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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE ON PURPOSE?
I read a sentence a while ago that resonated with me, it said:
I focus on living 'on purpose' vs finding my purpose
I liked it because it took the pressure off trying to find some grand life purpose for living, and allowed for the idea that I could live my life
intentionally, on my own terms. Once that idea settled into my mind, I
went looking for other thoughts and found a great site called
The Intention Habit where there were so many fantastic quotes about living intentionally -
with the added bonus that Holly generously allows them to be shared. So,
here's a few of them and a few thoughts from me as well....
SO WHAT DOES INTENTION LIVING LOOK LIKE?
Last year I wrote a post about
intentional retirement where I discussed my desire to create a retirement around what felt
right for me - not what others were doing, because
retirement isn't a competition. It's such a joy to live life on my own terms, to be as busy or un-busy as
I choose each day, and to know that it's about enjoying the fruit of all
those decades of hard work. What I hadn't realized is that:
Intentional days create a life on purpose.
Adrienne Enns
Intentional living looks different for each of us, and the
life we create will look different too. Nobody gets to decide what a "great"
retirement looks like, but we each get to decide what a great retirement
feels like, and we have the privilege of living that out every day.
BEING PRESENT IN THE MOMENT
I think one of the biggest secrets to living intentionally is to be
present, to be aware, to know yourself and
what makes your soul happy. When you live a life that feels grounded and "right" then you can't help
but live on purpose.
And each time I discover a new hobby, or a new interest, or a new favourite
author, I get to grow my life a little more. I shape my days into
something that brings me joy and keeps my mind and soul engaged and
enriched.
CREATING A LIFE ON PURPOSE EVERY DAY
My aim for the foreseeable future, as I take on
the 3rd third of my life, is to make the rest of my life the best of my life. I already feel like
every day is a gift, and every day brings me happiness, but there's still a
lot of days of my life left (God willing) and I intend to make the most of
all of them. It might not look like the Instagram idea of retirement, I
might not be ticking off big bucket list items, but I'll be living life my
way - and it will be wonderful.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are you living life on purpose? Is retirement or the second half of life
shaping up to be all you'd hoped for? How does living intentionally look in
your world? I really do hope you're
living your best life every day.
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It’s a great way in which to approach life there is no doubt it. Good news in all you are discovering and embedding into your life now to make it happen. Your blog posts are great progress markers for you too aren’t they Leanne! Well done on knowing yourself and your direction now, Denyse x
ReplyDeleteHi Denyse - every time I look back through my blog posts to link a thought, I realize how far I've come - the last ten years have been an awakening for me and I am so grateful that I got to figure it all out (and there's still so much more to learn). Ageing gracefully is definitely high on my wish list :)
DeleteDefinitely the right way to approach life!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo - I really hope I can look at my life with clear eyes and see how I'm putting this intentionality into practice - it ties in well with my WOTY too :)
DeleteI think you are definitely right about this. It is a very good perspective and one that is worth looking at more closely. I have kind of been doing this, but did not know that it had a name.
ReplyDeleteHi April - I didn't realize it had a name either - but it's also good to know that forward progress using our values and what our heart wants, has a purpose and will bring us to a good outcome if we focus on what really matters to us.
DeleteLeanne, I love this post! I do finally feel that I am living my life "on purpose." The luxury and privilege of living one day at a time and staying in the present moment is a very precious gift to me; one I will not squander in my retirement.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda - it's so lovely isn't it when you feel like the aspects of your life are aligned and feel "right" for you. I'm grateful every day for things being smooth and centred around what's right for me now - in the moment, and overall too. :)
DeleteHi Leanne, I haven't always felt that I was living on purpose, but I have experienced a lot of freedom during the second half and finally get that being fully engaged makes all the difference. I like the quote about caring enough about yourself to make room for things that nourish your soul. I think of all the times I made choices counter to that idea.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzanne - I'm exactly the same. I would never have said I was living life without purpose when I was younger, but I feel like the life I have now is more aligned with who I am and feels more authentic. To be able to experience the peace and contentment I have now is such a blessing and I never take it for granted. Having a nourished soul is definitely a goal for me too :)
DeleteI love this Leanne for many reasons. The biggest one is that how we choose to spend or invest our day is what we do. The freedom of choice is a gift. You mentioned your life in thirds. Interesting how we see the divisions. Mine is in fourths and I am clearly in the 4th and final quarter, making the most of it.
