Live Your Life More Deliberately

Do you often feel like your life is rushing by you? Does it feel like waking up in the morning, and retiring at night has become more like an automatic part of your life? Whenever it seems as if you are only doing the things you are expected to do, you must get yourself back.

Many psychologists have praised minimalist living and mindfulness and their positive impacts on people's lives. Minimalism is the kind of living when you choose to keep only the essentials. You surround yourself with the bare minimum. You make long-term plans. Your mind is set as if everything and everyone around you is temporary. And so you decide to keep the things and people that you can't live without. 

But what does it mean when you are trying to practice a more deliberate or purposeful lifestyle? How do you stick to doing only what makes you fulfill your purpose in life? Sometimes, it can be hard to do this primarily because you don't exactly know what your purpose in life is. 

What were you born to do? Is this the same as doing what you want? When you choose to live a more deliberate life, you have to be aware of what you want, how living this way would make you feel, as well as how this new lifestyle would affect other people. After all, nobody lives this life entirely by themselves. 

How Do You Get Yourself Back On Track?

There will be a lot of noise. People around you will have their demands. You will receive a lot of requests, and so many other forms of distraction will come your way. You will attempt to multitask like you always do, but your mind will be adrift. Concentrating will be an exhausting endeavor to pursue. 

In survival psychology, we are taught that the fundamental nature of the world is chaos. It is not peace. The value of peace is something that you will have to learn for yourself and practice within yourself. It will be difficult at first, but you have to start somewhere. 

Reflection living is about asking yourself if what you are doing is worthy of doing. You look back at your past decisions and reevaluate them. Learning to do things deliberately is about discovering the art of being there for others. It is about coming back to yourself so that you can become a better person for those you love. 

How do you live a meaningful life, then? Here are a few ways that might prove helpful to you:

Choose your work. 

This may seem oversimplified, but it is the most relevant if you want to learn to live deliberately. Are you already engaged in a job that you really want to do? 

Some may be precisely where they want to be, but many still find themselves doing work that they don't want to. You can always change your circumstances if that is what you want. Do something about it and make the change. 

What is your dream job? Everyone has one. Unless you are doing what you have always dreamt of doing, never settle. Change your job. The power is always in your hands. 

Never settle for something less or something below the standard you have set for yourself. If you do, you will surely regret it eventually. 

Let go of your free time. 

After a day's work, having some "free time" to do whatever you want is great. No one is stopping you from taking advantage of it. At some point, you may have earned it. However, hanging out can sometimes be a waste of time and energy. Instead of engaging in activities that do not help you improve, you should focus your attention on the things that could bring you closer to your end goals. 

Focus on the positive aspects of doing things. Always make sure that you are learning something in everything that you do. Make sure that you are benefitting from everything that you choose to do. Because if you are not, then it would be a total waste of time. 

Your "free time" may be a version of "killing time." This is one of those things that you must rethink. 

Eat your heart out.

Purposeful living isn't just how you spend your time or how you prepare your mind. It is also about choosing to take care of your body. Your diet tremendously affects your overall well-being. It does not only dictates how you live through life, but it plays a significant factor in how long you will live. 

How you feel is greatly affected by what you eat. So the next time you go for a run at the grocery store, be more mindful of what food items you buy. Try to choose the foods that are good for you. 

Pick the ones that promote good health, consistent energy, and overall good health.

Help whenever you can. 

This should not be a question for anyone. Every human being must extend help to others whenever they can. But then again, if we only help when the circumstances are convenient for us, then that is not actively helping.

The fact behind all this is simple: you are not always willing to help. Maybe it is the fact that you are overworked, that's why you cannot think about the needs of others anymore. But then again, helping others is helping yourself in some way too. You will be more helpful to others if you enjoy helping them. Not only does it make you feel good, but it puts you in a better disposition, and you are grateful for what you currently have. 

You can always be different. Celebrate the fact that you are not like anyone else. You can be one of the lucky ones who can do the work that you have always wanted to do. Not everyone gets that opportunity. 

Whether it is teaching, running your own business, or practicing your skills as a doctor, you are in control of your life, and that should tell you something. You may not be in control as to what could happen tomorrow, but if you are deliberately doing the things that you want in this lifetime, then you are off to a good start.