Finding Your Purpose In Training

Why is knowing your purpose so important?

Purpose is where passion meets action. It’s the reason to get up in the morning and make the most of everyday. Purpose can provide you the fuel to complete major projects, to start a business, or to transform your mind and your body.

In my experience, a purpose allows my clients to accomplish so much more than losing 10 pounds, running a faster mile or getting stronger.

Their purpose was like a calling, compelling them to move forward even when times were difficult. It was as if they were working towards something bigger than the current goal at hand.

Let’s look at why that is.

A definition of Pur – pose – 1. the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

It’s the reasons ‘why’ you want to accomplish your goal that holds true power. It’s almost like having a purpose provides the unwavering belief in a cause that’s bigger than your current self.

Here are three specific reasons why having a purpose can be so powerful.

1. It aligns your actions. You can work hard, burn the candle at both ends and push yourself to accomplish more. Yet, what happens when the results don’t align with your purpose? You’ll still feel like something is missing. Having a purpose ensures that the work you do, is work that’s most important to you and leaves you with a sense of not only accomplishment but of fulfillment as well.

2. It provides the fuel. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to start something new. A new exercise program or even changing one healthy habit is going to take a lot of work especially in the beginning. Knowing your purpose allows you to focus your energy in the right place when you need it most and helps you get past the rough times. And there are always rough times. Plateaus, fatigue and frustration are all part of the process. They are the price paid to accomplish your goals. Just remember your purpose every time you’re ready to throw in the towel and quit.

3. It provides the road map. Blindly setting goals (because we’re told to) isn’t enough. I’ve worked with many clients who didn’t have a clear purpose. As a result, they had difficulty reaching their goal, even when they were great goals. Their reason ‘why’ just wasn’t strong enough and they eventually stopped training because of lack of results.

You can avoid this.

Set goals that bring you closer to your purpose. If your purpose is to get off your medications because you want to be healthiest you, you can be. Then a good place to start is being active for 30 minutes every single day. Once you’ve accomplished that goal, you create a second one that takes you one step closer to your purpose. Your purpose will continue to guide you for each goal that you set.

Take some time and create your purpose today, discover what’s most important to you and why. Then realign your goals so that they sequentially bring you closer and closer to what you want to achieve.

Let me know what you discover.

 

Until next time,

Move better, live well.

Edward Scaduto

photo credit: s13_eisbaer via photopin cc