A good friend told me once that if you know your purpose in life, if you know why you are here, then you will have an easier time staying healthy. You will, in effect, have a greater will to live because you have something to live for.
Some people live for their craft, others live for their children, others for their pets, others for their family. I am still trying to decide why I am here. In part it is to help others, and in part it is to do art – but what kind of art? Sometimes I seem to lack that fire that gives me passion. I think that is from lacking purpose.
I’ve had trouble with this for a long time. I just have such a hard time choosing! It helped to think about the things I did first. And those things were art, and reading, and wanting to help other people. If those were my instincts at two and three years of age, perhaps they are important and central?
When I created a list of core values, that helped. Even just acknowledging why I am here in this life helps me improve, as well as embracing it fully. My friend said that he was 80% certain he was here to heal people, and so he decided to make that 100%. I liked that. It showed that he ws choosing to commit to something. And that is a good lesson for me. I can choose to commit to a purpose, even though I’m not 100% sure.
It occurs to me that this will also help you be happy, as well as healthy. Having a purpose gives a person not only something to live for but a reason to feel satisfaction in life. Making a list of those qualities you value most in yourself and others will help cement this. Ask yourself “if I could do anything, what would I do?” Then ask, “What are the important elements in that?”
So there. I’ll turn 80% to 100% too. My purpose in life is to make art and also help people.
Mindflight 