There are several paths to happiness, one of which is living a life of and on purpose.
Another way of describing this happiness strategy is to live YOUR life YOUR way, being AUTHENTIC and TRUE to yourself.
As with many things, this is easier said than done but this great article proffers 5 great questions to help you find YOUR answers…
via the Ladders by Christopher Connors
There’s nothing worse than doing something wrong, not enjoying yourself while doing it, but hanging on because you think it’s “the right thing to do.” This one sentence, at times, came to define a lot of my professional life. Maybe you’re going through the same thing now, or perhaps you’ve survived the storm. Know this — suffering through this without mustering up the courage to change can cause damaging ripple effects throughout your life.
I start here too with some personal context that comes to define the lives of so many of us — for far too long. The truth is, all of us are going to struggle. All of us will suffer. It’s unavoidable. It’s not about preventing these things from happening, but rather having a game plan for how to manage, adjust and break through to creating a bolder, better picture for ourselves.
Never thought I’d share that one of the most powerful speeches I’ve seen on life, purpose and direction is actually from funny man, Jim Carrey. Do yourself a favor and watch his commencement speech at Maharishi University, shared here:
There’s a lot of great truths in there. I continue to come back to this one:
“You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”
Meditate and think deeply on those powerful words. Surely, you’re not someone who has found wild success at everything you’ve tried. But even before that thought, I doubt you’ve ever loved everything you’ve done. In fact, maybe there are things you’ve actively chosen to do that you knew you didn’t love, yet that mental alarm inside of saying, “Nooooo!” still didn’t prevent you from entering into a situation that didn’t turn out for the best.
Now, I’m a big believer that difficult and challenging times define us. Adversity sharpens and strengthens us. But there’s also unnecessary struggles and situations we can avoid if we simply begin with pursuing a path, job, venture or career that we actually love. It can start with a thought, the knowledge that we enjoy or love an activity, or simply observing that we see someone else doing something that we love and thinking — “I want to be a part of that!”
I go back to his powerful words above. You can FAIL at doing something you don’t like, just because you’re too afraid to set your sights and do something you truly love. The example Carrey gives in his speech comes from the real-life story of his father! His father was fired from a “safe” accounting job, which he actually hated, but thought was the sure thing. The safe path. Turns out, he was wrong.
And fortunately, his son decided to learn from this poignant life moment, and follow his true dream. It’s worked out to be a remarkable, successful career. No one ever could have predicted the acclaim and success that Carrey has enjoyed, but what’s easier to predict is the assumption that he would have found success doing something that he truly loves and is passionate about. Whether it had only been just a side-gig or hobby, or of course a true profession as an actor and comedian.
“I can tell you from experience, the effect you have on others is the most valuable currency there is.”
1. What am I doing in my life right now that is allowing me to have a positive, transformative effect on others?
I bet there are more people than you think — who are in your life right now — whose lives you can influence and perhaps change forever. You may not think they’re open to it. But maybe the truth is, you’re not yet open to it. Walk through the door and begin by asking yourself what you can do to change your professional and personal environments for the better.
How can you be more positive and more adventurous in challenging yourself to do more for others, while simultaneously improving your own circumstances? The more you think about this and use it to guide you, the more likely you will feel compelled to take action and do things for the benefit of others. The results will add amazing richness and value to your life.
“You can spend your whole life imagining ghosts and worrying about the pathway to the future but all there will ever be is what’s happening here and the decisions we make in this moment.”
…keep reading the full & original article HERE
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