5 Ways to Align with your Life Purpose
Last week's blog article was all about how to notice when you are NOT in alignment with your Life Purpose. I don't want to just leave you hanging out with this new found awareness and not knowing what to do with it, so I figured it would be appropriate to have a follow up of ways to align with your Life Purpose, don't you?!
For about a decade, I lived my life in that state of confusion, which is one of the indicators I was not fully aligned with my Life Purpose. I had everything I had wanted and more, but was still feeling restless. I felt like something was wrong with me because I "should" be grateful and content. Today, I am happy to report that I was able to clear the fog and confusion to fully grasp what was happening. First, let me offer you a definition of what I consider Life Purpose: the intersection between your passions and your Spiritual gifts, and sharing those gifts with the world.
Along my journey, there were some key steps that I took that allowed me to increase clarity and align with my Life Purpose and I would like to share them with you in hopes that it will help in some way:
1. Meditation and Mindfulness. I would actually consider this aspect the foundation of personal and professional growth. And before you tell me that "you've tried it and it doesn't work for you"-which, if you can't tell, I have heard quite a bit as a therapist-let's look at the difference between these two aspects. Meditation is definitely more of this still and quiet practice. Meditation is an intentional practice, where you use focus to increase calmness, concentration, awareness, and emotional balance (Chopra.com). It is a formal, sitting practice of awareness. Mindfulness is more informal and can be done anywhere at any time. It is a practice of bringing awareness to the present moment, in whatever task you are completing. It is an internal (what is happening within you) and external awareness (what is happening around you-using your senses). Engaging in both of these practices will hold the most benefit in your life. If you find yourself being a bit aversive to the term and thought of Meditation, I encourage you to begin with Mindfulness. The reason these practices are important to Life Purpose is that we must be aware of the internal blocks in order to free ourself from them, and we must be aware of those external blocks so we know how to appropriately and effectively cope with them. You also must be aware of your Authentic values-not the ones society or your family prescribed to you-in order to know how to align with your Life Purpose.
2. Therapy. As I was in the graduate program for Professional Counseling at Georgia State University, I remember my supervisor, Don Durkee, telling us "Every good therapist has their own therapist". I will be forever grateful for those words and his wisdom. During my early 20's, I began my journey to emotional healing and awareness through therapy. I am happy to report that I have had so many amazing therapists that the Universe aligned me with at the absolutely right time in my life. I was able to begin expressing my thoughts and feelings without being judged or thought of as crazy. I was guided towards healing the hurts of my past from others, as well as healing the intense self judgment for those I had hurt along my path. During this healing process, I was able to become more vulnerable and emotionally honest with all individuals in my life. I was able to give myself permission to allow all of my emotions in, without judgment. I was able to heal my inner child and gain clarity of who I truly am as a Spiritual being having a human experience. This process has allowed me to embrace all dimensions of myself. In going through this healing and acceptance process, I have been able to fully align with my Life Purpose.
3. Self Compassion. I was so busy beating myself up for not being grateful enough, or satisfied enough, with the wonderful life I was living, that it left little room for the curiosity and self reflection necessary for aligning with one's Life Purpose. Even with my background and training in Mindfulness and as a Licensed Therapist, I still struggled with self compassion and being nonjudgmental with myself, though I was able to offer that kindness to others. I attended a training on Cognitive Behavioral Compassion Therapy, and that was one of the more recent catalysts that propelled me further into my journey to self compassion. My life is now filled with certain awareness, kindness, compassion, and curiosity when I approach how I am speaking to myself. It is so liberating! AND it has this amazing ripple effect that allows me to be even more compassionate with others.
4. Mentors and Coaches. This has been a serious game changer. Although there is something glorious about therapy, there is a different aspect that mentors and coaches bring to the table. I have had Spiritual Mentors and Business Mentors. More recently the Universe blessed me with the exact thing I was needing-a Holistic Business Coach who provides both aspects! One of the reasons this aspect was such a game changer for me was actually a huge mindset shift that took place. Some of you may know that obtaining coaches and mentors is not a small fee. I was able to lean into some of my money mindset of scarcity. While learning into this aspect, I was also able to challenge my belief in myself. I knew that when I committed to the financial obligation of a coach, I was reinforcing a few things: 1. I was worth the investment, 2. I was going to be held accountable for my personal and professional growth, and 3. that I have the ability to be successful in creating my ideal life vision.
5. Daily Courageous Actions. Once you align with your Authentic Self through all of the above, you must continue to take daily courageous actions towards your Life Purpose. You may find that you are already living in your Life Purpose. Congratulations if this is you! Also, if this is true for you, then you know there is continuous growth and expansion, which requires you to up-level in every dimension of your life. Just because you have reached one goal does not mean your are done with your journey. Daily courageous actions are very subjective. I remember when my courageous action included being emotionally honest with others. For me, this looked like being emotionally honest with my husband when he did something that hurt me, while being non defensive and nonjudgmental with him in his responses. For me, this also looked like me telling my boss that I was going to start my own business, and wanted to let her know that I was worried about being able to fully engage in the company we worked for while also focusing on my own business. I also remember when my courageous action was doing my first ever Facebook Live. I was terrified! I noticed all of the fears of judgment. Now I do Facebook Lives almost daily and love it! Taking daily actions is also where a coach/mentor comes into play. Like I stated in the previous section, my coach lovingly held me accountable to stretch past my comfort zone. She was, and still is, my cheerleader, and she still gently pushes me past my comfort zone for my continuous growth.
Wherever you are on your journey, the above tips and actions can help you expand both personally and professionally. If you are ready to learn more about the process of aligning with your Life Purpose, be sure to check out my website Essentially Zenful and be on the lookout on my Essentially Zenful Facebook Page for weekly FREE trainings!
Sending love and light, LJ