Some people believe that each of us is put here on this planet in this time for one specific, pre-determined purpose.
I believe this causes a lot of really well intentioned people out there to really struggle with uncovering their life purpose. They feel frustrated that their destiny has been hidden from them. They feel that if they don’t figure it out, then they will have wasted their life. They feel that if it were only just revealed to them, that specific thing they were born to do in this life, then they would be so much happier and then they could get to it already and finally start living a meaningful life.
But I believe the struggle that they bring to it only clouds their way. I believe this because I have done it. I have spent so much time in my life, reading all the books, meditating, journaling and taking all the best seminars and workshops hoping that somewhere, someway, someone would tell me exactly what I am supposed to do with my life. I also struggled with the question of “what is the purpose of my life?” and believed that the answer was “out there”. I know what that feels like.
But now what resonates with me most is way Neal Donald Walsh talks about Life Purpose. He says our Life’s Purpose is what we SAY it is. It is what WE say it is for ourselves – not some purpose that was given to us and then kept it hidden from us. It is something that inspires us, something that makes us feel good, and makes us really want to live life to its fullest.
Follow these words of Howard Thurman:
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs, is people who have come alive.”
My life purpose is to be a bridge. By living to help more people get what they want, I come alive. Doing so brings out my strengths of listening, empathizing and being able to gather and access a lot of information to help connect the dots for people in a way that they might not be able to do on their own. Then I get to help people live happier and healthier lives.
Find out what you enjoy doing. Uncover what you are gifted at and what gifts you uniquely can share with the world. Once you do you will see, as Joseph Campbell said:
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.”
You are here, in this place, at this time, for something bigger than yourself. Look at life from a broader perspective and at what makes you truly happy to discover the meaning of your life.
At this point, I want to share another beautiful quote with you that was given to me in a card from a dear friend of mine, Tiara, who I have had the pleasure of working with in my Wellness Center for many, many years now. She had seen that I wasn’t myself. I was down, I was discouraged and I was just generally off my game. And she knew an attitude shift was what I needed.
This quote she shared with me is from Charles Swindol and it sums up perfectly all we have discussed in this section about attitude.
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.”
*Exerpted from the Being Well Lifestyles Home Study Course by Dr. Jay Warren.
Drawing on over two decades of experience as a hands-on holistic practitioner, Dr. Jay Warren is a primary healthcare provider and licensed chiropractor in the San Diego area. He has spent tens of thousands of clinical hours helping his patients achieve their optimal health potential through holistic approaches bolstered by years of personal experimentation, education and research. Dr. Jay creates customized plans integrating exercise, nutrition and stress management strategies to overcome a myriad of health challenges. For more information, email drjay@drjaywarren.com or visit www.DrJayWarren.com.