ReplyDeleteI love that you're measuring life in 4ths - I started off with halves and being in the second half of life, then realized recently that it's now the 3rd third, and before I know it I'll be joining you in the 4th quarter. What I appreciate the most though is that life keeps getting sweeter and easier as time goes by. Maybe we decline physically with time, but mentally and spiritually it's all growth and discovery still. :)
DeleteLeanne,
ReplyDeleteGreat post....I am still trying to navigate through living life without Joe....I realize that i need to get out of my comfort zone and have had to do so over the last 3 months.... It is scary at times but also exciting in some ways....Joe would have wanted me to go on and live life to the fullest , for the both of us....Thanks for sharing...
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Hi Debbie - I'm glad to hear that you're slowly working your way towards a new normal. I can't even begin to imagine doing life without my husband, so I admire you for giving things your best shot. Being intentional would definitely help in that regard. I'll be popping over to check out how things are in your blogging world soon. :)
Delete'A life that nourishes your soul" What a beautiful way to describe a life with purpose!
ReplyDeleteHi Judith - I feel like we give so much attention to keeping our bodies healthy and nourished, and nowhere near enough focus on what makes our hearts and souls feel happy and full. My inner "me" is even more important than my outer "me" - despite what the IG gurus might want me to believe!
DeleteThe word "purpose" has been a trigger word for me as I've always associated it with the grand life purpose mindset. And that makes me feel "less than." Living my life with intention - that I definitely do! Intentional connections, intentionally being active for health, intentional plans for crafting or exploring. So I can say "living with intention" feels good... "living with purpose" still give me a bad feeling! Ah well, semantics!
ReplyDeleteHi Pat - I liked "on purpose" because that's a different take on the "grand passion /purpose" that gets promoted everywhere. Being intentional, having a purpose for what we're doing, not just drifting along, but rather having an idea of who we are and what works best for our mental, physical, and spiritual health just makes a lot of sense to me these days. But yes.....forget the passion and purpose guilt trips and just get on with doing things on our own terms and for our own joy.
DeleteI had to think for a couple of days about this - which is a good thing. Mainly because I think I'm living intentionally accidentally, if that makes sense. Purpose is important to me, so is having something to aim for, to work for, to experience. Because Grant is still in paid employment our days still revolve around what time he needs to go to work (hence the 4.30 alarm) and I'm ok with that.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo - I think your focus has changed from "the day job" to your "heart job" now and that means you're living more 'on purpose' now than you were before. We still have to fit in around the real world, but knowing what nourishes our soul and doing more of that is such a blessing of this stage of life isn't it?
DeleteHi Leanne, I think having the courage to live a life you want not the life that others expect you to live, is a good way to be. It's not always easy as you say but it's on your terms. Some fabulous quotes you've found and shared, thanks for the insights.
ReplyDeleteHi Deb - I think once we get our heads around life as a non-paid-workforce person and start reaping the benefits of the freedom and flexibility we gain, we really start to find what works for us and we include more of it every day - that's living intentionally in my book! x
DeleteHi Leanne, Goosebumps on your initial quote. I really like how you focused in on how this is individual. The quote about ‘align with our values’ resonates with me. Something else you and I have talked about in the past, is ‘whose life are we living?’ ‘Ours or someone else’s life?’ I extra like your posts Leanne because you pepper them with amazing quotes, and of course, your amazing essence.xx Erica
ReplyDeleteHi Erica - you know how much I love a good quote and that fact that these were shareable was so generous - it saves trying to get permission from the owner or creating them myself. There were so many great thoughts on her page and they tied in really well with what I was trying to convey about living life on our own terms and doing it with a full heart and with gratitude. Life really is very good isn't it?
DeleteI just love these quotes, Leanne. I too am striving to live an intentional life and to make this part of my life the best part of my life. Right now, it really feels like it is. Life is good...even when it's hard...but in this moment, I am enjoying a smooth patch in the journey with lots of freedom, which I am truly savoring.
ReplyDeleteHi Christie - I feel like life is smoother in general for me these days - less big bumps and less surprise curveballs that I can't deal with. I also like that I'm happy doing my own thing while others do what works for them - everyone's intentions are different - I just know more about mine these days and I'm happy to follow them :)
Delete