
BOOK A SESSION WITH JO jo@heartandmindyoga.co.nz, 022 125 3011