How to discover your life purpose

WholeLife Matrix: Personal Awareness – Spirit / Life Purpose

“The Purpose of Our Lives is To Be Happy.”  — Dali Lama

As the Dali Lama said “The Purpose of Our Lives is To Be Happy.”  This is true since everything we want in life is because we believe we will be happier once we have it. But among all the options, expectations, and beliefs we encounter in life, it can become a challenge to identify the things that will truly satisfy us and lead to the most fulfillment in our lives. So, the first step to discovering our purpose is to let go of false beliefs and the opinions of others, and then to ask ourselves what really makes us happy.

Exercise to Find Your Purpose

An exercise you can do to find your purpose is to write at the top of a page “What is my true purpose in life?”  Write down the things that pop into your head and see what resonates with you most.  Try to write at least 100 answers. You can also rate each idea from a scale of 1 to 10. It may take 15-20 minutes to clear your mind of expectations of what others think your purpose should be. You can also make lists for all the things that are most important to you and all the things you want to do.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to come up with some answers:

1. Think about what you would like to be remembered for once you have passed.  What would matter to you at the end of your life and what things do you want to accomplish in your life.  Are you on track to accomplish those things?

2. What makes you smile or lose track of time? What things do you enjoy doing now and what have you enjoyed doing in the past?

3. What makes you feel great about yourself, who inspires you and what qualities in a person inspire you?

4. What are you naturally good at, what do people ask you for help about, and what could you teach others?

5. What are your strongest values and what would you regret not doing, having, or being at the end of your life?  

6. What challenges are you currently overcoming and have overcome? How did you overcome them?

7. What causes do you believe in and care about? If you could send a message to a large group, who would that group be and what would your message be?  How would you use your talents, values, and passions to contribute to people, causes and the environment?

Examples of Values and Goals

1. What matters to me most is feeling blissful.

2. I most value having meaningful connections with people. I want to have strong connections with my family and friends.

3. I want to have financial freedom so that I can have more free time and go anywhere at any time.  I want to achieve financial freedom by doing things I enjoy which align with my values and goals. 

4. I want to travel the world and experience different cultures.

What Are You Chasing, and Why?

Ask yourself what you are pursuing or chasing in your life and if it is worth going after. Should you be pursuing something else at this point in your life?  For example, maybe you will discover that having a family is important now or that you want to create a new business. 

Creating a Mission Statement

Based on your brainstorming of your life purpose, things you care about, and things you want to do, you can create a mission statement.  To create a mission statement, ask yourself, what you want to do, who you might want to help and what value or results you want to create. An example of a mission statement is “To inspire, empower, and motivate women to achieve their goals and live fulfilled lives.”  To find out what people, causes, animals, etc. you might want to help, make a list of them.  Your lists can change over time, and so can your mission statement.

Choosing Opportunities That Align with Your Mission

Using your mission statement can help you decide what opportunities to pursue.  For example, when an opportunity comes up that does not align with you mission statement, values, and goals, you can decide not to pursue it.  As Stephen Covey mentioned in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People," “Writing or reviewing a mission statement changes you because it forces you to think through your priorities deeply, carefully, and to align your behavior with your beliefs."

In the WholeLife Matrix, we have four aspects for developing and accessing your live purpose: 

1.  Discovering

2.  Pursuing

3.  Reviewing

4.  Sharing

Once you have discovered your purpose, mission statement, values, and goals, you will be better equipped to choose things in your life that align with them and on your way to a more fulfilling life.

Are you ready to win?

How to have flexibility in your body

WholeLife Matrix: Health and WellBeing - Exercise and Fitness - Flexibility

"Make an effort to perform each exercise through a full range of motion to reap major flexibility benefits." - Jeremy DuVall, M.S., CPT

Improving flexibility by stretching is an important part of a workout routine.  Stretching helps you to get the most out of your workout and eliminates tightness in your body. Flexible muscles let your joints move through a full range of motion and prevent repetitive stress injury. 

Benefits of Stretching

In addition to improving your performance and reducing injury, stretching can help to improve your posture and reduce lower back pain and muscle soreness.  It helps by increasing blood and nutrients to the tissues and improving coordination.  Your stress level will be reduced and you will enjoy your exercise routine more.

When to Stretch

You should be completely warmed up before you begin to stretch.  It is also good to stretch after your workout when your muscles have become very warm and pliable.  Stretching throughout the day can also reduce tension and stress, so it is a good idea to do some stretches when you have breaks during your work day. 

Areas to Stretch

Stretch the muscles that you are focusing on using during your workout. If you have limited time for stretching, concentrate on major muscles or the muscles that are usually the tightest such as your calves, chest, hamstrings, quads, and hips. 

