Who do you want to be in 5 years time?
3 questions to ask yourself, to live with more purpose and courage
For 7 years, I had no home address.
This was more of a problem for banks, accountants and insurance companies, than it was for myself I noticed!! I didn't fit their box.
My choice to live 'outside the box' was a decision I made to experience a different way of living. (I appreciate its a privilege to have the choice, when for some it's not). It started as an experiment I was willing to take (for a few months!) to see if I could feel better mentally, physically, spiritually. To 'break free' of the caged life, the life of doing what's expected of us.
At 29, I questioned whether I needed to find a husband, have this 9-5 management office job, get a house, a mortgage...."is this the only path to success" I asked myself? How could I put my own priorities first? How could I align my daily life with my unique gifts and talents? What would a 'successful life' truly feel like for me?
I realise I wasn't living my truth at all, but living a life others told me would bring success.
So I left my job, sold everything I owned, bought a van, and travelled NZ. Yes, it was scary...the 'letting go’ part, and the 'not knowing how it would pan out' part'. But I was about 1% more curious than I was scared. Curious to step into the unknown. To see if there was another way to experience life.
There were challenges, of course. But this 7 years helped me find a new strength, and a new awareness of what really matters in life. And it lead me to get clarity of my life's purpose.
This experiment was actually a beautiful transition, where I have become a whole different person. Actually, not even a different person. Just reconnecting to my true self.
These days I share what I have learnt about letting go of the social norms - these conditioned ways from the world around us, telling us how we 'should live'. I share how it is possible to move from 'seeing what you can get from the world' to 'seeing what you can give' (your purpose). For me, it meant topping up my own cup first (self care), and letting go of the 'old Jo' so the 'true Jo' could emerge.
Your purpose will emerge when you are willing to let go, and be a little courageous.
3 questions to live with more purpose and courage
1. Who do I want to be in 5 years’ time? Have a vision for your life – sounds so simple and corny, but you need to sit down in a quiet space and ask yourself What do I want? Who do I want to be? Am I being honest about how my life really is right now, and who do I want to become? This is using the power of your imagination, and our amazing ability we have to reinvent ourselves, rather than living reactively. Without a vision, and truthful examination of your daily life, you will fall to the default state of the reactive world around you. When you align your daily actions with your highest vision for yourself it creates unity in your soul.
2. Am I scared of making boundaries because it will cause conflict? If you don’t proactively create boundaries and say no to some things (or most likely, many things) so you can do more of the important things, the external world will own you! It will pull you, it will stress you, it will create distractions. But you’ll need to be clear of what your vision is, what’s important to you, what your values are (not what the world is telling you is important), and start to let go of the things that are not part of your vision. If we don't know how to live life from the inside out, we will live our life on the terms of others.
3. Am I willing to go to the ‘messy edge’, regularly? We think that the inspiring role models around us are just these special people that are born that way. This is simply not true. We play it safe and small because we are worried what others will think of us. We get busy , as opposed to intentional. We lie to ourselves and numb ourselves with distractions. To live with more meaning and purpose you will need to take risks regularly, allow mistakes to happen, and be more vulnerable. Are you willing to live more a little on this messy edge, where you are not always in control?
This is likely to be just place where you can unlock the gifts of creativity, abundance and is where your purpose will emerge.
“You only need to know the direction, not the destination. The direction is enough to make the next choice” - James Clear, Atomic Habits
Jo Jarden is a certified personal trainer and yoga teacher in Christchurch New Zealand and the founder of Heart and Mind Yoga studio. She has 10 years experience in health promotion in New Zealand and Australia including management and promotion of national chronic disease prevention programs. She now helps people find mental peace, physical vitality and to live purpose, through health coaching, yoga teaching, personal training, workplace yoga and wellness events.
The next event is: The 2hour Deep Restore, Sunday 28th January 5.30pm (Click the image below to book)
