Five Ways to a More Purposeful Life

Let’s face it – many people, if not most, nowadays have no idea why they are here on this earth. We go through the daily routines of our lives and, more often than not, find ourselves “wandering aimlessly” on this road we call “life.”

Although being a parent certainly does add more meaning to one’s existence (it certainly did to mine!), there are still many days when we find ourselves “losing our bearings.” We wake up in the morning, dreading what the day has to bring, and go to bed at night, utterly exhausted.

This doesn’t have to be the case though. I’ve personally discovered that when one knows exactly what one is called to do on this earth (I recently wrote my “Mommy Mission Statement,” and it helped a lot!), life becomes more beautiful, and the daily challenges one faces become less burdensome. A purposeful life becomes a passion-filled, exciting life!

According to the financial literacy blog TheMoneyQuest.com, “a purposeful life is one which makes you feel alive, and also makes this world a better place to live.”

Here are five ways by which one can find more meaning in one’s life:

1. Discover your calling.
This may be easier said than done. There are probably millions, if not billions, of people who have died without having discovered their calling in life. In an article entitled “Be True To Yourself,” written by well-known Catholic lay preacher Bo Sanchez, it says:
“Love yourself. Celebrate yourself. Be yourself.
Be true to how God created you.”

So how does one know one’s life purpose? In another article, Bo puts it simply:

“How do you know your purpose in life? So many people think it’s complicated. No it’s not. In fact, all you have to do is ask two very simple questions.

Question #1: What do you love to do?
Question #2: Where do you excel?

Once you’ve discovered your calling, you’ll be able to have a sense of direction and purpose in your life. Later on, you may even decide to craft vision and mission statements for your own family, so that each family member, in turn, may come to discover a greater purpose behind their lives.


2. Don’t give up on your life dreams.
I’ll be perfectly honest with you – I’m not what people would call a writer “by education.” In fact, I graduated with a degree in Physical Therapy (PT). I even took and passed the PT Licensure Exams. However, when I was still in high school, I remember wanting to be a writer. Yet I took up PT because my parents wanted me to become a doctor and PT was the most popular pre-Med course at the time.

Fast forward to today. I am now “living my dream” to be a writer. Aside from being a Smart Parenting contributor, I’m the managing editor of a kids’ inspirational magazine and a regular blogger for philstar.com’s unBLOGGED section. I also contribute to local and foreign family-oriented magazines and occasionally write scripts for video presentations and radio dramas.

All of this happened because I finally discovered, by God’s grace, that I am called to be a communicator, particularly through writing.

Why am I sharing this here?

I believe that all of us have our own life dreams. When we know what these are and fight to make them a reality, our lives become more interesting. Our thoughts, actions and words have more purpose. Each day brings us closer to the fulfillment of these dreams.

Remember, though, that to realize one’s dreams, one must be 100% focused on doing so. One must also be equipped with patience, self-belief and the grace to accept criticism. I also believe in the power of prayer (no matter which God you pray to) – don’t take it for granted.

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3. Take risks and move to your “Courage Zone.”
Bo Sanchez, in an article titled “Everything You Want Is Found In Your Courage Zone,” cites findings from a series of interviews done by John Izzo. Izzo asked 235 people above the age of 59 about their regrets in life. Can you guess what the most common answer was?

“I didn’t take enough risks.”

Bo goes on to talk about our “comfort zones” and “courage zones.” He says:

In your Comfort Zone, your dreams vanish.
In your Courage Zone, your dreams come true.
In your Comfort Zone, you wake up to die.
In your Courage Zone, you wake up to serve and love and build God’s Kingdom in this world!

In order to lead a more purposeful life, we must be willing to get out of our comfort zones into our courage zones. We must conquer our fears – even the fear of failure. Every time we fail, we must stand up again and learn from our mistakes. In the words of famous author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, “Each failure brings you one step closer to success."

4. Build up and treasure your integrity.
Your character and integrity will define who you are and what you do in life. Never compromise them. Take to heart these quotes and try to live by them:

Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world. ~ George Bernard Shaw

Are you not ashamed of heaping up the greatest amount of money and honor and reputation, and caring so little about wisdom and truth and the greatest improvement of the soul? ~ Socrates

Character is much easier kept than recovered.  ~ Thomas Paine

And one of my personal favorites:

Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.  ~ Albert Einstein

Living with a clean conscience will help one’s life have greater meaning, joy and, most of all, peace.
 

5. Find time for regular prayer and/or meditation.
Regardless what your religious beliefs are (or even if you don’t consider yourself a “religious” person), your heart, mind, and even your body will benefit from time spent in reflection, prayer and/or meditation. Connecting to a “Higher Power” will definitely help you to put one’s life in perspective. If you have the time and resources, why not invest in yourself, too, by going on a personal retreat or recollection? (This Lenten season would be a perfect time for Catholics like me to do so).  

Regular prayer, reflection and meditation can also help you discover more fully your calling and life dreams, and assist you in becoming a more courageous, conscientious person (see ways 1 to 4 previously mentioned). If you’re a Catholic Christian or a Christian of a different denomination, incorporating the reading of Scriptures (the Bible) will also prove beneficial to your goal of living a more purposeful life. After all, the Bible, as some say, stands for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.”


Of course, there are other ways to living a more purposeful life than those mentioned in this article. One needs only to discover these and, thankfully, there are many resources available for people like you and me. Some of my personal recommendations would be the following books:

How to Live a Life of Miracles by Bo Sanchez
Simplify and Create Abundance by Bo Sanchez
The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren
8 Secrets of the Truly Rich by Bo Sanchez

Whether you choose to read the abovementioned books or not, or put into practice the five ways mentioned here, believe that you are on this earth for a purpose – you are not here by accident. By God’s grace, you have the power to choose how your life will turn out and who you will turn out to be – may you realize this and find the greater purpose for which you have been created.
 

Sources:
www.themoneyquest.com
www.bosanchez.ph
www.quotegarden.com/integrity.html
www.christiancolleges.com

Photo from flickr creative commons