Summary

• It is important to realize that all of us will die some day
  • We will inevitably have regrets
• Do you have a clear life purpose that you could say out loud right now?
  • 98% of people do not

Why do you need a life purpose?

• Not having a purpose is similar to driving a car with no set destination
  • You will run out of gas and experience a regrettable death
    • Most would consider this an unpleasant adventure
  • Benefits of having a life purpose
    
    • Life GPS
    • Boost your health
    • Achieve your goals faster
    • Make better decisions
    • Be happier
    • Live longer
  • Things to remember on the journey
    • Switch lanes
    • Take alternative routes
    • Fuel up/recharge

How do I start to find my purpose

• 3 pillars in your life
  • Passions
  • Skills
  • Opportunities
• Life Hacks for your purpose
  
  • Short: 12 words max
  • Simple: No complex words
  • Sound natural
  • Visible: write it down
  • Illustrated
  • Build accountability

Examples

• Nelson Mandela— “Support what respects & enhances freedom.”
• Elon Musk— “Allow humanity propagate into the future by using better sources of energy.”
• Martin Luther King— “Unite people & promote equality.”
• Terry Fox— “Fight cancer so that others won’t have to suffer from it.”

[ The following is the full transcript from this week's post. This is a health blog with a focus on weight loss. Please consider that all episodes are unscripted, direct to camera, with focused talking points. ]

Hi, my name is Doctor Cox, and I want to talk to you today. About something that is extremely personal to me, an extremely important to me. And it should be important to you.

One day, we are going to leave this life. And when we do, are we going to feel fulfilled that we have accomplished what we were put on Earth to do?

What I am talking about here is finding your life's purpose, or what I call finding your why.

The important thing is, is could you articulate your life purpose right now?

The sad thing is, about 98% of people cannot do that.

That is a real problem, because that is ultimately what guides you in your life, decisions you make and the things you do.

What I want to talk to you about today is how do we find our why, or find our life purpose? What is the value in doing this?

First of all, if you cannot articulate or say your life purpose, then this is something you really should focus on.

I always find it a little challenging to talk to people about this because often, this is one of those real kinds of deep talks that really requires people to do an emotional dive on themselves to begin to understand what it is in life they are trying to attain. Which can create some discomfort for everyone.

But the important thing is that we have to go kind of through this discomfort so that we can understand what our life purpose is, so that we can fulfill what we're supposed to be doing here on Earth.

I want to talk to you about what some of the benefits.

Let us look at your life purpose as kind of a GPS. That is going to help guide you in the decisions you make and the path you take. It is going to help you make better decisions and quicker decisions. Also, people that have a clear life purpose, they are healthier and happier. It has been studied immensely that the people that can articulate their life purpose live longer, and they typically are living happier in fulfilling their life's purpose.

Couple of things that we need to remember though, is that when you identify your life purpose, it is not a straight line. It is really a journey, where you are constantly striving to be better than you were yesterday.

The important thing to remember is sometimes you must switch lanes. What that means is, some days you feel like your things are moving really fast and well, other days you have over to slow lane and take time to reflect and ponder.

We also need to remember that we are probably to take different or alternate routes. We really are supposed to be trying to grow on the journey, but we also need to enjoy the journey. So often, we will have to kind of take different routes along the way.

The next thing is, we need to remember to take time to fuel up recharge. It is important to kind of pause yourself in this busy world we live in. And take time to reflect on the things you have accomplished and the things you are working on.

This going to be a real challenge for people because most people want to continue to move forward, but this is important for you to take the time to really reflect and refuel, and kind of recharge your batteries, if you will. Which is essential for you to be successful.

How can you find your life purpose if you are struggling with this? Look at it as if there are basically three pillars in line.

There are the things you are passionate about, the things you are skilled with, and then there is the opportunities the world is providing you. Often, you can talk to your circle of influence, and they can help you identify what these things are.

People will tell you. Look at the things that people pay you compliments for. These are the skills you have. The things that you have a never-ending energy to spend time or work on are your passions. Then you need to look for the opportunities of how you can make the world a better place.

It is kind of the intersection of these three pillars that is your life purpose. But this is not something you just sit down for a few minutes, jot down, and come up with a final answer.

This is something that is part of the journey. As you begin to feel that you understand what your life purpose is. You must continue to change as you are working through your path.

That does not mean you are changing them a whole lot. It means you are just getting a little bit clearer vision of what that looks like.

As you are trying to develop your life's purpose, a couple of life hacks I have for you is, you got to keep it short. It should really be at least, no longer than 12 words long. It cannot be a complex sentence. It needs to be simple and sounds natural. Then you need to make it visible to you.

I encourage people to write it on a sticky note, stick it on their mirrors in the bathroom, or on their fridge. It is essential that you can see this and constantly remind yourself of what your life purpose is.

Another tip would be if you could have it be an illustration. We think in pictures, and so if you can think of your life purpose in a picture, that is going to help you continually remember it, and your brain process it better.

And, then you need to build accountability. Because as we strive to improve ourselves, we are going to have those days that we do get off track a little bit.

It is important that we share what your life purposes with those people around you, so they can help you. During those off days, they are able help draw you back into your life purpose.

This is essential because often it is very difficult for people to really discuss what they feel like their life purpose is, because it is a very personal thing. However, by entrusting those around you. They are going to help you live better and be living in a more fulfilled life.

There are great examples out there of people and their various life purposes. For example, Martin Luther King's, his was to unite people and promote equality.

My personal life purpose is to grow people and those around me.

I think it is important that you understand that, without a clear life purpose, you are probably not going to continue to be live like you feel fulfilled. While with a life purpose. You are going to have a lot of value. At the end of the day, you are going to have a happier life, and you are going to have a more fulfilled life.

I encourage you to work on finding your life purpose or find your why.

This will allow you to be on track to understanding how you are going to contribute to the world and how does that benefit both you and the world?

Again, I encourage you to work on this.

If there is anything we can do to help reach out to us.

Thank you.

Kelly Cox MD, FACEP

Member, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine

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