Why our Why matters

“If you’re not living for something, you’re dying of something.”

Dr. Chris Michaels on Healing Your Life 

Holy cajole, you just never know what you are going to hear as you are merrily driving along on a Thursday afternoon to the grocery store.

I like to call my beloved green VW bug my university on wheels. In my role as a freelance interpreter, I’m often on the road to appointments, and I like to take advantage of my time behind the wheel to listen to podcasts -  it’s such a perfect opportunity to learn new things, get inspired, get challenged with ideas I wouldn’t normally encounter, stretch my horizons.

This phrase leapt out at me with the force of a cannonball.  Dr. Chris went on to say “Consciousness does not allow coasting. There is only growth or death. If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”

You know, that is just so true in my experience. We all need something to live for, something that gets us out of bed in the morning with a spring in our step. If we are not living for something, perhaps our bodies start to get the message that there is no purpose in carrying on, so things start shutting down, winding down, especially as we move past those first 5 or 6 decades of doing and accomplishing, and start wondering what is next for us.

And that something to live for?  Well, it’s different for all of us of course, but I believe it is about serving a higher good, being in service to something bigger than our individual egos. It’s about fulfilling our life purpose and our passion. Our why. Our soul journey.

What are you living for, dear reader?

P.S. Not sure what your why is? Here is what I did to help me to get in touch with mine.   

Kicking procrastination in the butt – Part 2

In case you missed Part I,  I’ve been talking about how I finally overcame 10 years of chronic procrastination.

It all started with my answer to this question:

If there is something that you want in your life that you don’t have, what is the ONE thing you could do towards that goal?

Often our big dreams and goals can seem overwhelming.  Perhaps that is one of the reasons we fill our lives with tasks instead of with our life’s purpose. 

Thinking of the one step, the one action we can take towards our goal is a much more manageable way to approach it.

In my case, I picked a rather extreme step. I decided to go on a live radio show, Healing your Life,  with Dr. Chris Michaels.  I’ve been following Dr. Chris’s show for years now, and I have learned so much from the raw, unscripted episodes as brave souls face their fears and overcome their challenges.

If you want to hear my whole 5-week journey on this reality radio show, you can listen in here.

Well, turns out it was just the kick in the butt that I needed. I told Dr Chris about my love for writing, wanting to find my voice in the world, and my idle blog that I rarely got around to writing. After all, I said, I am so busy. My schedule is so erratic as a freelance interpreter and translator. Work, family, my elderly mother, etc. etc.  “Pha! – Excuses!”, he said.

And you know what? He was right.  So he challenged me to get up early, and commit to blogging 5 days a week. So that is what I have been doing.

And all those reasons and excuses for not doing the thing that has been calling to me? They are still there.  They are especially loud when the alarm clock goes off in the morning. But you know what?   I made a decision. I made a commitment. Period.

So that is my secret, really. Make a decision. Choose the one action that you can do to support your decision. And make it public.  No, you don’t have to go on reality radio and bare your soul to the world like I did.  But do find an accountability partner, or some other support system to help you stay on track.

Ready?  What’s your next step? What’s the ONE action you can take towards fulfilling your life’s purpose?