Special Guest Post By Maryalice of InsideOut Wellness
I met Maryalice at a business retreat in Asheville, NC a couple of years ago. As soon as I met her, I knew we were going to be friends. Maryalice has a great sense of humor, exudes positive energy, and is one of those warm souls who deeply cares about people. We often bounce ideas off of each other in relation to our businesses and life. She is my go-to gal when it comes to mindset and working with clients. I always appreciate her perspective and knowledge on things. I was so excited to hear she was going to release a program on Finding Your Purpose that I asked her to share a blog with my readers.
This is a big topic that comes up when coaching clients, and really with anyone I speak to.
What am I here to do?
What am I doing with my life?
Maryalice has had great success in working with people to help them find their Why. So, I’d like to hand off this blog and let her tell you in her own words.–
Enjoy!
Annick
Pursuing Purpose- A Journey To Discover Your Big WHY
Hey everyone, I am thrilled to be here on Annick’s blog and even more excited to share a bit about my journey. So thank you for being here!
A few years ago I had one of those revelations, you know the kind that people talk about that changes their whole life…puts things into perspective – that kind. But, unlike many people who have those ‘A-HA’ moments, mine was more of an ‘A-HA’ journey.
I think many of you can relate to those times in your life when you are driving along and you think ‘There must be something more ~ this can’t be it!’ I have to tell you while having these thoughts there was no way I wanted to share it with anyone. I actually felt a bit guilty as I had a pretty awesome life. I was married to my high school sweetheart for 16-years, we had 3-awesome boys, and at the time a beautiful fur-baby (our Yellow-Lab – Abby, now we have 2!). Life was good and there was no way I should be feeling sorry for myself and looking for more. But, in all honesty I was.
I had this ‘Ho-Hum’ feeling. Every day seemed the same and in one word I was bored. It sounds ridiculous now, but at that time it was what it was. I was a stay-at-home mom, a dream of my husband and mine and I loved being a mom for my boys, there is no greater blessing. I think that is why I was even more dumbfounded. Here I had anything I could have ever wanted and still wasn’t satisfied, I wasn’t 100% happy. This was a struggle, because I was ashamed.
Then the journey began…
One day a friend of mine introduced me to this book called the Rhythm of Life by Matthew Kelly. I hadn’t read a book in I don’t know how long so I was excited to have a book that came highly recommended. I began to read this book and I was having those ‘A-HA’ moment’s non-stop! There was so much he was speaking about that was resonating.
- Lacking focus
- Feeling bored with life
- Lacking energy – depression and frustration
- The yearning for something more.
He spoke about how many of us struggle with lack of direction and focus…(Hello – I can so relate!) how we allow ourselves to get caught up in the chaos of life without taking the time to touch base with our soul. We let stress, anxiety, and frustration to build up and we block ourselves from true happiness.
I decided that I was not going to take these ‘A-HA’ moments and do nothing with them – I was going to start my process ~ my journey inward. I began to meditate every morning – I would wake before the entire house and I would sit in complete stillness. This was REALLY hard to get used to, but once I did, it became a highlight of my day. I would then journal and express what was on my heart and mind.
4-Key elements we all need to focus on
There were 4-key elements I would address at the end of my journal entry – how was I going to address my spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical needs of that day? I would dedicate part of my day to address these 4-area’s because in that I was honoring my soul. When we honor our soul ~ when we give our soul a voice we are then able to be the very best version of ourselves, we are able to thrive.
This journey was an amazing experience. It made me realize that I wasn’t lacking in anything except the connection to myself. I had lost myself. I was undefined – lacking focus, energy, and my purpose. I had entrenched myself in my role of a wife and a mother, which is a great thing, but as the kids got older and needed me less I became more and more lost.
It takes more than an ‘A-HA’ moment to reveal your true purpose!
Self-discovery of any kind takes time and commitment. The more I practiced stillness the better I got at it. The more I addressed my physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual needs the more I discovered who I was, what I loved, who inspired me, and who I inspired. I began to live my life with purpose and everything changed – Everything!
I remember waiting for my youngest son to come home after school one day, he was 8-years old at the time. I saw the bus come through the neighborhood, so I jumped up to meet him outside. He came running up the hill to our house and I said “Hey buddy, how was your day!?” He looked up at me with a quizzical stare and simply said “Why are you so happy!?”
Now someone might have taken offense to this, but for me it was so affirming. I was not happy the way I was living. I wasn’t miserable either but there is a difference between a person who is grateful and aware and one who is always in search of something more. When you look at someone who is lost and confused versus someone who is confidently clear about his or her life – there is a HUGE difference. This was a profound moment for me. I knew I had revealed my purpose through my practice and the work I had put in. Even more importantly, I knew just how important it was to live with purpose and how it can have a profound impact on one’s life and the people in it.
It doesn’t take a miracle, just respecting your process…
There is no miracle here, by any means. Like I said, there was no one ‘A-HA’ moment that changed my life forever, there is a process and a journey that led me back to me. This process has given me clarity, direction, inspiration, and passion to live my best life yet. If it weren’t for this process I wouldn’t be typing this right now. It allowed me to take risks to design the life of my dreams from the inside out!
I am a believer that when you discover or learn something it is our obligation to share it with as many people as we possibly can. In fact, I have discovered that one of my main reasons I am on this earth is to help others – to bring people to a better understanding of themselves. Doesn’t necessarily matter how I do that, but I know that when I am doing it, I get fired up in a really good way! I am living with purpose. Are you living with purpose?
Are you ready to discover your purpose?
I decided to share my process. I took my thoughts, my experience, and knowledge and created an 8-Week Pursuing Purpose program. This is a DIY and is delivered right to your email weekly. There are quick 1:00-3:00minute video’s in each weekly email which explains the week’s goals. It is important to understand that even though this is an 8-week program, you should go at your own pace. There is no need to rush your process. This is your journey and should be respected as such.
People who live with purpose are more focused, grateful, happy, and successful. There success comes from, not so much in what they are doing but more from the fact that no matter what it is they do, they do it well. They are fulfilled and they embrace life 100%. Their priorities are in order and they go to great lengths to address them daily. They know themselves to the core and they live their life based on their values and morals. They are ‘doers’, risk takers, and they live a passionate life. We all deserve that!
I look forward to working with you on Pursuing Purpose: A Journey To Discover Your BIG Why!
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If you have any questions you can reach me here: [email protected]
In Health & Fitness,
Maryalice