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Is There a Connection Between Living Your Purpose and Experiencing a Happy Life?
Rev. Dr. Kitty Boitnott, NBCT, RScP
Heart-Centered Career Transition and Job Search Coach
We all want to be happy. Period. End of story.
Most of what we do every day is connected to our desire to experience happiness at the deepest soul level. We seek the secret ingredient that will do it for us. And that secret ingredient is different for each of us.
What might make one person happy doesn't have any appeal for another person. And that's okay. Happiness is as individual as we are.
The only common denominator is that we all want to be and are consistently seeking to experience the sense of feeling at peace, complete, and happy. Indeed, Thomas Jefferson referred to the pursuit of happiness as an "inalienable right."
In spite of it being true that we all desire to feel happy, many of us fall short of feeling that way a lot of the time. If that weren't the case, we wouldn't be witnessing such alarming rates of suicide in our society. Did you know that right now the suicide rate is at its highest rate in 28 years?
If people were happy, gun violence wouldn't be such a prevalent problem, either. Happy people don't go out to buy up a bunch of guns and plan to kill dozens of people who have never done anything to them.
And truly happy people don't rely on alcohol or drugs to feel good about themselves or their lives.
I think it's safe to say many people are still searching for happiness.
I wonder if part of the problem is that many of us feel adrift and are without a deep sense of purpose. And if that is a factor, would finding your purpose help to lead you to a happier life in general?
I suspect it would have a positive effect.
There is a difference between being "satisfied" or "okay" with one's life and being "happy," too. Many people find that even the feeling of satisfaction to be elusive, however.
Living with purpose gives one a reason for living. It gives you your "why."
When we haven't yet identified our purpose, we feel adrift in life. We are "searching" even if we aren't consciously aware of it.
Our society puts great emphasis on the connection between happiness and having a lot of money, i. e., a lot of "stuff." We are continually acquiring new "things." But it has been established that money can't buy happiness. Neither can a lot of stuff.
Consider that happiness is less about getting what you want and more about wanting what you get as W. P. Kinsella says.
As competitive creatures, it is an inherent trait that makes us want to "keep up" with our peers. That's where the whole "Keeping up with the Jones'" thing started. If your neighbor just got a new car, instead of being happy for them, you may secretly harbor a bit of envy instead.
And envy isn't an emotion in which truly happy people indulge.
The secret key to true happiness isn’t in buying more or better stuff. The key to true happiness s to live a purpose-driven life. It's about making a difference in the world in some way that means something to YOU.
A purpose-driven life is lived in alignment with our core values. It strengthens your confidence and makes you feel needed and valuable. All this leads to an increased feeling of happiness.
So if you are buying a lot of stuff hoping it will make you happy, stop it.
In the work I do, I get to help people identify their passion and purpose, and that lights me up. I get as excited as my client does when she or he hits on the thing they have wanted to do for ages. What held them back before was they didn't see a way to make it happen. In many cases, they didn't think it was possible.
If you currently feel stuck in your life or your job and you suspect you haven't yet discovered your passion and purpose t, I want you to make a note of three dates that are coming up on October.
- Thursday, October 10, 2019, at 07:00 PM EST
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Saturday, October 12, 2019, at 11:00 AM EST
- Saturday, October 12, 2019, at 2:00 PM EST
- Wednesday, October 16, 2019, at noon EST
In these live online presentations, I will...
- Show you how to find your purpose and passion and how to connect them to your career.
- Offer concrete steps you can follow to find your passion and purpose.
- And outline what you need to do to connect your passion and purpose into your everyday life.
And learn even more from the live presentation that I will be offering on these dates and times:
- Thursday, October 10, 2019, at 07:00 PM EST
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Saturday, October 12, 2019, at 11:00 AM EST
- Saturday, October 12, 2019, at 2:00 PM EST
- Wednesday, October 16, 2019, at noon EST
To register for the date and time that works best for you, click here: https://events.genndi.com/register/169105139238447032/442f9a0ea3
Until next time.
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