To experience true long-lasting joy and fulfillment, our lives must have meaning and purpose. Many people in our society feel a lack of purpose, but it’s possible they are just looking in the wrong place. There is a lot of talk about self-help out there, but the truth is the more we focus on the self: our thoughts, stories, trauma, memories, and expectations, often the more anxious we feel. My experience has been the best way to access true meaning is to find a purpose outside the “self.”
A Single Step
When your intention is to give of yourself to others, you are not only changing the world around you but also the internal environment within you. This does not need to happen on a global scale. It just requires setting an intention and taking a baby step in making a positive change. When you commit to this purpose, whether with a single person, a family member, at work, or within your community, each step leads you in a fulfilling direction.
The Ego
The truth is the “self” is quite selfish. Its primary purpose is self-preservation. Fear, greed, judgment, frustration, and anxiety occur when we focus too much on ourselves. When we are driven by money, status, and power, we may reach our goals only to find ourselves unsatisfied and unfulfilled. However, when driven by ethics, purpose, compassion, and generosity, we ultimately receive more than we give. Interestingly, we may also find that recognition, power, and status naturally follow, although not the initial intention.
Action
Following our purpose requires energy, motivation, perseverance, consistency, and commitment. If you have a goal, you must wake up every day and take action no matter how you feel. You must truly care deeply and lead from your heart. You must initiate action from a place of integrity. If you are doing something because you want to be recognized, for self-validation, or for financial gain, this typically will not last in terms of satisfaction or impact.
Connection
Many people in our culture feel disconnected from their true potential, because they are taught from a young age that what matters is success, how people perceive us, and material wealth. They are raised and conditioned in an environment of fear, which creates a strong need for self-preservation. The number of people who feel unfulfilled only grows as we become more connected to the ego and less connected to nature and others. Living in this modern world has become significantly more challenging in finding inner peace. People are feeling anxious and stressed with the competitive hustle of daily life and chasing after materialistic goals, which only leads to spiritual disconnection. Our fast-paced lifestyle from which we are taught that the more we do, the more successful we are leads to feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and empty.
How Do I Start?
If you are inspired by these articles but don’t know what to do or where to begin, please continue reading the articles below including a meditation and practice to begin your journey in finding purpose and a deeper connection to your truth.
The Heart Align Meditation calms the mind and helps to access emotions such as gratitude, appreciation, compassion, and joy. The more we can bring the light these emotions carry into our lives, the more the darkness begins to fade.
The Virtue Exercise is a daily practice to encourage less emotional reactivity and help form more harmonious and deeper connections.