How to Stretch

Spend at least five minutes on stretching. As you hold a stretch, the sensation of tightness should diminish.  Stretch to the point when you feel a gentle pull on your muscle - before your start to feel discomfort.  Do not bounce when doing static stretches; bouncing can result in a pulled muscle. Breathe out into the stretch and do not hold your breath.  Each stretch should be held for approximately 15 to 30 seconds.  If you feel pain or too much tightness, stop the stretch.  Shake out your limbs in between stretches and do two to three stretches before doing the next exercise.  

Types of Stretching

There are several types of stretching. These include Ballistic stretching, Dynamic stretching, Active stretching, Passive (relaxed) stretching, Static stretching, Isometric stretching, and PNF stretching.  The most popular type of stretching is static stretching.  It involves stretching a muscle to its furthest point and maintaining that position.

There are also popular exercises that you can do to increase your flexibility that involve stretching, such as yoga.

In the WholeLife Matrix, we have four aspects for developing and accessing flexibility: 

1.  Stretching

2.  Yoga

3.  Pilates

4.  Isometrics

Picking a type of exercise that you enjoy doing that involves stretching is a great way to get the benefits or exercise while, at the same time, also improving your flexibility.

Are you ready to win?

Weight Management Tips

WholeLife Matrix: Health and WellBeing - Nutrition and Weight - Weight Management

"The key to keeping weight off after a diet is incorporating habits of sound nutrition, regular exercise, and reasonable expectations that you can stick to for a lifetime." - Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, clinical associate professor at Boston University

It is important to manage your weight to live a healthy and happy lifestyle.   Here are some tips for looking and feeling your best!

1. Enjoy Daily Exercise

Exercising regularly will boost your mood and concentration, reduce stress, and help keep your mind and body healthy.  Pick types of exercise that you enjoy doing and can continue to do on a regular basis.  There are many options such as running, biking, swimming, and tennis.  You do not need to do strenuous exercise to lose weight or to maintain your weight.  Just walking for twenty minutes a day can help you to lose weight or to maintain your weight. Regular exercise will help you to burn fat, feel less hungry, and stay fit. It is also important to get sufficient sleep to regulate our body.

2. Drink Plenty of Water

Drinking 6 to 8 glasses of fluids every day will help keep you from overeating and will keep you hydrated.  Try to avoid sugary drinks. Drinking tea can also help. It has been shown to prevent dental decay, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis. There are a variety of teas that are recommended for weight loss.

3. Fill Up on Fiber

The recommended daily intake for fiber is 25-30 grams. High fiber foods include whole grain breads and cereals, whole wheat pasta and rice, dried beans, fruits and vegetables.  Four to five cups of fruits or vegetables are recommended for each day.  They are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and naturally low in calories and fat. Fiber helps you to eat less and curbs hunger by filling you up faster.  Eating a salad before your meal or a cup or bowl of vegetable soup can reduce calories by ten percent.  Also, soluble fiber can lower your cholesterol.  

4. Low Carb Diet

It is good to have a low carbohydrate diet because carbohydrates can raise your blood sugar level, increasing your insulin, which causes your body to store fat.  With a low carb diet, you won’t be hungry between meals because you will be burning fat.

5. Including Dairy

Including three servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese a day can help your burn fat and lose weight.  Dairy products are a good source of vitamin D and calcium.

6. Control Your Portions

Portion your meals in a calorie-conscious way thinking of both the quality and the quantity of the calories you will be consuming. Carefully counting calories may help you to lose weight, but for the long run, you need to learn to manage your portions to control your calorie intake. To control your portions, try to use smaller to medium sized plates. One quarter of your plate should include a palm-sized portion of lean protein such as fish or chicken (about 3 ounces).  Another quarter of your plate should contain unrefined grain such as brown rice (about the size of your fist).  Half of your plate should be filled with various colorful vegetables.  Eat your food slowly to enjoy your meal and to allow time for your body to signal that it has had enough.  If you still feel hungry after you have finished eating your portions, wait 20 minutes.  If you are still hungry, eat a piece of fruit, some more vegetables, or a tossed salad.

In the WholeLife Matrix, we have four aspects for developing and accessing weight management: 

1.  Weight Monitoring

2.  Exercise

3.  Body Mass Index

4.  Stability Over Time

7. Managing Your Calories

Do not skip meals.  Eat three meals a day and snacks to fuel your body so that it will work efficiently throughout the day.  Eat breakfast to jump start your metabolism and consume most of your calories in the first half of the day.  You will need less calories during the evenings when you are less active.  Check your weight on a scale if this encourages you and helps you to make sure that your weight is not going back up.  Weight fluctuates daily and hourly so it is recommended that you weigh yourself once a week. You can also tell if you are gaining or losing weight by how well your clothes fit.  Keeping a food log of what you are eating each day and the approximate number of calories for each food can help you keep track of how much you are eating and how healthy the foods are.  You can also include your exercise plan and weight goals.

Are you ready to win?