Finding Daily Purpose
Sometimes my blogs are jokes about peanut butter with a hefty side of sarcasm, sometimes they’re little life hacks or recipes, and sometimes they’re a bit more deep and thought provoking. It’s like an assortment of chocolates, if you will.
This morning I was reading “Think Like A Monk” by Jay Shetty and it really got me thinking. Living and showing up in a way that I know supports God’s plan for me and the best version of me that He created me to be is incredibly important to me, as I’m sure it is many of us (whether you believe in God or not, just showing up in a positive and impactful way…does that make sense?!). Every morning when I’m reading my devotional and inspirational book or journaling I’m almost always brought back to my own personal values and aim to set up my day in a way that I can honor those values.
This post is about to get deep, we’re talking about the middle of the ocean deep, but I think it’s really going to inspire you, especially in the midst of one of the most historic and difficult years yet (I’m looking at you 2020).
Obviously, I stand for all things wellness, balance, and thriving in food and fitness.BUT I am so passionate about that because I see it as the foundation for becoming the absolute best version of you in every aspect of life, giving you the confidence to pursue your dreams and goals, and living a full and joyful life.
In the book, Jay was talking about how most of the time we as humans are sort of just wandering through life. Yes, we have goals and aspirations like finding financial success, our dream body, or landing that really amazing job. But so often, these goals aren’t really our own deepest goals, they aren’t aligned with what we really feel is important in our own lives, and/or they’re more surface level meaning we’re only excited about the destination rather than who we become in the process. Furthermore, many of us don’t even come close to those goals because we aren’t invested enough in the process to even get it off the ground, which brings me to our intentions with these goals.
When was the last time you took a step back and asked yourself what your values are? I’m talking pen and paper, write it out, asking yourself why certain things in your life are important to you over and over and over again. Could you say that your day to day life is being conducted according to your values? A full, blissful, and joyous life requires living according to the things you find most important in life. I know that’s sort of a “well duh Di” statement. But hear me out.
What are your values? The list of potential values is really really really long. I mean really long. But to get your creative juices flowing, here is a pretty hefty list to get you going:
Adventure
Achievement
Health
Fitness
Family
Friendship
Integrity
Humility
Money
Spontaneity
Dependability
Respect
Intelligence
Humor
Consistency
Efficiency
Commitment
Spirituality
And a heck of a lot more.
These often change as time goes by. Currently, top 3 values are:
1.Family
2.Adventure/Joyous Life
3.Spirituality
I also highly value integrity, achievement, health and wellness, and many more. But, these other values I hold support my top 3. For example, I want to be the healthiest version of me so that I can live a long life for my family, so that I can have the energy and confidence to live a life of adventure, and to fulfill God’s plan for me. I make healthy decisions on a consistent basis in order to uphold my highest values. In the times when I fall weak and let the worst version of me win, I feel it hard. It’s one of the worst feelings because I know that it is not helping me be the best version of me, the best life partner for T, the best daughter for my parents, the best Aunt and sister, or the best friend for the people who bring adventure and joy to my days. Because of that, making healthier choices becomes easier because it supports the good of everything apart from myself.
From this list, or any you may have come up with yourself, identify your top 3 values. Take a few minutes to write them down, and underneath each one ask yourself why that is one of your top 3. Continue further and notice which other values might be lower on your list but support your top 3.
Now, take a few minutes and write down the things you do on a day to day basis that supports these values. Next, take a few moments and notice things you do that do not support your values.
By now, I’m sure you have a pretty good idea of things that make you feel alive and happy, as these are generally in line with your values. Also, you probably have a pretty good idea of things that make you feel bad, or even awful. As for the things that make you feel bad, I assume you already knew what these were, but now you have a clearer idea of why they make you feel the way they do.
It’s about darn time you live a life of joy, fulfillment, and alignment with the person you were born to be.
XO,
Di
P.S. I know, that really was deep as the middle of the ocean deep wasn’t it? If you’re a fan of these types of posts from me, I think you would really love my book “To Kale And Back: Ditch The Rules And Learn To Thrive In Food Fitness And Life.” It’s a self improvement book aimed to make you laugh, and inspire you to find the inner best version of you - mind, body, and soul. If you give it a read, I’d love to hear what you thought of it! Go ahead and leave a comment on my most recent Instagram post here and let me know what your biggest takeaway was :)