There’s a lot to do every. single. day. We wake up, get the family ready, then we’re off to school and work, we eat, watch some TV, go to a meeting, eat some more, hug the kids, and then go to sleep. Tomorrow… same thing. It’s comfortable, but not necessarily the best pattern for us, and it may not be getting us closer to our goals. And we may not be living a passionate, purpose-filled life.
The solution is quite simple. You can make easy, powerful changes starting right now.
Jot down 6-9 areas of life that are typical for you. Start with the following suggestions and modify as necessary:
- Family / Spouse time
- Personal / Hobby time
- Work / School time
- Spiritual / Prayer time
- Friends / Social time
- Learning / Researching time
- Helping & Volunteering
STEP 1
Next, put them in order, starting with where you put the MOST time at the top of the list. So if you think you work too much, then work goes at the top of your list.
- Work
- Item 2
- Item 3
STEP 2
For the areas where you put in too much time, write three ways to decrease.
- Work
- I could set an alarm to stop working at 5:45 p.m.
- I could go for a one hour walk instead of cramming in a 15-minute lunch.
- I could turn off my cell phone at 8 p.m. every night.
Now, look at the bottom of the list. Maybe “volunteering” is at the bottom for you. Next to “volunteering” write three simple ways you could increase your time in this area.
- Item 1
- Item 2
- Volunteering
- I could buy a sandwich for a homeless person.
- I could donate blood.
- I could help with art projects at the elementary school.
STEP 3
Right now, take a small action in just one of your focus areas. By doing this, you’re already making improvements toward better balance!
Take action each day for a week, doing one thing in each focus area. Imagine all of the beautiful changes you can make in a few short weeks.
YOUR PURPOSE
Are you genuinely happy doing what you are doing? At the end of a week’s work, or a weekend’s worth of volunteering, do you feel like you are making a positive difference in peoples’ lives. Are you making good use of your God-given talents?
If you are happy and you feel like you are doing what God put you on earth to do, then keep up the good work and do even better over time.
But if you feel like there’s something more, just waiting for you to go get it, then maybe it’s time to discover that passion… that purpose in your life… and take some positive steps in that direction. By determining your purpose, you can begin to set some goals, and by taking action in each focus area of your life, you will get much closer to personal success and a deeper happiness.
Yes, it’s really that simple.