Mental Fitness Mondays: Sense of Purpose
How’s your mojo?
It’s early January 2015 and it’s not quite freezing. I am wrapping myself up and packing an electrolyte drink into a small rucksack. I’m about to run 16 miles.
When I get back home, my hands are so cold I can’t unlock my front door, so I have to knock a few times until my teenage daughter lets me in. My legs are aching and I’m really tired, but I achieved my aim.
Why did I do that run? Because I had a strong Sense of Purpose. I had wanted to run a marathon for years and as luck would have it, I’d been able to get a place for April 2015. With that strong purpose driving me, I could get myself up and run 16 miles in 1-degree temperatures. Purpose gives meaning to our choices.
Many people say that motivation and purpose are one and the same, but I believe they are different, but very much linked, muscles. A bit like two different parts of your quadriceps.
I’m sure you’ve been motivated to do things that don’t contribute to a deeper sense of purpose, like getting your bin out for collection day.
I know many people who don’t really think about deeper meanings and purpose at all, in fact some have told me ‘Why bother having a plan, it’ll probably all go wrong anyway?’
That’s a shame, because there is growing amount of evidence that people who find meaning and purpose in what they’re doing, tend to feel more optimistic and even live longer. (Sense of Purpose in Life and Healthier Cognitive Aging - PMC)
For some people, a sense of purpose comes from a religious connection, for many of my clients, it doesn’t. If you’re not religious, meaning and purpose can come from your values, and from the change you wish to see in the world.
What’s Your Intention?
One thing I encourage myself, my family and my clients to do, is to Be Intentional.
If you fancy a hotdog and choose to get one, enjoy every mouthful! Be intentional about getting the hotdog and enjoying it. If you want to get fitter, connect it to a higher sense of purpose, like imagining running around actively with grandchildren, or being able to help someone in need because you have enough energy.
When you lose your sense of purpose, everything can seem like a slog, and it can be a significant contributor to burnout. People refer to the ‘Sunday dreads’ when they are thinking about going back to work on a Monday. Schools are now trying to tackle the growing issue of EBSA (emotionally based school avoidance); this was a term that didn’t exist when I was a SENDCo. Having a strong sense of purpose can help us to push through anxieties and doubts.
I procrastinated on publishing this blog for over two years because I felt anxious about being rejected and criticised. My sense of purpose helped me to do it anyway, because I shifted my focus from my fear to helping you.
A fable I love is the Starfish story. The story goes like this:
A woman is up early one morning on holiday and walks to a local beach. To her shock, she sees thousands of starfish washed up on the beach. Knowing they will die if they’re stuck there, she feels awful… so, she decides to carefully put as many as she can back into the sea.
Watching her, a local says “that’s pointless, there are too many of them, I’d give up if I were you.”
The woman hesitates…
Then she picks up another starfish and puts it back in the sea. “Well, I made a difference to that one.”
What is the purpose of your day, your week, your life? Enjoy adding deeper meaning, with intention, to the rest of your day.
A coaching question for you: What is the purpose of your day ahead?
