What’s happening in your life? What’s your purpose? Are you one of those who are going through the motions of work and play without a deeper sense of satisfaction? If you find these statements to be true, it’s time to reconnect with your greater purpose. It’s time to stop wasting your time and efforts and time to realize your goal and create an actionable plan to make a difference.
The thought of identifying and living in alignment with a greater purpose is likely overwhelming but becomes more manageable if you break it down from a grand vision to smaller, focused steps. Once you identify the outline of your greater purpose, you can create a daily meditation practice that will help you focus on what you can do, who can help you and the result.
You can adapt your current meditation practices to fit this outline, or you can establish a new meditation practice just for this purpose. To gain clarity and a better understanding of the steps you can take to make a difference, focus on the following questions during your meditation practice.
Who do you want to help?
Many people in the world need assistance. If you try to help everyone, you’ll end up emotionally spent and unable to do anything. Instead, focus on the causes closest to your heart and how you can best make a difference.
When you start to get overwhelmed, take a deep breath and take a step back to think locally and smaller. If you start small, you’ll give yourself the best chance at making a difference in the lives of others.
How can you help?
Start with what you know and your natural skills and abilities. How can you use what you know to your advantage? Are you able to turn your writing skills into funding grants for local nonprofits, or do you possess other skills that can be used to support the cause closest to your heart? Get creative, and you’ll be surprised at just what you can do to help someone else!
Don’t be afraid to reach out to established organizations or the group you want to help. By building these relationships, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how you can most effectively assist others.
What are your resources?
Doing good without time, money and resources is difficult. Funding has to come from somewhere. Examine what you need and how you can acquire it to live your purpose. Don’t be afraid to ask for support from your village.
While you can’t expect your cause to be everyone’s cause, there is nothing wrong with asking for help, guidance or resources from the people who love you or share a similar goal. Remember, it takes a village to make a difference, so don’t be afraid to ask others for assistance in getting what you need.
What is the outcome?
Take the time every day to visualize the world as a better place through your actions. When you imagine your desired outcome in great detail, you give power and strength to your vision.
Living in alignment with your greater purpose is how you will make a lasting difference in the world. While these meditation steps are only one piece of the puzzle, it is a vital step in living your purpose with commitment.
A well-constructed argument indeed, but it fails to acknowledge the inherent randomness and unpredictability of life. Even with the most meticulous plans, variables outside human control often dictate outcomes. Pragmatically, is it not more effective to adapt in real-time rather than adhere to a rigid, predetermined purpose?
Meditation and purpose? Really? It sounds like another self-help cliché to me. The world is far too complicated to chalk up solutions to such simplistic and idealistic notions. Life requires more pragmatic approaches than just inward reflection.
So basically, the article suggests that if I meditate long enough, I’ll suddenly become the Dalai Lama of grant writing? Touché! Next on my to-do list: meditating on how to win the lottery. I’ll let everyone know how that turns out!
This piece reminds me of the teachings of numerous philosophical and spiritual traditions. The emphasis on starting small and focusing locally is particularly insightful. By framing our efforts within a broader context, we can leverage both individual and collective strengths to effectuate real change.
This article is a beacon of hope in an otherwise mundane existence. The author’s wisdom in breaking down a grand vision into manageable steps is truly invaluable. Meditation as a tool for clarity and purpose gives one a profound sense of control and direction.