The Eight Happiness Essentials: HEALTH Edition
Do You Still Want What You Worked So Hard For?
Happy Thursday!
For years, television production gave my days a clear sense of direction. I loved the work, and there was always something I was working toward. For a long time, I knew what I wanted next.
Then one day, that changed. I found myself asking, What’s next?
There may come a point when the questions you ask yourself change too. You may still be good at what you do and feel a pull toward something different. The industry around you may be changing, or the work that once felt exciting may no longer have the same pull. You may have achieved much of what you set out to do and start wondering what you want the next part of your life to be about.
That can happen long before retirement.
Work can make purpose feel obvious because so much of your time and attention goes toward it. If the work no longer feels like enough of an answer, you may start asking:
What is my purpose now?
I have found this question more useful:
What gives today a reason to matter?
Some days, the answer is in the work. Other days, you may realize that something you once treated as secondary now matters much more.
Purpose also belongs in the conversation about Health. A study published this year followed 747 older adults over three years. One thing researchers found was that people tended to be more physically active during periods when they felt more purposeful than usual for them.
I like that finding because it brings purpose into daily life rather than leaving it as some big idea to figure out.
When work has supplied much of your sense of purpose, realizing it no longer does can be unsettling. It was for me. It does not mean you need a completely new life. It may mean you need to pay closer attention to what matters to you now.
Pay attention to what holds your interest these days, where you want to spend more of your time, and when you feel most engaged. You may not have one grand answer. You can still know what makes the day matter.
For the Next Three Mornings
Before the day gets underway, finish this sentence:
Today will feel worthwhile if...
Write the first honest answer without trying to make it sound important. At the end of the day, read it again and notice whether what you expected to matter actually did. Repeat this for three days, then look at your answers together. You may begin to see what is giving your days meaning now.
