Exploring purpose for health and wellness

Did you know that living with a clear purpose can improve your resilience, health, and relationships? The beginning of 2023 may be a perfect time to reflect on what gives you direction, why you get up in the morning. It has been an inspiring topic during my coaching sessions this month.
Research shows purpose and meaning in life are linked with your overall wellbeing and happiness. Re-thinking purpose is a valuable process that occurs throughout your lifetime. As your circumstances change, your purpose may benefit from refinement or adjustment.
What is your intention for accomplishing something that is meaningful to you and leads to productive engagement with some aspect of the world beyond self?
Our community benefits from your contributions while living in alignment with your purpose. Intentionally choosing behaviors congruent with purpose creates an empowered personal and professional life. As mentioned, it increases your resilience as you navigate the ups and downs of life. Purpose can also positively affect pain management, enhance sleep quality, decrease the likelihood of stroke and heart attacks, improve mental health, and reduce the risk of dementia. When you have a high sense of meaning in your life, you spend more time and attention on your loved ones and communities. Your relationships are stronger and mutually beneficial.
What are the components of purpose? You can consider your values, passions, and gifts.
Values are a set of beliefs or opinions you choose as important that influence how you live your life. They play an important role in shaping how you respond to situations and how you set goals. What are your personal values? Examples include but are not limited to courage, balance, creativity, curiosity, success, honesty, independence, personal growth, power, relationship, self-understanding, social concerns, spirituality, and wealth. Also consider:
• What qualities do you admire in others?
• During challenging experiences, what is most important to you?
• Who have you been when you’ve been at your best?
Passions are strong feelings, fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for something. Your passion may inform your hobby, work, or volunteer organizations. Passion is what motivates you and makes you feel good. Think of passion as your what, and purpose as your why. Passions are inwardly focused whereas purpose is outwardly focused on the greater impact you have on others and on your surroundings. What are you passionate about? Consider:
• What do I care about the most in the world?
• Who do I want to help the most?
• When do I feel most engaged with what I am doing?
Natural inner gifts are innate resources within each of us. When you give these gifts to meet a meaningful need in the world, you live with greater wellness, joy, and a deep sense of meaning and purpose. Each of us is born with the seeds of these gifts within us and blossom when we recognize and utilize them. What are your gifts? Consider:
• What am I good at?
• What do others tell me about my gifts and talents?
•What do I love to do?
• What are your superpowers?
Leaning into the energy of the new year, I reflected in my blog:
As we begin 2023, we are supported by a unique flow of energy as we shift our focus from the nonphysical realms of planning, incubating, and imagining into physical expression of our dreams in the world.
Feel the flow of your highest vision becoming your lived experience. Make choices in alignment with your deepest self, the part that is courageous and authentic. Reflecting with your inner wisdom about your purpose, values, gifts and passions, your fulfillment becomes an inside job. When you take time for what truly matters in your heart for you, what brings you joy and peace, all those you interact with benefit as well.