Things to Remember When Learning to Live a More Purposeful Life

Last year, I wrote a post about how I wanted to live a more intentional life.

I wanted to be more purposeful with my time and my choices. I wanted to be present in the moment instead of thinking about other things. I wanted to play an active part in my own journey.

It’s easy to just coast through life – but instead, I believe we should live on purpose, and the sooner we understand this lesson, the better.

Our world is naturally “busy”. We’re always on the ball, we've got hectic schedules and it seems like we've always got to be doing something. So really, trying to live on purpose is difficult.

Since I wrote that post six months ago, I’ve been trying really hard to live more intentionally and I’ve definitely noticed a change. So instead of telling you what you can do to live on purpose, today I wanted to share some things that are really useful to remember.

#1 | Your life is made up of choices

No matter what happens the day before, every morning is a brand new start. It’s a new chance full of decisions and opportunities. You get to choose how to start your day and how to end it. You also get to choose how your attitude and mindset is going to be. Just because you had a bad day yesterday, or didn't accomplish something you wanted to, doesn’t mean every day has to be that way.

You don’t have to let negative things determine your path. I know how difficult it can be to change your negative thinking, but remember – you’ve got a choice. You can choose to let bad situations define you, or you can choose to move on. You don’t need to be stuck in the same place without a way out. If anyone has a choice over your life, it’s you.

#2 | You have the power to evaluate

Just because something is the way it’s always been doesn’t mean it always has to be that way. Before you make a choice, you’ve got chance to evaluate your life right now. Living more purposefully forces you to take a step back and evaluate parts of your life to see if they’re helping you go down the right path. People, things, places – whatever it may be, you need to look at how it’s affecting you and if it’s turning you into the person you desire to be. If not, you’ve got the choice to make some changes.

#3 | Remember who you are

You’re here for a reason and every single person’s purpose is unique. Remember who you are. Know what makes you happy, what makes you laugh, what you’re good at, and what your weaknesses are. Know yourself as a whole person, not just one part. You are one of the most important things in your life – it won’t run right unless you do.

#4 | You want to live, not just exist

Just like you have a choice in how your attitude is going to be, you also have a choice in how to live your life. If you want to live more purposefully, only you can make the decision to do that. Stop comparing your life to others. The comparison game is pretty pointless when you think about it – you’re not here to live their life. You’re here to live your own. Don’t waste your time thinking about what others have that you don’t. Decide every day that you’re going to live, not just exist.

#5 | You have power over your own goals

Goals help move us forward and push us out of our comfort zone. Without them, how far would we really get? Think about who you are, how you want to live more purposefully, and set goals that relate to that. By setting goals like this, you’ll automatically become more intentional.

#6 | Being focused is everything

When you’re waiting for something, what are you most likely to do? Check Instagram? Tweet about what you’re doing? Write some notes for your latest blog post? We’re in a world that is constantly active and connected, meaning distraction is everywhere at all times. The biggest thing I’ve learnt from living a more purposeful life is that you need to set boundaries and switch off.

Do you have to put the TV on at night if there’s nothing on? Why not leave it off for a change? Are you really going to miss out on social media much if you don’t check it for one night? Probably not. Leave distraction. Write down what you do in an evening and see where most of your time goes. Then, decide to change that.

#7 | You always have the ability to learn

Wanting to learn more doesn’t mean you don’t know enough. It means you’re curious. It means you actually want to learn for the right reasons, instead of wanting to learn because you have to. But it’s up to you to find the right people.

In an industry where, at the moment, everyone seems to be talking about the same thing, you need to find the people you want to learn from. Look for ones that relate to your purpose and mindset, not just ones that have the information you need. Finding both of those things in a person means they’re the ones you should learn from.

My worst fear of all is that I’m wasting my time. But I know if I commit to living intentionally and on purpose, no aspect of time will be wasted.

Do you act on purpose to live a more intentional life? What are your tips? Do you have a story to share?