I prefer a laid-back life, but unfortunately, that’s not the card I was dealt with. A busy life is usually my norm. What does this mean?
You’re making me think harder this morning, making me dig deeper into what forms the “me” in my mind – my subconscious, whatever. You’re making me take a look at whether or not I really have a purpose in life, at all. Do I? Oh goodness, I don’t know. Now, if you were to ask me if I had a busy life, I could tell you yes…clearly, I do.
Is my busy life the enemy of my life?
I know that subtitle sounds strange, but read it a few more times and let it sink in. Did you know that you can become so busy that you forget about your life’s goals and dreams?
Yes, I believe you can. You’re distracted, distracted by getting the kids to school on time and rushing back to finish your work. Or maybe you’re rushing to get that coffee, pick up a newspaper, and then get to the office. As these things are important to a certain degree, could you be losing your sense of purpose completely?
A few indicators that you’re losing your way:
1. Your energy is depleting
When you’re younger, it seems like you have more than enough energy to go around. When you get a bit older, this energy store depletes and continues to do so a little more as time goes on. If you’re living a busy life, say, trying to juggle multiple things at once, you may be keeping your mind too far from your purpose in life.
For instance, if you’re worn out by the afternoon, you have no time to do the creative things that make you happy. I know, for some people, their purpose was once to be a painter or a musician.
Unfortunately, the distractions of work and other such things will not allow these goals due to lack of energy. If you’re tired all the time, this is a huge sign that maybe you are too busy, and maybe you are annihilating your dreams.
2. You never go on vacations
You know, I have forgotten that taking a holiday was even a thing. Honestly, I’ve become so busy that a holiday of taking a break from work is watching a television show or stepping outside for a moment. It’s ridiculous.
If you haven’t been on a vacation since 2002, for instance, you are overdue a little time to rest and reflect. You’re too busy and yes, even the important priorities can distract you from the biggest picture of all…your end goal.
3. You’re just unhappy
Sit for a moment, with no distractions, no sounds, and no other people, and ask yourself, “Am I happy with my life?” If you’re not happy, then this might be because you’ve buried yourself in your busy life and forgot all about your own feelings.
You want to make sure your husband, children, friends, and family members all get attention and love, but what about love for yourself? Oh for shame, you’ve forgotten yourself again. You see, taking care of everything else and everybody else has robbed you of yourself and any of your goals.
I bet, this unhappiness reveals you no longer have that purpose that used to be firmly implanted in your mind. It’s okay, you can get it back. I’m just revealing who needs to find clarity and happiness.
4. You’re in the wrong relationship
Yep, you knew it was coming. Sometimes you get involved with the wrong person. Sometimes you marry them too. Then you become busy living their lives instead of your own. Oh, what a distraction that can be, and it can last for years, even decades.
I won’t beat a dead horse here, but I just want to say, if you’re with the wrong person, you will stay busy, feel unhappy, be distracted by your mate’s problems and you will forget your own purpose. Unfortunately, the only two ways to fix this is to stay and insist on your own happiness or leave the relationship.
5. You’re sick all the time
Have you ever been so busy that you don’t even notice you’ve caught a cold? Well, as soon as you take that first little break from life’s demands, that illness will hit you like a ton of bricks.
This will happen often when you’re running around trying to be a superhero in life’s responsibilities. You will stay sick, simply because you’re not taking the time to exercise, eat nutritious foods, and get any real rest.
Yes, life’s responsibilities are important, and if they don’t get done, sometimes bad things happen. But, if you don’t take responsibility for your health, even worse things can happen. One of the worst of them all, you could forget who you are, and never find your way back to your dreams. That doesn’t need to happen.
6. Your thinking is unorganized
When you’re spending all your time working or trying to complete projects, your mind is often in disarray. It can get so bad that you even forget the dreams you once had and your purpose is now lost in the pile of thoughts tangled in your head.
These tangled thoughts are also of busy things that sometimes contradict and make no sense. Most of the time, thoughts of creative ventures or holidays aren’t even on the menu. You feel as though you just don’t have time for the things you love anymore.
You’ve been distracted by a busy life, and basically, you live and breathe work. Better thinking means getting back in touch with your dreams.
Never forget your dreams and goals
Sometimes your purpose does get drowned out by a busy life. Although I would love to be able to do whatever I want and follow a straight line to my dreams, it’s not like that. I do get lost in a busy life, with everyone else’s interests in mind.
While it’s good to care for others and make sure important things get done, it’s also just as important to remember your purpose. I hope you give yourself a break today and dwell a while in your dreams.
Good Day Sherrie! The good thing here is that despite the fact that the majority of us stray away from our true purpose, if you’re honest with yourself enough to admit it you can always change the circumstances. I’ve lived like this for the majority of my life and have conformed because of my responsibilities as a wife and a mother. I had my child when I was 15 yrs. old and felt like she was my entire life from that point forward. Then about 10 years ago I managed to get myself in a dead end relationship and have been unhappily married ever since. Growing up with an abusive childhood certainly didn’t help either. I’ve known for a long time now that I have not been living up to my dreams…because of this, my health has suffered—my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. But I’ve taken a stand! I have made an oath to live out the rest of my life with my true purpose. My child is now on her own journey, I’m ending my dead end relationship (marriage), I’m going taking a looooooooong holiday, and now working towards living a fulfilling life!! People will always try to pity you because you’re doing something differently than the norm and they’ll try to pull you back down into the bucket…but if we want to live out our dreams, we must not allow that to deter our ambitions. Thank you yet again for writing this article. It reminds me that I’m not alone <3
You are never alone, even when you are. We all have such rich and tragic, but beautiful stories. And we all get many chances to change the road we are traveling. Yes, I know, it sounds cliche, but it’s true. I admire your maturity, and how you handled your life and parenting. I wish you well and thank you for reading.
if I didn’t know better I would think you interviewed me and then wrote this. i’m 73 now and I figured out when I was 70 that I messed up so the past three years I have been alone and do for me and let everyone else take care of what ever it is that needs taken care of. one thing is for sure now I will go out in a blaze of glory knowing that i’m doing what I want to do in the time I have left
Good for you! YOu live the rest of your life knowing that you are a wonderful person who deserves the best in life.
Hello Sherrie,
I really enjoyed your article and the reminder(s) of what are those things that take us farther and farther away from our “Purpose”
My tax accountant always inserts a quote into his clients tax returns every year, one of which was this one:
“Preparation for old age should begin not later than one’s teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement.” by Dwight L. Moody.
Ever since I read this years ago, i have been trying to consider and figure out what IS MY purpose. Do you Sherrie, have an answer to that? How can we maybe tap back into our dreams from perhaps childhood, the innocence we had that held us true to who we were and have forgotten… how can we recall and bring back that one thing which we knew would GIVE us purpose, meaning and joy in our lives. I look fwd to your reply.
Lily
It’s hard for me to look back at my childhood to find my purpose. I was abused from the age of 4 until around 10 years of age. I do remember a couple of things I dreamed about, but they were skewed by the filth of my abuser. So, during my life, I’ve struggled with understanding myself. I am one of those who have started late in life with my purpose. I have devoted my time to staying debt-free and getting to a point where I can buy a home. I am also determined to raise my children in a much better environment that I had. I teach them, not only the logical things but the deeper things. I guess, at my age, I am putting more of myself into them now. Make no mistake, however, I am trying to find the way to my purpose still. We will see.