{"id":4113,"date":"2013-02-23T18:54:28","date_gmt":"2013-02-23T23:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/?p=4113"},"modified":"2013-02-24T08:47:21","modified_gmt":"2013-02-24T13:47:21","slug":"navigating-to-a-life-of-meaning-and-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theglobalconversation.com\/blog\/?p=4113","title":{"rendered":"Navigating to a life of meaning and purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"

I got married for the second time a little over a year ago. Just before our wedding, my wife and I decided to pack all our belongings in storage and take an extended four-month honeymoon to Southeast Asia. We wanted a real adventure together before we settled back into our day-to-day lives as a working couple. After losses in both our immediate families, we were in the mindset of following our mutual passion for travel to create a powerful and meaningful experience together \u2013 an adventure out into the world and a journey deeper into our own hearts.<\/p>\n

After several weeks of lying comatose on a beach, catching up on sleep and decompressing from the crazy-pace of American life, what emerged for us fairly quickly was this question:<\/p>\n

What do we really want for our lives NOW\u2026 individually and as a couple?<\/b><\/p>\n

And a second question came quickly after that one:<\/p>\n

What truly brings each of us alive; fills us with joy and passion?<\/b><\/p>\n

These felt like variations of the classic philosophical question: \u201cWhy am I here? \u201c<\/p>\n

And then the deer-in-the-headlights follow-up question: \u201cIf I did find that out, now what the heck do I do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

We asked these questions of ourselves and literally sat with them, and then chewed, journaled and brainstormed on them. What emerged for me in working closely with these questions was a way of looking at my life to better navigate it toward greater meaning, purpose and fulfillment.<\/p>\n

After returning from the trip, I was able to see more clearly the steps I\u2019d taken at times throughout my life, and on the trip, too, to help me best explore these big questions and gain clarity for what\u2019s really important to me in my life.<\/p>\n

What I got clear on were four key principles for navigating life toward more meaning and a sense of purpose:<\/p>\n

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  1. 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>Take the time to REFLECT on your life as it\u2019s happening.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What I notice in my busy daily life is that it\u2019s tough to take the time to reflect on what\u2019s actually happening in the moment\u2026 at a deeper level. If I stay in the\u2018doing-mode\u2019 all the time, then I miss the more subtle messages or that softer inner voice, that trusted source, that has unvarnished truth for me. For me, being alone in nature, taking a walk in our neighborhood or meditating all provide me that reflection time I need to look more deeply at my life \u2013 to notice what is being called forth in me in each moment. Not easy to do consistently, but always important to come back to for experiencing this place of self-knowing and trust.<\/p>\n

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    1. 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>Don’t let the HOW take you down <\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      This one is so hard for our logical and hyper-planning minds. It nearly shouts at us: \u201cNow HOW the heck are you going to do that?\u201d It\u2019s the phrase that kills so many amazing ideas, possibilities and creative endeavors. So the key is to talk back to your own doubting, ego-mind and say: \u201cThank you for sharing, I know you\u2019re concerned about me, but I\u2019m choosing not to worry about the HOW for now.\u201d And then keep moving with the exciting possibilities, the brainstorming of what brings you alive, and what you really care about that you want to finally take on. The big ideas that bring your imagination to life.<\/p>\n