I did not understand how in-depth it was to “living a purpose driven” life, or even what it meant. I remember reading books that talked about living a “purpose driven life,” but I did not think it pertained to me. I’m not a religious person. But I know now, later in my life, that being connected with my spiritual self keeps me in line with my purpose in life. I remember going to a retreat the first time I heard this. Micheal Bernard Beck, from the movie The Secret, was the guest speaker/trainer. He talked about connecting to your inner truth by doing vision exercises, to see and listen to your purpose.
Today, I understand how to live with purpose on a daily basis, how to listen to and trust my inner-self. Michael explains visioning as “seeing further than the eyes can see and listening deeper than the ear can hear.” One can only get to that state by having habitual practices like mindfulness and meditation. I have been practicing meditation for the last ten years. These practices have helped me learn how to see the distractions in my mind, be aware of them, and not act on my emotions. Meditation is a critical habit to develop because it guides me to see the lessons I need to learn so I can grow and live with purpose. I started a new practice, ZIVA Meditation by Emily Fletcher. She explains how to begin with mindfulness to become present, then to meditate for 15 minutes to heal the past, and complete with manifesting the future. She recommends meditating two times per day. I have learned that the habits you keep– create your life.
See, I envisioned my company, Dignity of Children, as a catalyst for creating environments where children are safe and fully self-express so they can thrive. I did not have a clue how this was going to manifest; all I knew was that it must happen. I knew I needed to change my beliefs and habits. Now, we are celebrating our 12th anniversary in 2020.
I am clear on my purpose! I am very attentive to the messages the universe gives me to manifest my purpose. I believe clarity is the first practice and is so necessary for one to live a “purpose driven life.” But it is a practice. Before, I lived my life trying so hard to get my mother’s approval. I was not clear because my actions were solely based on my mother’s approval. In my mind, if I did not act how she expected me to act, I was disrespecting her. When I finally got clear on who I wanted to be, who I am on this earth, I began operating out of my true existence, versus operating out of the expectations of others. Practicing clarity meant asking questions and being honest about how I felt and feel about the matter at hand. Being honest enough to know that if I am not at peace with myself, I have a lesson to learn about peace in order to be present. I believe following your purpose takes courage and tenacity, because the people closest to you may not support you.
Knowing that you are not peaceful in an area of your life brings me to my next practice, raising your standards. What do I mean by raising your standards? Well, we tend to deal with a lot of things the wrong way because of other people’s expectations or because of past patterns. But, if you think about what is important to you, if you are unhappy, only doing things for other people and you are not satisfied with your situation, raise your standards. First (and again), get clear on what that looks like and feels like, then define your standards. You want to raise your standards to meet your values, to then meet your expectations in life. An easy way to look at what your standards are is to think about all areas in your life. A great activity is to list all the areas of your life that are important to you, and then define how they feel and look. As you look inward, a few areas you can examine are family, intimate relationships, finances, business, friendship, and adventure.
I’m a very adventur
ous person, and I am writing this blog in Puerto Rico, in the mountains of our Aricebo, Puerto Rico. I’m very grateful because I recognize how I created this moment by elevating my standards and being clear about whats makes me peaceful.
An example of how to shift my practice… Right now, I am struggling with fitness. While I was hiking I hurt my knee in the rainforest of Puerto Rico, and you know what? I realized that the reason my knee got hurt was that I was not keeping up with my physical well being. When I go back home, I am going to design my standard for my physical well being. My body has been secondary when it comes to my lifestyle. My habits demonstrated low standards of physical fitness. My habits match my standards. The lesson is to raise my standards for being physically fit by creating habits that will support me in meeting my standards.
Here are three practices lead to a purpose driven life
1. Get clear on what you want!
2. Raise your standards to fit your desires!
3. Develop habits to meet your standards!
Then, watch your life transform!
For breakfast, I am grateful to be standing at the mountaintop of Aricebo, Puerto Rico, having my cup of coffee with an omelet and a papaya shape.
Author: @soniatoledo