Strands of Purpose

A strong purpose gives direction to our lives. Without it we drift along paying for short term pleasure to escape our mundane reality. Purpose is multi braided rope holding up hope for a greater meaning. Not just for us but for the entire world.

I like to get all my physiotherapy and coaching clients thinking about purpose. Purpose can take on different forms depending on where people are on their life journey. It's fine to have no idea what our ultimate purpose is as long as we are carrying out smaller acts on a daily basis that help move us towards it. 

If our daily habits are aligned with making us better humans and have a positive effect on those around us then they are the micro purpose actions that help create an expanding sense of being - this in turn lead to MEGA purpose. The greatest humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow described moving along a spectrum of transcendence after our base survival needs are met. As we grow we come to understand that using our innate gifts to serve something bigger than ourselves is the key to a purpose driven life. This cultivates contentment. 

Our purpose can be thought of as a rope made up of smaller strands and larger ones. The more strands intertwined together in the same direction the stronger the sense of purpose.  The thicker strands of the purpose rope are tied into something bigger than us. The smaller strands are more to do with self. When all align and bind then our purpose and the force holding it together becomes unbreakable.  I believe when our purpose ropes are strong this sets the stability for holistic wellness. Without a strong purpose anchoring our lives we tend to drift grasping on to short term happiness without a deeper sense of contentment. If the daily habits are in line with a deeper purpose then they will become consistent. Having a longer term vision to drive the short term steps is the basis for cultivating the environment for enhancing habits to thrive. 

Last week one of my athletes was frustrated that she didn't know her purpose although she loved running. We explored why she ran and were able to note down some of the positive benefits created with running on a personal level, and also for others around her. Once we start becoming aware of the positive effects of daily habits this can help with understanding a deeper purpose. We have to think expansively along side our self, then align - if both ends are positive then continue on exploring that direction. If there is negativity at either end of the spectrum (not beneficial for self or something bigger than you) then some tweaking of the habit is required or it may have to be discarded completely. 

We hear so much in self improvement land on whats your "why" and "purpose" that we forget that self wellness is only truly effective when we are expansive with the concept. We need to align wellness with all and our planet. We can't be well in a sick world. Please make sure your purpose rope is getting stronger and helping move you towards the best version of you - while in turn making the world better.

My book 'Holistic Human - Expansive Wellness Habits for thriving humans on a healthy planet' has a chapter on PURPOSE. It is available through my site for NZ and Australia  https://everfit.co.nz/Store/holistic-human-book