3 Steps to Living a Purposeful Life Starting Now!

Living a purposeful life is key to happiness and may be exactly the shift you need to make now! Life can be challenging for even the most resilient person. Societal pressures, inflation, day-to-day responsibilities, and other stressors can feel overwhelming and suck the joy out of your life.

In addition, if you happen to be in Generation X, like me, you are part of the “sandwich generation” which means that you may still be raising children while caring for parents. The pressure and stress of being pulled in several directions while attending to work and home responsibilities can take its toll.

“You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously.”

Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Is This It?

Or, you may simply wake up one day and realize that you are dissatisfied with one, or more, areas of your life: relationships, personal goals, or career choice.

You may have even asked yourself, “Is this all there is?” If that sounds familiar, don’t worry, we’ve all been there! It’s simply a sign that you are growing and changing. But, have faith, evolution is always positive.

In any case, everyone faces their own personal struggles, and we all carry some emotional baggage. So, although it may seem like a luxury to consider whether you’ve ever felt dissatisfied, stuck, lost, or unfulfilled, it might just be the question you need to ask!

What Does it Mean to Live a Purposeful Life?

When you live on purpose you will:

• Find meaning and contentment by living in alignment with your authentic self
• Positively affect the lives of those around you
• Become a lifelong learner
• Understand that the journey holds immeasurable value and that there is no “set” destination

Living a purposeful life may sound like it’s about attaining goals, ticking boxes, and having your life ‘together’. And, although there may be value in some of those things, living a purposeful life is not about achieving perfection.

It’s about living in alignment with your core values. It’s about pursuing your passions, and being a positive force in the world in order to thrive and help those around you to do the same!

Surprisingly, in order to live a purposeful life, you don’t have to make any drastic moves. In reality, the most effective thing you can do is to make small, but consistent changes in daily habits and thought patterns, while taking reasonable, achievable action steps to move in the direction of your dreams.

What Does Living a Purposeful Life Look Like?

Regardless of your life situation or what led you to this point, at its core, living a purposeful life is about finding that special something that gives your life direction and meaning. It inspires feelings of excitement and gives you the drive to do something that feels right to you.

It’s following your intuition down a path that you may not fully understand, but it just feels good! And, when you’re in the flow of doing whatever feels special to you, the outside world will seemingly melt away.

Practical Shifts

As exciting as it is to make impactful life changes, you do need to be honest about what it takes to make that shift. Sometimes what feels good, and what is good for you are two different things. But, have faith! Over time, these will become one in the same. (For example, skipping happy hour with your colleagues to take a yoga class.)

And, now you may be asking yourself, “How do I get started?” Great question! There are no right or wrong answers, but here are a few things you might want to contemplate in order to take your first step:

• Limit (or ditch altogether) the news, social media, and anything else that creates fear ad uncertainty.
• Think about your primary relationships and how the important people in your life make you feel, then adjust accordingly.
• Consider your spending and shopping habits and whether they are healthy or excessive.
• Look around! Your physical environment speaks volumes. What does it tell you?

3 Steps to Living a Purposeful Life Starting Now!

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So, let’s dive a bit deeper into what it truly takes to live a purposeful life.

1. Cultivate a Positive Spirit

It’s all too easy to fall into an uninspired daily routine. And, unfortunately, you may find that you’re living life on autopilot without realizing it. This simply means that your ingrained habits of mind have taken over. You are running a familiar program, rather than consciously creating life experiences.

The Path of Least Resistance

In this state, it’s easy to default to common behaviors. These behaviors don’t serve to enhance your life but instead keep you stuck in a cycle of feeling dissatisfied and unhappy.

For instance, becoming easily frustrated by life circumstances is an indicator that you are living unconsciously, or on auto-pilot. Putting too much importance on material wealth is another. Gossiping signifies this as well. Lacking true empathy for others is also a sign. Falling into the “Why Me?” syndrome is another indicator.

Thinking the grass is greener on the other side also shows you are living unconsciously. That’s because these behaviors and reactions don’t require a lot of energy or reflection. In other words, it’s the path of least resistance.

The Importance of Gratitude

The key to breaking out of this unhelpful pattern of behavior is quite simple: gratitude. Practicing gratitude is the easiest way to raise your vibrational frequency. This practice nurtures a loving attitude toward life. By intentionally developing positive emotions, such as gratitude, love, empathy, and compassion, you can reflect on your blessings.

