Building Yourself: How To Live A Life With Purpose

Finding meaning and values in your life is such a hard task to do, and in today’s world its even more difficult due to all the distractions, pressures, and endless options available. A lot of women are working overtime, managing a career, relationships, life goals and society which gives them no time for self contemplation and self provision. Still, the confluence of values, actions and purpose for creating such a life is living life with intention. To be intentional means deriving activity through conscious decisions that directly influence ones values, priorities, and long-term goals. It is to be active and engaged in the current moment while being able to honor meaningful targets and take specific actions towards engagement in a feeling that is both satisfying and real.

The intent toward conscious living starts from introspection. In order to build a life of your choosing, you need to first figure out what is it that truly brings joy, fulfillment and satisfaction. This entails taking a moment to look at the life you have built. Is your life a reflection of your purpose? Are your existing habits aligned with your goals? Are the things that you pursue in life the things that you really want, or are you just responding to the demands of people around you? Self-awareness is painful but asking yourself these questions is essential in trying to understand yourself and your purpose. Understanding what matters the most to you, be it family, profession, health, self-expression, or life long learning, gives you a chance to start living your life on your own terms.

As soon as you comprehend that goal-setting process is an essential task, you can identify what types of goals matter the most for you. It is important to remember that goals should firmly reside in the world of long-terms hopes and aspirations and not just in external achievements or fulfilling the wishes of others. So, it does not matter if you want to better your business, strengthen the bond with your family or just want to achieve the perfect physical and mental health, your goals should match your dreams. Once you have a clear understanding of what is paramount, setting goals that are purposeful starts to come naturally. Goals are indeed powerful tools for purposeful living as they greatly enhance focus. However, responsibilities should not stop there because persistent self-evaluation is an equally important component of effective goal-setting. Becoming deep and intentional in goal setting requires one to be specific about what they want to accomplish, what steps will help do it and when to take those steps.

One most powerful way to live with intention is saying ‘no’ to things that are inconsistent with your values or your goals. In today’s world where hustle and more seems to be the norm, it becomes tough to filter out the noise from the real priority. But by cutting down on relationships, activities, and commitments that burn out or steer you from your path, one embraced the positives that life has to offer. Naturally, no is the answer, and reason for this is self respect and self care: no keeps you from wasting your energy and time doing things that do not really help you achieve your will. Its worth noting that when we talk about mindful living, its not perfection we seek, instead we strive to make decisions that are best for our growth and health.

Being mindful is one more pillar of purposeful living. To be able to be in the here and now means that instead of hurrying and being always pre occupied on what is dragging in the next moment, then life can only be lived to its fullest. But then again, mindfulness can always be practiced, through meditation, deep breaths, or simply deciding to take time, out of the day, to do nothing. The more now-ness you develop, which is inside of everybody, the more stress free, calm, and collected you become when interacting to the usual stressors of everyday life, instead of the other way around. It also enables you to value and revel in the simple and ordinary, bringing everyday satisfaction to life.

Radical transformation is not only necessary but, it is also the expectation of whom they are attached to. This expectation though remains superficial, generic and fails to capture the unique complexities within which singular identities flourish. In this goal oriented society it is of little surprise that many of those who we classify as women remain shackled in this social web of carefully constructed expectations and demands. The true essence of intentional living is about understanding that we cannot give our attention to a singularism. It is instead about choosing where and when attention needs to be invested. This debate about investment time translates quite perfectly when it comes to nurturing personal relationships or injecting time into career goals. It is about realizing that the pursuit of balance is a relentless movement. Balancing life also means understanding that greatest forms of success are resoundingly time sensitive.

In the words of Brené Brown, Living with intention and purpose means practicing self-kindness. Self-kindness entails treating yourself with respect and warmth. It requires you to take a step back and assess the situation when you need to. Acknowledge the fact that all humans make mistakes but aim for perfection despite being fallible. A lot of us are raised to spend our lives always being considerate and accommodating to other people. Working with self-kindness will help you in breaking this conditioning and avoiding burnout. Self-kindness means being at ease with one’s weaknesses regardless of the type of the endeavor. Everyone deals with a balancing act in contemporary life, and acknowledging the fact that one is just a human makes life more manageable and stress-free.

Creating a life that you love and are proud of is also about living intentionally, and with that comes transformation, growth, and change. Remember that our life is fluid, and so are our wants and needs. To be intentional is to be open to possibilities while remaining rooted to the principles that guide you. It’s about learning new things, unlearning old things, and doing things in a way that allows you to grow in your personal and professional life. But this may also mean moving out of your comfort zone, taking risks, and being exposed to new experiences that facilitate you in growing your mind. So to live and be intentional does not mean being stagnant. It does not mean being firm in your ways. It means going with the flow and simultaneously directing the current vortex towards the life of your purpose.

Intentional living helps in relating with others at a deeper level too. Intentionally living means that more often than not, the people that you surround yourself with are the people that will help you grow and influence you positively. You choose where to direct your energy and time, and what relationships to invest in. Investing and placing a premium on those relationships rather than scattering yourself makes it easier to reach your goals and achieve a vision that embodies who you are. Growing your inner circle and nurturing deeper connections ensures a healthier and holistic support system for you which helps you in reaching your award-winning self. Lastly, living with intention is about creating a life that is true to yourself, it consists of principles and passions you would like to stand by. Living with intention means being there every second of your life building every aspect of it – your profession, your loved ones, your health, and your self throughout your envisioned future. When you are intentional about prioritizing your time, valuing integrity, setting important milestones, being mindful, and being kind to yourself, you can formulate an existence that is worthwhile, meaningful, and satisfying. Thus, living with purpose is not an endpoint, it is a way of life – an approach which makes it possible for you to experience life in its truest essence and at its fullest, hence leading to happiness via a life of purpose.