If everyday for the rest of your life were to be exactly the same as yesterday, if nothing could change, how would you feel about the rest of your life? If nothing could change from yesterday what would you be missing out on? What would you be tolerating for the rest of your life? What would your overall sense of fulfillment and joy be? Would you feel that your life was filled with meaning and purpose? If today were to be a repeat of yesterday, what would you change to increase your overall life satisfaction? What would you choose to do differently? Who would you choose to spend your time with? What would you think about? What would you eat? How would you treat your body differently?
What is your reaction to these questions? What comes up for you? In a scene from the movie Groundhog Day, Phil Connors, played by Bill Murray, asks, "What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?" And his drinking buddy, Ralph, replied, "That about sums it up for me." The truth is that many people go through the motions of living but don't feel truly alive. They are doing the things that they think are expected of them rather than fully tapping into their own freedom of choice to live from a place of purpose. When we do not view life as a blank canvas on which upon we can create our life masterpiece but instead see it as a puzzle with a predetermined image and existing pieces that we are meant to find and put together, we are limiting ourselves. When we limit ourselves we find ourselves tolerating a lot of things that we didn't necessarily choose or, worse, feel powerless to make any meaningful changes in our lives.
Many people also feel paralyzed by the notion of living with purpose. They feel lost because they do not know what their life purpose is and so they feel stuck in their current life or a current situation within their life because they are waiting for the inspiration to hit them. However, living with purpose does not mean having a greater purpose and then turning this purpose into something tangible that everyone can see. Living with purpose means living purposefully. It means intentionally creating the experiences in our daily lives that make us feel authentic and fulfilled. It means having the freedom to choose how we want to show up in our lives - either as victim or as creator. It means choosing to see each day as a gift rather than a burden. It means seeing each day as an opportunity rather than a rut that you cannot pull yourself out of.
So how do you do this? What can you do today to start live life more purposefully? Start by answering honestly all of the questions above. Identify the areas that you are unhappy about - that you don't want to be a part of your daily living and then identify one thing that you can do to purposefully bring change to that part of your life. Are you unhappy with your health? What one thing can you do today to bring you closer to how you would like to feel? Are you stressed out all the time? What is one thing that you can do today to reduce the amount of stress in your life? Are you tolerating feeling a certain way in your interpersonal relationships? What is one thing that you can do today to change how you feel?
The beautiful thing about this life is that we are given a blank canvas each and everyday to create a new masterpiece. We do not need to live the same day over and over again. And if we do, that is our choice. Why not use your freedom of choice to step into your power and to live each and everyday like its a brand new chance to be the best version of yourself - to live purposefully. How would your life be different today if you did?
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