Hey Feministas, hey! It’s Alex! Today’s post offers great tips on how to live you best now…no need to find your purpose first!
In the age of Oprah, it’s easy to get caught up in the myth that your personal raison d’etre, your very own reason for being alive it supposed to be some magnificent cause that should come to you in the booming voice of Oz. And if you don’t hear it, and therefore don’t know what your “purpose” is – well then you’re just unnecessarily taking up useful space on the planet.
Chile, please.
We won’t all live lives as big as Oprah or head off to work everyday like Beyonce telling anyone who will listen that we were “born to do this” (whatever ‘this’ is). Shake off the burden of trying to find some profound and often elusive purpose for your life and focus on living a life that is filled with the things you enjoy and do well. What are you good at? What brings you joy? What do you do well that brings joy to others?
Find your best life in the everyday.
A lot of times, the meaningfulness is in the minute. That Christmas tree that you hate lugging up from the basement or dragging across your living room floor every year is going to create countless, unforgettable moments of joy for your children. So maybe you don’t get the thrill of a lifetime every time you head into the office, but maybe your purpose is to come home and raise children who will one day have an indelible impact on society. Do you have a knack for photography? Maybe you can turn that part time hobby into a meaningful career that brings happiness to others through the beauty of the images you capture. Are you the one all of your girlfriends turn to for advice? Perhaps that makes you a spiritual teacher at heart – respect that as your gift and lean in to it.
We are living our best lives when we have direction and intent, but mostly when we know who we are in the space that we each occupy. When we are mindfully aware of what we have to give – and we all have something to give. When we honor the fact that we are each unique and special in some way, we are on the path to living a full life. Keep a clear mind, and try to achieve balance between being blessed and being a blessing. Always put forth your best effort in whatever you do, but especially when it comes to feeding into what creates joy for yourself and those around you.
Live your best life now – don’t wait.
In my mid twenties, I had a quarter life crisis. You know, that time in life when you’re done with school and you fully (and unrealistically) expected that you would have everything perfectly in place: perfect relationship, great job, money in the bank and still be fly as ever. But in real life, none of those things have fallen into place yet for you, but all of your friends have seemed to hit the mark – so you realize there must be something wrong with you. You find yourself asking “what am I doing with my life?” more often than you ask yourself what’s for dinner. The good news about a quarter life crisis is that you get older – and as you get older you will get wiser. And you’ll start to create more realistic goals and expectations for your life.
