Life happens regardless of how intentionally we live. The difference is; when we live on purpose, we navigate across the ocean of life instead of drifting into the nearest current.
Living life on purpose looks a lot like passion, freedom and clarity.
Living life accidently looks reactive, impulsive, and avoiding anything uncomfortable.
Sometimes life moves quickly, and seasons of life go on for longer than we intended. It can be years before looking back and realizing how much life has gone by. These moments of reflection can show us the ways we have grown and changed, but sometimes they can also be milestones we look back and ask, “what if?” We can look back on the forks in the road and wonder how different our life would be if we had taken that job or made that move or never met that person. At the time, we made those decisions for a reason, or some outside circumstances made the decision for us. But when too many moments go by where it was just the next natural step or it was the comfortable and logical decision… well, sometimes we end up living a very different life than we once imagined. Maybe things are great, and everything worked out to be sunshine and rainbows, or maybe things have landed in a pretty dark place and it seems like there has been a rain cloud stalking you for a while now. I think for most people, its somewhere in between. There are things in life that worked out really well and other things that we wish were different.
Some things happen as a direct result of the decisions we make, and other things happen outside of our control. Some people are planners and have all that can be controlled in life lined up and scheduled to the best of their ability, they have the 3, 5 and 10-year plan all mapped out. On the other hand, we have the free spirits, the go with the flow fellows who follow the direction of the wind and make the most of whatever is around them. But living a life on purpose is a little less about personality traits and a lot more about being intentional about what you want your life to be about. Do you know the things that are important to you? Do your actions align with the things you want your life to be about? Do you invest your time strategically? Are you growing where your feet are?
I think living life on purpose can be broken down into a few specific actions:
1. Define your values
2. Make value based decisions
3. Invest time strategically
4. Grow your roots
Defining your values is where it all starts. Your values set the direction of your life and if you don’t know what is important and what is most important, you are like a ship with no heading. What do you want most? Why do you want that in your life? What does that answer tell you about what is most important to your heart? Define your values and be strategic in what words you use. When you can put on paper the things you want your life to be described by, you have put in the work for step 1.
Make value-based decisions. Prioritize your values and what those things tangibly look like. Some values may be centered around family, others around your skills and others around different interests and passions you have. What takes the priority? Make these decisions when you have some time to find a park bench and have a clear mind. That way when things come up and life gets a little crazy, you can walk out a decision you have already made. You aren’t thinking and trying to prioritize in the moment. Impulse can talk you out of a value if you do not have a decided heart. Also take a serious look at how you spend your time and make sure you have a little time set aside every day to live out a habit that coincides with each of your values. Make sure your time and your values are in alignment or you will live a life full of internal conflict.
Invest your time strategically. Your time is so limited, and it is crazy to spend your time without much thought or intention. Use the resource of time just like you would be investing for retirement or saving for a big goal. Spend it on things that will give you a return and stay away from the things that will leave you in the negative with little to show for it. Find high return activities. Things that you finish doing and are so glad that you did. Things you are proud you spent the time to do! This is anything from investing time to learn something new, to some time spent having a meaningful conversation with a friend over coffee. This is stepping out to reconnect with someone you lost contact with and doing the thing that you have needed to do for a few weeks now but have been putting off. Eliminate things that have zero return on investment or worse have a negative output in your life. When we continue to do things that put us in a funk or make us feel terrible, we are literally trading the most valuable resource we have been given, to spend more time dealing with negative repercussions on that bad investment. Get out of the cycle, break the addiction, make different choices and get some help if you need to. Life is too short not to!
Lastly plant some roots. I have lived in 3 states over the past 4 years, worked with a lot of different people, been a part of quite a few communities and one thing I have found to be true is, when you wait to grow roots it hurts you the most. I think there are a lot of people in the world right now asking the questions “is this where I am supposed to be?”, “what am I am meant to be doing?” “What is my calling/passion/purpose?”. These are good questions to ask, but when we ask these questions non-stop in our mind, we always stay half invested in the present leaving us with glazed eyes and distanced from the people, opportunities, and moments in front of us. If only for today, you are where you are supposed to be. Maybe it IS time for a change, but for today stay invested. Until your time is up, you are where you are supposed to be; and if you are there today, your time isn’t up. So lean in, and give some purpose and conviction to the things in front of you. Invest in the things next under your feet and grow some roots… if only for today!
The choice is yours and mine on what we do now. If we set the day to autopilot, or if we remember our values and find ways to bring those things into action. We can stay comfortable on our heels in the background or we can take the next step in life we are constantly invited into. At the end of our life, I think we will care much more about how we lived than what we lived. We will care more about how we treated and cared for the people around us more than the names of the people around us. Today is the day. Go Live!