Blog: How to create a lifestyle that encourages a purpose driven life
In the first part of the blog series, we discussed what we could do to find mental alignment in the wheel of life. In this second blog we would see how we can have a lifestyle that’s best suited to help us find the purpose of our life.
One of the most misunderstood words in modern culture is ‘lifestyle’. Over time, lifestyle has become synonymous with ‘leading a high life full of things and experiences money can buy’. But is lifestyle just this very narrow definition? It is a far bigger thing and has a more holistic relevance. It encompasses all aspects of our life. It is about what we decide to do and how to prioritize the 24 hrs that is given to us. And how eventually the quality of how you spend it becomes how your weeks, months and years get defined as.
Lifestyle is the living conditions, behaviour and habits that’s typical of a person.
If you are looking at a few simple checks to see if you are leading a good lifestyle or if you want to have a good one, below are a few basic habits that can act as your checklist:
Spending enough time with family – For someone who equates lifestyle with material possessions alone, family is the first aspect that would get neglected. When material things are what you gun for incessantly, then having to devote all your time to money making endeavors become a necessity too. It is only when you broaden your definition of lifestyle you realize that the relationship you have with your family and the health of it is what defines your lifestyle. Hence, if you are looking at having a good lifestyle one of the vital tasks is to intentionally spend more time with your spouse or partner. Like everything, relationships too need nurturing. Like plants grow with water as their chief nourishment, relationships do so as well with time spent on them. This is particularly applicable in the case of children. For them to grow up into individuals with well-rounded personalities, time spent by parents with them is the principal nourishment.
Spending time with friends – It is said ‘God gave us friends to make-up for our relatives’. It is friends who keep us afloat and alive in the toughest of times. Friendships also need the investment of your time on them to be sustained as healthy and mutually beneficial. A good time with a friend or friends can have a very positive impact on your mind. It can clear your mind off a lot of stress as well. Good friends are your primary source for giving you a non-judgemental space to express yourself and for receiving the most invaluable and unbiased advice and opinions.
Keeping time aside for yourself- When schedules become tighter and time sells on premium, what usually gets compromised the most is yourself. Your own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being gets the first hit. So, it is important to consciously take care of that and make ‘yourself’ non- negotiable. There has to be time ear marked on a daily basis for your exercise, for your subject related and general reading or listening, time for thinking and introspection, meditation, coaching and mentoring. One has to strive not to be like someone or replicate someone else’s success, but be one’s own benchmark; to be a better version of oneself than the previous day or moment. You are the person with which you spend the most time with and making it worthwhile is your job.
Making time for vacations – Vacations are what recharges you and your mind. There are proven benefits that vacations can bring to you. It significantly reduces your burn out. Vacations can be solo trips, family ones or with friends. Each is important in their own way and are different experiences by itself. It is not the money or the luxury involved in travel that counts but the richness of the experience. Travel is what opens up your mind to new experiences and people. It is also one of the greatest levelers for fine tuning your thought process. It helps you get fresh perspectives that can be useful in your professional and personal life.
Living life to the fullest everyday – We live only once. So, each day has to be lived like it’s our last day is what wise people advises us to. While it might sound like a cliched statement or stating the obvious, each day is unique and never to return in the same form or style. Most of the regrets recorded as told by people in their deathbed sounds uncannily similar. They feel that not doing things that they wanted to do and putting it off to someday when conditions are better was their worst mistake. We don’t need a more impactful reason than this to not do what we yearn to do. So, seeing penguins in their natural habitat, going on a solo backpacking trip, learning to hula hoop, learning to cook the best tiramisu or joining guitar classes with your daughter should be done right away or at the earliest opportunity, not put off to a later day. A later day may or may not be there!
Attending workshops and seminars to find like-minded people – Humans are differentiated from animals by our capacity to communicate, learn and apply the learning to better our lives. It is important to create opportunities to network with like-minded people. Workshops and seminars are great arenas where this can be done. This could be beneficial for taking forward your professional ambitions many notches higher and at the same time enriching your understanding and knowledge levels in fields you are interested in. You better your communication skills, learn new aspects and gain different perspectives when you meet people. An active and stimulated mind is necessary for a healthy lifestyle.
Having an ‘indulge myself’ kitty every month – Whether it is upgrading your wardrobe to nice outfits or go on a trip to Madagascar for the best cocoa or coffee, it is important to provide for your indulgences. Indulgences can be big or small, but you are the most important person in your life. You have to celebrate even the tiniest of your wins. Be that cracking a deal which you have followed up for months or losing a few inches from your waist. Many people fall in the trap of victimhood and sacrifice. Like all negative thoughts it can feel very addictive in the beginning. Eventually the sense of sacrifice which you build by ignoring your needs would catch up and you would end up feeling resentful to people for whom you did the sacrifice. This is not fair to yourself or them. Spending money, time and effort on yourself should be a guilt-free, happy habit weaved into your life.
Dining out with family and friends – Nothing brings people together like good food is a statement that always stays true. Food is the foundation stone for human culture and civilization. Our species started working for food and even though our wants and needs have increased to unreasonable levels, food still remains the most basic of it all. It is the foundation of genuine happiness and sharing it makes the joy multiply. Planning dining outs with family and friends has to be part of your schedule. The conversations, camaraderie and trust developed over the dining table are often the strongest.
If you are looking for coaching help or mentorship in understanding the purpose of life or taking steps in the direction of finding it, do write to us at harish@harishrao.world and get to know how we can help you with it. We would love to work with you on this or any other business coaching needs you may have!