You can also nurture a greater understanding of what inspires you. As a result, you gather new information to create purposeful and meaningful life change.

In addition, practicing gratitude will intensify feelings of empathy and compassion for others. And, this is another authentic and beneficial way for you to cultivate a positive spirit. By consciously creating good karma, and strengthening a bond with others, you acknowledge the humanity we all share. In turn, you accelerate and multiply the goodness in your own life.

A purposeful life through gratitude will deepen your connection to the invaluable things in life and bring you more fulfillment, direction, and joy.

2. Know When to Put Yourself First

Knowing when to put yourself first is key to living a purposeful life. It is a blessing to be there for the people you love. However, identifying those times when it’s essential to put yourself first is equally as important.

One crucial factor to consider is the extent to which you put others before yourself. So, ask yourself if you’re you putting the needs of friends and family members before your own too often? If you find that you are, it’s worth taking a deeper look at why you’re doing this.

Relationship with Self

Sometimes, being alone with your thoughts can be uncomfortable. It’s all too common to ignore emotional wounds, and side step the inner work that needs to happen to release unhealed trauma.

Unfortunately, you can only evade repressed emotions for so long. They will manifest in some negative way in your life eventually: addiction, failed relationships, poor health, etc.

Facing your fears and dragging out old, emotional baggage doesn’t feel good at best, and can be terrifying at worst. But, by not deepening and strengthening your connection to self, you are limiting your true potential. And, you risk missing out on the most loving and rewarding relationship there is…the one you have with yourself.

Living a purposeful life means taking the time required to prioritize self-care. This includes your mental, spiritual, and physical health. And, it should be done in ways that feel right for you!

My Experience

I recently had COVID for the second time and it really wiped me out: fever, sore throat, fatigue, aches and pains, among other symptoms. And, due to some pressing obligations, it was difficult to put myself first even though I was pretty sick. However, I knew that it was necessary for my well-being.

As I began to feel better, I made sure to carve out time for walks in nature. By walking in the woods and around a nearby lake, I was able to soothe my soul, regain strength, and improve my mental health. For the next few weeks, I continued to prioritize myself. Sometimes, this felt as thought I was letting somebody down.

However, I chose to make deliberate choices to fully be there for myself during my illness. By honoring my inner knowing and respecting the limitations of my body, I was able to practice self care. And, this is a clear example of how you can effectively raise your self-esteem and live a purposeful life.

Your body has physical and emotional needs, especially when facing a health crisis, but even when you feel strong. Similar to maintaining your car, you can’t run on empty for very long. So, think about which activities bring you back to your center in a meaningful way. In other words, do what makes you feel more like yourself and connects to a deeper place of joy inside you.

Set Boundaries

Setting healthy boundaries is critical to all areas of your life. So, identify and understand your limits, determine what you will and will not do. Then communicate those boundaries clearly to others. Then, be sure to honor them, even when it feels uncomfortable!

Maintaining appropriate boundaries is crucial to your mental and emotional well-being. However, if you don’t have strong boundaries, have difficulty identifying your boundaries, or feel nervous to share them with others, you may have a codependent personality.

In the past, I displayed codependent behaviors in romantic relationships. Identifying codependent tendencies and overcoming codependency was challenging. But, by gaining knowledge about codependency and its root cause, I was able to successfully move beyond this unhealthy relationship model.

Now, I engage in healthy relationships and I trust myself to set appropriate, reasonable boundaries with everybody in my life. And, that has been a game-changer.

Personal Boundaries

No one can set healthy boundaries for you. Even well-meaning family or friends are unable to do this. That’s because no one knows what you need better than God and you. Therefore, it’s up to you to identify safe, reasonable boundaries, and then stick to them!

And, keep in mind that it’s always okay to say no without feeling obligated to give an excuse. If you’re not interested in doing something, don’t be afraid to be honest. You don’t need a jam-packed schedule to give you a sense of purpose or importance. Think of being alone as a luxury!

My Experience

For many years, I went to different therapists trying to understand why relationships were often confusing and difficult for me, especially romantic relationships. And, not one of those therapists ever explained codependent traits or discussed self-esteem and how to set healthy boundaries. So, after not getting the answers I was searching for, I began doing my own research.

