I often say that life is short, so you better take action on your dreams now. Recently, I was corrected by a seven year old girl who is a student in my martial arts program. She said, “Life is short for you, because you are old. I am only seven, so my life is still really long.” Can’t argue with that! Whether or not you still have a lot of life ahead of you, or you are old like me, you have to define a purpose, create a vision, and set real goals that will engage your heart and mind, and enrich your life.
Purpose – Why are you here? What excites and inspires you? How can you live your life doing the things you love and being the kind of person you want to be? Defining how you want to live your life will help you set your purpose. It’s not about money, or things, or even experiences, your purpose is not your job or even who you are. It is how you are that ultimately matters, and really the only thing you have ultimate control over. So grab a pen and a piece of paper, and write out How you want to live. Do you want to be kind, happy, honest, healthy, attractive, respected, compassionate, etc..? It’s your life and so you have to make your list. Go big and make no compromises. Don’t live a small life and don’t settle for what you think you can do, you are going to have to stretch to live your life with purpose.
Vision – What will your life look like when you are living your purpose? Here you can dream of the kind of home you live in, the kind of work will you do, the car you drive, the vacations you take, the charity you spread, etc… You might not care about material things, and that is not really what your vision is about. Your vision must support your purpose, but don’t get stuck thinking that you have to live in poverty and lack in order to live a life of meaning. Money and material goods are just things. They are tools and only have an emotional value if you give one to it. Money is not the root of evil, the love of money can be though. So again, dream big and make no compromises with your vision either. Decide how you are going to live fully into your purpose. What will your life look like every day when you are fully engaged and abundant in your purpose? Make another list and don’t censor yourself.
Goals – How are you going to get from where you are, to where you will be living your vision fully empowered by your purpose? Setting short term, action oriented goals that are properly aligned to your vision, will help you to design a road map to your dreams. These goals should be big, but not so big that you can’t reach them in a reasonable amount of time. You should still set goals that will force you out of your comfort zone and force you to grow. I personally make three, six, and twelve month goals. I do have longer term, big whopper goals, but the small ones are the most important because they get me up and moving every day and are challenging enough that I have to live outside of my comfort zone. Start with just two or three goals for the next three months, write them down and get to work.
There is a lot more to living your life on your purpose, but you have to start with a direction first. Your purpose will lead you to your vision, your vision to your goals, and your goals will define daily actions that you should start taking now. The last thing I want to share is this; once you start taking actions that are aligned with your vision, you are already living your purpose. Get excited by this truth, and welcome it with gratitude. Life is not a treasure hunt. You are here now and you have arrived! Give thanks, grab a smile, and enjoy the process.
Matt Pasquinilli is the Executive Director of the non-profit Asian Arts Center Taekwondo School in Dayton, Ohio. www.aacdayton.com
