Editor’s note: This article was authored by George Grombacher
As human beings, we benefit from predictable habits and patterns. We utilize them to carry out everyday talks like getting ourselves and our kids out the door in the morning. They help us successfully juggle our busy lives. And they can also keep us stuck.
Too often, our habits and patterns give us what we’ve always gotten; and for the majority of Americans, that’s being unhealthy and broke. The evidence of this is that 69% of adults are obese, and 60% are living paycheck-to-paycheck. Like most Americans, I struggled for a long time- and it’s understandable.
Each of us has a lot going on. There’s an endless number of things that want our time, attention, and money. When we feel like we’ve gotten control over one aspect of life, we find problems in another area. In my 20s and early 30s, I was doing a lot of good things. I was enjoying professional success and had a good relationship with my wife. But I was drinking too much and was overweight. More importantly, I was wanting. I had a feeling there was more for me and change was necessary, but I didn’t know what to do.
How humans make change
There are a small number of people who possess inherent self-discipline and to whom making changes comes easily. For the rest of us, change is more difficult. We procrastinate, or wait until we don’t have any other options- think being diagnosed with diabetes or having a heart attack.
And here’s some important wisdom from Samuel Johnson, “We need to be reminded more than instructed.” Most of us already know what needs to be done to get closer to the lives we want. I know I did.
Since I was a little kid, I’ve known the importance of setting goals. But it took me until I was 35 to actually write them down. Today, I can attest to the power of written goals. To help you live how you want, I believe there are four important things you already know that you can start doing immediately.
Goals, beliefs, habits, and purpose
Goals = what you want
Goal setting is a human superpower. Each of us can imagine the life we want, make plans for getting it, and then execute on those plans. We can create a compelling vision for our futures, then set about making that desired future our current reality.
To get clear on your future, you can access our Goals course for free.
Beliefs = who you are
Just like our phones have operating systems, so do we. This operating system is constantly running in the background, helping us to make decisions. These systems are made up of our core beliefs and our values. When we have beneficial beliefs and we’re clear on our values, our systems work great. If we have limiting beliefs, and we don’t know our values, the system doesn’t work as well.
To gain clarity on your beliefs and values, you can access our Values course for free.
Habits = what you do
I touched on how we follow predictable habits and patterns; it’s how we do things. If you’ve got beneficial habits, there’s no need to make any changes. The problems arise when we keep doing the same things, but expect different results. To know if your habits need reconsideration, take them to their logical conclusions. Meaning, if I keep doing this, what or where is it going to get me in the future.
If the logical conclusion is what you want, keep it going. If it’s not what you want, make changes.
Purpose = why you do things
This is the much-talked about “why.” And it’s much-talked about because it’s important and deserves meaningful exploration. Let’s do that now.
How to live a purpose-driven life
It comes down to belief, expectation, knowing, and action.
The belief that you’ve been given the amazing gifts of existence and ability. Of being you and doing what you do; both unique.
It’s recognizing and embracing that the world expects more from you than it does from other people, and that it needs more from you than it does from other people.
It’s knowing what matters most and what needs to be done.
Finally, it’s taking action in service of those things; it’s doing what needs to be done.
From there, it’s following your human desire for relentless and incremental progress towards your potential- and doing it every day. That’s how to live a purpose-driven life.
It’s very human to look at things in a vacuum, but we’re better served looking at things in total. It’s wise and optimal to think about your goals, beliefs, habits, and purpose together. The more aligned you can become in those areas, the better off you’ll be.
And I think you’ll be living life on purpose.
Learn more about George at MoneyAlignmentAcademy.com and LifeBlood.live.
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