Life is quite a journey, with many highs and lows and twists and turns. It can be easy to set our focus on our daily tasks and to lose sight of the bigger picture. Before we know it we lose sense of the “why” behind the things we are doing, and start to feel unfulfilled. This is where the importance of living in alignment with your passions comes in to play. When we operate from a place of passion and purpose the things we do are filled with more meaning. It’s easier to find inspiration and you are likely to feel more fulfilled as a whole.
To start, it is essential to understand what your individual passions are. Passions and purpose go hand in hand. While passion is a feeling of inspiration and excitement, purpose is the reason behind those emotions. To discover these for yourself, start with understanding your priorities in life.
What are your priorities?
A helpful exercise for this is to write out a list in a journal. Set aside some time to reflect and be very honest with yourself. This list is just for you and should be free of any judgement. In no particular order, at first, jot down the things that are most important to you. They can be having time to exercise, spending time with family, being able to go out on the weekends, or anything in between. After creating your list, review and give each item a ranking from most to least important. Next, create a second list of bullet points outlining how it is you want to live your life. For example, “I want to be able to work remotely and on my own time” or “I want to be able to travel for leisure”. Using your two lists, compare and see how what’s important to you can fit into the way you would like to live your life. This will help clarify your priorities.
What is your “why”?
We have discussed your priorities, but now let’s discover the driving force behind your actions. We can have multiple passions and purposes. Similar to the above exercise, you can start by writing down a list of things that make your soul feel good, that excite you, or inspire you. For example, “I am passionate about accessibility of mental health” or “I am inspired by protecting the environment”. Take time to reflect, and again be very honest with yourself.
How do we live in alignment?
It starts by knowing your passions, purpose, priorities, and values. When we understand these for ourselves we can start to take action. Taking the time to write these things down helps us to see clearly how these all connect and allow us to construct a life plan of authenticity and alignment. Living in alignment is starting true to your “why” while constructing the lifestyle of your choosing.
When we live in alignment with our passions it isn’t only more fulfilling for ourselves, it also creates a greater impact on those around us and the world. Because we are living more authentically, we are able to do our best work, whatever that is, and we all benefit from that.