Over time, I began to understand codependency means. And, almost miraculously, I was able to change my life in a short period of time!

Further Reading on Codependency

Codependency is not one specific thing because it can manifest differently for different people. For instance, a narcissist can also be codependent. Here are some valuable links to other articles if you are interested in learning more about relationships and codependency:

• 3 Ways to Learn How to Trust Your Feelings as a Recovering Codependent, click here.
• 5 Ways to Re-parent Your Inner Child and Build Self Esteem Now!, click here.
• Do You Have Low Self-Esteem? Use These 5 Effective Techniques to Raise It Now!, click here.
• 3 Ways to Learn How to Trust Your Feelings as a Recovering Codependent, click here.
• 7 Things to Expect When You’re in a Relationship With a Narcissist and How to Begin Healing, click here.

3. Embrace Your Uniqueness

A fantastic way to live a purposeful life is to embrace exactly who you are and honor your unique contributions to the world. And, you can accomplish this in the smallest, most humble way, or any way that you choose, for that matter!

My Experience

For instance, I am a nurturer in every way! If you take me to the local nursery, I will buy the plant that has the least chance of surviving, just to take it home and bring it back to health with lots of attention and love!

Recently, I accepted a long-term assignment teaching a first grade class. Occasionally, an unsuspecting insect would find its way into the classroom, which of course was a big distraction for my six year old students.

So, staying true to myself, I immediately implemented a “catch-and-release” policy. On several occasions, my students observed me carefully coaxing confused bees and spiders out of the window into the grassy recess area beyond.

A parent of one of my students happened to notice this during a school function. I jokingly admitted, “I encourage a catch-and-release program.” He responded by saying that he wondered why his son had suddenly begun to do the same at home. Initially, I felt a bit embarrassed. But, he immediately put me at ease by telling me that he was appreciative and thought it was a great way to teach compassion.

This is just one example of how you can share your authentic self with the world even in the smallest ways.

Pursue Your Passions

You’re probably familiar with the concept of pursuing your passion. Your passion is any activity that gets your heart pumping and inspires you to fully engage in its pursuit.

According to Merriam Webster, “passion” refers to a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement, either for something or about doing something. Passions are activities you could happily immerse yourself in as often as possible. For instance, traveling is a passion for many people.

You’ll know you’ve found you passion when you feel strongly about one thing. That’s because you’ll find yourself researching it, reading about it, working on it, and thinking about it, even though no one is making you!

My Experience

My blog is a true passion of mine. I spend countless hours writing, researching, interacting with my readers, and promoting my blog. And, when I’m immersed in these activities, I feel in the flow of life.

And, because my blog focuses on topics I care deeply about, like personal growth, I am continually learning, evolving, and enriching my life. As a result, I am more fully grounded in the present moment.

Dwelling in presence gives me a greater ability to consciously create my life. When I am working on my blog, I’m in complete awareness of the now, without being distracted by thoughts. And, this is a powerful, creative place to be!

To read more about the present moment and how you can use it to intentionally co-create your life click here.

Mindfulness

If you haven’t found your passion yet, try cultivating a more mindful lifestyle. In this way, you will access your intuition and tune into your true passions. Mindfulness means seizing life in the moment and accepting everything you feel and experience without judgment, overthinking, or interpretation. 

Incorporating a mindfulness practice into your daily routine will help you connect to your inner knowing. And, it’s an effective way to bring your truest desires to the surface. Now that you’ve discovered what you’re passionate about, incorporate your passions into your everyday life.

Soon, pursuing your passion will become a daily habit or ritual because you’ll be motivated to spend your time doing what you love. And, this is key to living a purposeful life. And, healthy, productive habits have the power to transform your life for the better on so many levels. So, go for it!

Now that you have a deeper understanding of living a purposeful life, which tips are you motivated to incorporate into your life? What are some ways that you live a purposeful life and how have they helped you cultivate happiness? Comment below to get the conversation started!

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Disclosure: Melissa Damiani is a participant in the Routine Probiotic Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to merchant, and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking amazon.com. Although I only promote products that I love, use, and have confidence in, always do your own research before purchasing any product. Read my disclaimer here.