What is your meaning and purpose in life? Can you answer what theoretically is a simple question? Most of us will have heard people say ‘live life to the fullest’ whether it be friends, family, parents or colleagues but  what does that actually mean?

It wasn’t until March 21st 2006 when I truly understood the essence of that statement.

I began a journey as a rugby player diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening heart condition. Big existential questions circulated for a while as I tried in earnest to make sense of my new ‘forced’ identity. Questions such as ‘Why me?’, ‘Who am I if not the rugby player?’

What can I do with my life to give me a sense of meaning and purpose?

I was dragged (literally…) to London to attend a talk by a monk by the name of Dandapani. The room fell silent… then he spoke, softly but with intent and purpose. Emotions stirred deep within, my eyes moistened and tears started to flow.
They say the truth hurts but to find my true meaning and purpose required me to sit, question and get to know myself better. Five minutes each and everyday, in total silence. Since my diagnosis I had lived a predominantly inauthentic life. I was scared about the revelations those conversations with ‘ME’ would unearth behind the hardened, stoic exterior I often presented.

How many of us truly know who we are and what is our purpose in life?

Choices are all around us but it is in our choosing or not choosing that defines us.
“What if I make the wrong choice?” often creates anxiety and indecision as it feels safer to remain stagnant. Prioritising what is most important can be our biggest challenge.
Sitting with ourselves rather than ticking things off on a to do list can feel like wasted time. However, not knowing ‘ME’, can mean a life spent aimlessly searching for the truth. Knowing ‘ME’ creates decisiveness, efficiency and a far shorter to do list in the long run.
Asking questions, like you would a friend can reveal a deeper internal knowledge and understanding behind who you are and what matters most in life.
Ex-navy seal, David Goggins suggests most people live their lives at forty percent through fear and insecurity, unwilling to push the limits of their potential, giving up on their hopes and dreams. He famously says:

I’m different than most people…when I cross the finish line of a big race, I see that people are ecstatic, but I’m thinking about what I’m going to do tomorrow. It’s as If my Journey is everlasting and there is no finish line.

Time for ME

We always have time to check facebook, catch up with friends over coffee and become curious about their lives but when do we create quality time for ‘ME’?
Our brains are like libraries full of stories and insights into who we truly are. However, our internal library can end up neglected and collecting dust if we forget to visit and reflect from time to time in silence, away from a world full of social comparison.
Dandapani has a digital clock counting down the hours to the day he estimates will be his last. A constant reminder to live the fullest life possible. For now, the shocking events of March 21st 2006 were a wake up call for me to do the same.
We don’t need a traumatic event to force us beyond the Goggin’s forty percent rule, just the knowledge that life has two bookends and a huge space in the middle.

Get writing your life story and make sure its a bestseller!!!