Purpose: Changing Willpower into Wantpower
How’s this for an existential picture? 😂
It seems fitting that this first post should be about purpose. If you’re reading this, you are likely one of my loyal/sympathetic family members or friends humoring my latest endeavor of creating a blog and are probably wondering what this is about anyway. So nice of you to be here.
The truth is, “this,” all of “this” - this blog, website, services, are all about YOU. Yes YOU.
You have LIFE. Dreams. Aspirations. Household chores. Bills. Work you may or may not love. Hobbies. Children perhaps. Duties. Obligations. Goals. A body. Relationships. Responsibilities.
Some of these priorities are more important to you than others. Some make your heart swell with joy. Others wear you out but give you deep satisfaction. Some are just so darn fun. Some are mundane and necessary. Some are a waste of time. Some are the “stuff” of life.
These aspects of your existence can be difficult to put in the right order with the appropriate emphasis. They can make it difficult to live the life you WANT to live (and maybe you don’t even know what you want but know you DON’T want your current reality).
John Maxwell uses the term “life of significance” to define what living well looks like, in the present. NOT after the kids are in school, not after you lose 10 lbs, NOT when you find the perfect spouse, but RIGHT NOW. And the way to create your own current life of significance is to define your purpose. With words. Written words.
Once you have defined your purpose (and please understand, it will likely change and evolve with time), everything in your life can flow from that purpose. You can look at the demands on your time through the filter of your purpose and decide what you say YES to (and for how long) and when you say NO.
And since this blog is all about fitness (in all aspects of life), it bears mentioning that optimizing your health will almost definitely be something you say YES to in order to fulfill your purpose. Likewise, your purpose will motivate you to prioritize YOU and your health so that you have the capacity to do the things that you feel called to do in your life.
Additionally, having a written purpose can physiologically help your body in important ways. Doctors John Day & T. Jared Bunch had this to say in their new book "The AFIB Cure, “One study from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago showed that people who could articulate their life’s purpose were less likely to suffer from cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s disease. Other studies have shown that having a strong sense of purpose can prevent plaque from building up in our hearts and brains and can help keep blood clots from forming.” (p.63). They go on to say that having a purpose can also “skyrocket” adherence to a program.
Hope you’re sold on creating a purpose by this point. If not, leave me some suggestions in the comments on how to be more convincing. 😁
So how do you actually create a purpose?
Well you can always go the old fashioned way and just write what you think. However there are some great tools to guide your thought process.
1) FIND YOUR WHY by answering the following questions. (This comes from John Maxwell’s book called Intentional Living - which is a great read btw)
What makes me sing?
What do I dream about?
If I couldn’t fail I would…
2) Mission Statement Builder from FranklinCovey (personal, family, organization). They ask you several questions and generate a mission statement based on your answers. It’s a great exercise, I created one and review it each week. Do it here: https://msb.franklincovey.com/
3) Answer these questions from The AFib Cure (p.64, Day & Bunch)
What is your life’s purpose?
What does fulfillment of that purpose look like in your mind’s eye?
Could more healthy years of life help you fulfill that purpose even more?
To give you an idea - here is what I came up with after going through these exercises: My purpose is to create value for my fellow humans by giving them the resources they need to create meaningful, lasting, extraordinary change in their lives. A bit of a mouthful, I know. But it’s concise enough to stick in my mind and detailed enough to spark creativity as I consider how I can go about doing that daily. As a personal trainer, nutrition professional, and holder of a BS in Exercise & Wellness, holistic fitness is my emphasis, but if I learn new things in a random area that I think will make someone’s lives happier or simpler heck, of course I try to share that too (in a non-obnoxious way hopefully 😉).
I should also note that the mission statement builder exercise added a lot more color and details, so I would definitely recommend taking the time to fill that out. I learned a lot about myself and strive to review that weekly to ensure I am aligning my daily life with my highest priorities.
Whatever your life purpose is, finding it will help you live deliberately and live a significant and satisfying life. I invite you to find it, articulate it, and put it somewhere you will see it every day. It will transform your willpower into wantpower. If you find any other neat purpose building activities, please share in the comments below. And hey, thanks for this first post, which will probably make me cringe in the years to come due to my inexperience.
