The Full Catastrophe…

At the beginning of the year, I had some great ideas on how I'd live better in 2015.  I had a long list of things.  I'm sure my list included many of the same things we all put down as resolutions:  eat better, exercise more, learn something new, etc.  All great goals to help me live better in the new year.  And based on my experience, I knew I would get to some/all of them at some point.  For instance, it was certain that I'd add more exercise to my schedule along the way…in very small doses, at the appropriate time, when the mood strikes, and when I generally felt "ready."  This was certain, and this would certainly be the pattern to expect.  You see, I've done extensive research in this area, observing my exercise goals year after year.  So I knew what I already knew about myself.  There would always be room for miracles of course, but if I was being honest, I knew that this was likely how it would go.  As always, I would probably find other things easier to do like devouring an extra bowl of kale everyday.  No problems there, in fact, that would be a breeze!  I knew this too based on previous experience.  And the more I went down my list, I knew that I knew how it would all go before the year even got started.  So what did that mean?  If I already knew how it would all turn out, then what was the point?  How could I truly live better in 2015?  What needed to be different this time around?   

So I decided that this year, something entirely different would be required.  This year, very clearly and very simply, I would just need to focus on one thing.  This year, I would just strive to "live life on purpose."

Great.  I liked this idea.  It meant I'd be out there living in the present moment on purpose EveryDay!  But how does one begin to do that?  Does it mean that I'd literally do everything on purpose?  Like, would I make mistakes on purpose?  Make the wrong decisions on purpose?  Be moody on purpose?  No, that didn't seem right at all.   What it meant to me was that I'd promise myself that I'd go out and embrace life on purpose, EveryDay.  The full catastrophe, as Zorba the Greek said.  All of it.  Every single last drop of it.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  I'd just wake up and go!  And yes, if I felt particularly miserable that day, unable to quite get up and go, I suppose that too might be on purpose that day and might serve its own purpose.  But the point was that focusing on all of the individual goals wasn't really the point anymore.  Those goals would still always be there, and I'd still get to them, or I wouldn't.  But now I would focus on paying attention to it all, on purpose.  

Three months into the new year today, I find that this new goal has been one of the best decisions I've made so far this year.  I notice that I'm breathing more, on purpose.  I see that I'm listening more, on purpose.  I'm purposely living more, on purpose.  And I've now said the word 'purpose' so many times, it's starting to sound made up to me.  So, I'll stop here, on purpose.  

Happy 1st day of March!  A new day.  A new month.  A new chance to make a choice to Live Life on Purpose Today & EveryDay!

~NY Muse