Understanding What Adds Meaning to Your Life
Every Thursday, I share one action, habit or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness and sense of well being.
PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Understanding What Adds Meaning To Your Life
Understanding your "Why", will help you prioritize what really matters, guide your day-to-day activities and assist you in saying no.
Getting Started
Pick a location and time that will be supportive of deep thought.
Decide what platform is best to support your brainstorming process. Many individuals think more deeply and creatively while writing out their ideas on paper.
Determine how long you want to brainstorm on your "Why". Choose a short enough time to not be intimidating, but long enough to get deep into your thoughts. Often, 20-minutes is a great place to start. While this may not be enough time to finish, you can always go past the 20-minutes if you like, or schedule a second brainstorming session.
Make the process fun. Sit down with a warm cup of tea, light a candle, or wear your favorite sweatshirt.
Set a timer and get started.
For many, it's helpful to think about your "Why" by category. For example, why is my health important to me? Below are common categories that support this process.
Health
Relationships
Financial Security
Sense of Control
Spiritual Well-being
Joy
Growth
Giving Back
Write down everything that pops in your head. The goal is to have as many ideas and thoughts as possible, to see what resonates most.
Below are questions you can ask yourself, to help you get started.
For the categories that are important to me, write out why it's important.
What do I want more of in my life?
What do I want less of in my life?
What am I all about?
From my current list of activities, which activities add the most value to my life? Why?
What talents do I have that set me apart?
If I had unlimited time and resources, what would I do?
What qualities or characteristics do I admire in others?
What legacy do I want to leave?
Following your brainstorming session(s), schedule a time to type up your “Why's”, print it out, and post it somewhere you will see it daily.
It may be helpful to set a daily alarm for the first few weeks, to remind you to read your “Why's”. For many, it's helpful to take it one step further and to write out your why's once a day, for at least the first 30 days, to make it a part of your daily thoughts.
Remember, this is a living document. I would recommend spending some time annually updating your "Why's".
I believe the key to true happiness is understanding what adds meaning to one's life and making that the priority.
Additional Resource
I highly recommend the book, "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.