14 Sep What Gets You Up in the Morning?

The Power of Purpose

“Purpose provides you with an inner compass that guides every decision and leads you to the experiences that will light up your soul.” – Maggie Wooll

Finding purpose can be crucial on the road of recovery and the journey toward living a fulfilling life.

• What gets you up in the morning?
• What inspires you to make good choices? 
• What pulls you back into the desire to be present, to be alive?

Not only is finding purpose in your life helpful, but it is also good for your health physically, mentally, and emotionally. Having purpose reduces stress and increases mental fitness. Studies have shown that having purpose can have positive impacts on chronic disease, and in the end may help you live longer. 

Purpose doesn’t have to be a big overarching set-in stone idea. Perhaps you are one of the fortunate people who instantly has a deep knowing and can instantly name your purpose. Whether that be as a mother, an artist, a writer, a teacher, a caretaker of animals, the options are limitless.

Purposes can always shift and evolve, changing as we progress as individuals. That is part of the fun of constantly redefining ourselves and our purpose and place in the world. 

While there can be an obvious and grand purpose in one’s life, the little things can also add a lot of richness to living. For example, smiling at strangers on the sidewalk, or making the cashier at your local grocery laugh, volunteering at a local animal shelter, picking flowers for an elderly person or any other small act of kindness. 

 

Here are some tools to help you find purpose and passion in your life:

 

Follow your bliss: 
If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.” -Joseph Campbell

Look Inward
Looking inward is an essential step when seeking purpose. Only you can know what lights the sparks within and stokes the fire that keeps you moving. No one else can tell you what your purpose is, who you are, or where your piece of the puzzle fits within this picture called life. 

Recognize your strengths and talents.
Some of us may feel confident in knowing what our strengths are. If you are one of those people, lean into that; but if you are struggling to define that ask your community to reflect back the strengths, they see in you. Allow your loved ones to highlight the skills and talents you might not even be aware that you have. 

Turn your pain into purpose.
We all face struggles in our lives, and when we move through them and learn from them, we can find tools that were buried deep inside to make the world a better place. The struggles you navigated may offer empathy and the inspiration to encourage others to navigate their own challenges. So, transform that pain and unlock the gifts it has given you and share them with the world. 

Focus on positive emotions like gratitude and growth.
When you have a positive mindset, that way of seeing the world builds upon itself. It gives you the strength and inspiration to keep moving forward and seek more of what inspires you. It also empowers you with the resilience to accept constructive criticism to continue your evolution. When you switch to a growth mindset and reprogram your way of seeing the world to focus on gratitude, it can completely shift your whole life and lead you down a path towards thriving. One excellent way to condition your gratitude mindset is to start the practice of writing a gratitude either at the beginning or end of your day.

Spend time with people who inspire you
Spending time with people who are inspiring can motivate you to be your best self. Sometimes they can even help reflect your own purpose, passions or place in the world when you’re feeling lost. Surrounding yourself with enriching and uplifting people can spur you to be better, do better, and find your own unique niche within your community. 

We are community-oriented beings, when we find the places in life where we fit and can serve and thrive as our own unique selves it can be so rich and nurturing in ways that may sustain us to continue to grow.When life pours down on us, purpose can be the beacon that guides us through dark times, the lifeboat of our true being.

 

GET HELP NOW
Remember, Olalla Recovery Centers is here for your addiction recovery journey. If you or a loved one is ready to seek assistance for an addiction, the first step is to seek a professional who can help. Call or contact us anytime.