Yesterday I listened to guest Russell Brand on The Nerdist podcast, and he said something that really resonated with me. He said something to the effect of: We're either consciously living or just going through the motions. In other words, we're either living on purpose, or we're not.
It hit home for me because just like I wrote in my book Namaslay, years ago, in the depths of depression brought on by Lyme disease, I had that rock-bottom moment where I thought, 'Ok. I can succumb to this sadness, and let the unknown of this disease bring me down. Or I could place my faith in the unknown, and dream up all the ways I'm going to live my life once I'm 100% better.' I went with the latter, and for the most part, have been living on purpose ever since.
Living on purpose probably looks different for everyone, but for me it means saying no to most of the things I don't want to do, and say yes to more of the things I do. It means getting out of my comfort zone and doing things even though they scared me. It means dreaming big regardless of how unrealistic those dreams might be. It means surrounding myself with people who lift me up, and letting go of toxic energy from people who bring me down. It means actively searching for the little things, the good, the tiny slivers of happiness that show up each and every day, if I look hard enough.
Lately, I have been feeling so good. There hasn't been a day that's gone by where I don't stop at some point during my day and think, "Man, this life is so good."
So to anyone struggling out there, to anyone who is perpetually feeling down - I suggest, in addition to professional help, taking a second to ask yourself if you're living on purpose. And if you're not, what might that look like? How might you tweak various behaviors so that you are living on purpose? I suggest joining in on keeping a gratitude journal for the rest of the month, and actively living on purpose for the next eleven or so days, and see how you feel at the end of the month. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it.