Purpose isn’t waiting to be found. Everyone has a purpose, but it rarely just reveals itself. Instead, you have to make a proactive choice to discover your purpose.
It’s common knowledge that having a sense of purpose gives a
person direction, fulfillment, and happiness, but research has shown it also
has a tangible benefit on your health.
• A study at Washington University in St Louis,
Missouri, found that rating a person’s sense of purpose even one point higher
on a seven-point scale decreased the risk of death by 12 percent over 14 years.
Plus, the benefits were seen across people in their 20s to 70s, suggesting it’s
never too late to find your passion.
• A study by Rush University Medical Center found
that people who have a lower sense of purpose in their lives could be more
likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to people who have a greater
understanding of purpose.
• Researchers for the American Heart Association
analyzed several studies. They found that over an average follow-up of 8.5
years, having a high sense of purpose in life was associated with a 23 percent
reduction in death from all causes and a 19 percent reduced risk of
cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes.
• A study by the University of Michigan found that
those who reported having greater life purpose were more likely to make better
use of preventative healthcare and spend less time in the hospital than those
with a lower sense of purpose.
Finding purpose in retirement isn’t just nice it’s a
necessity! Here are some thoughts you can do to help unlock your purpose as you
age.
1. Describe the finest chapter in your life thus
far. What made it the finest? How can you manifest those qualities in your next
chapter?
2. Ask yourself, “How can I grow and give?” Review
your calendar. Make regular appointments with yourself to grow and to give.
3. Who is your ageing exemplar, and why do you
admire this person? What qualities of growing old do they embody?
German philosopher Immanuel Kant, who famously wrote that,
to be happy, it is essential to have:
• Something to do: Whether your passion is volunteering,
crafting, taking continuing education classes, golf, or some other hobby or
pastime, activities that engage you fully and give pleasure are the ones that
are essential to our well-being.
• Someone to love: As we age, as well, we come to
understand better that connecting with the people we love is necessary. Whether
it is the family you are related to or the family you have chosen, interpersonal
relationships sustain, especially later in life. Sadly, we saw the impact
social isolation had on so many people during the pandemic.
• Something to hope for: Older people who flourish
have a wide range of purposes and things to hope for that give meaning to their
lives. Meaning and purpose come from caring about something beyond ourselves.
This could be a social cause, family, spirituality — whatever energizes you.
According to St. Ignatius of Loyola, here are six ways to
find your purpose in life.
1.
Pick The Right Time To Think About It
2.
Imagine Yourself In The Future
3.
Ask The People Who Know You Best
4.
Think About How The Rest Of Your Life Is
Affected
5.
Pretend You Are Another Person Giving Advice To
Yourself
6.
Imagine You Are Living Your Last Moments
a. Are you happy with the way you have lived your
life? If not, what can, and would you change?
b. This is a profound question all retirees need to
answer as they move into the last third of their lives. Remember you never
retire from making contributions.
No comments:
Post a Comment