Being Clear (with Myself)
Do you know why you do what you do?
Many people (including myself sometimes) don't know why they behave the way they do. Often, even if they do know, it's more of a vague sense as opposed to a deep knowing.
Again, I ask...Do you know why you do what you do? It helps to focus on specific arenas of your life like, say, why you approach your work the way you do, why you exercise (or don't), why you eat the foods you do, etc.
In my own life, here are a few arenas in which I'm very clear about why I do what I do:
Arena 1: Prayer
Q: Why do I pray and meditate as much as I do throughout the day?
A: I desire intimate and divine union with God Almighty.
Arena 2: Training
Q: Why do I train as often and as hard as I do?
A: I want to be able to handle myself well until very late in life.
Arena 3: Food
Q: Why do I eat only whole foods that are largely plant-based.
A: I want to honor God, my body, and other living creatures through what, how, and how much I eat. I also want to live to be really, really old some day. In fact, it's a written goal of mine to one day be the oldest human being still walking the face of the planet.
Arena 4: Paid Work
Q: Why do you work so little (for pay) and live so minimally?
A: Time has become exceedingly valuable to me. When I see the financial cost of an item or activity, I translate it immediately into a time-cost. If I can't bear to part with the four (or four hundred) hours it will cost me to acquire/purchase XYZ, I won't buy it. Or, if I can't bear to part with the 5,000 hours I will need to devote to caring for XYZ, I won't buy it.
In summary, some of my principal motivations for living the way I do are as follows: I want divine union with God; I want to be able to handle myself well in any situation (and be able to do so until I'm well into my 100s); I want to eat well and honorably; and I want to have lots of time to train and pray, be with those I love and care about, empty the best of myself into those around me, and pursue my dreams.
Begin today to ask yourself why you do what you do; and, in your answers, strive for ever-increasing clarity. In the end, it may just help you live a more intentional, integrated, and holistically fulfilling life. God bless...
"You need to start asking better questions."—Socrates
IKIGAI Weekly Blog Schedule (per The Training Trinity):
Mondays: Meditative Prayer
Wednesdays: Holistic Discipline
Fridays: Martial Arts Practice
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