Purpose

One quarter of the Work Horizons site is dedicated to helping people find purpose and meaning; it is that important.

We want to feel that we matter, what we are trying to achieve matters and there is something beyond the mundane.

Exercise

Physical exercise is great for both body and mind. We need to look after ourselves and, in doing so enhance our capabilities.

If we are fit and healthy it will enhance energy levels, ability to concentrate and work performance.

Relaxation

It isn’t imperative to live life by travelling at 100 mph, in everything we do. In fact, the reverse is true. Our wellbeing is improved if we can find time and succeed in being relaxed at times.

There are specific techniques in mindfulness to help us chill but relaxing isn’t a matter of doing nothing. It can be the contrasts of sport, TV, helping a charity or anything which appeals to you. These may even dovetail into your personal sense of purpose.

Focus

Do you have a butterfly mind? Are you easily distracted? Are there so many things happening at work that it isn’t possible to achieve anything? Do you allow priorities to vacillate? It maybe you have lost the art of concentration because of the noise the world around us creates.

Whatever the reason for our difficulties in maintaining focus, we need to regain it. Whether it is for work, family or other interests, focus is the glue which holds together our talent and intentions.

Eating well

Eating, and indeed drinking, will impact on our health and energy levels. There are a very large number of learned papers on this subject; and there are almost as many ‘experts’ pontificating. We could never read everything on this subject and so much of the advice seems to be contradictory, or to be a seasonal fad.

Having said that, we know what is good for us and that there needs to be some level of moderation.

Correcting and improving

Nobody is perfect, which is, after all, the point of this article.

We need to reflect on our behaviours and intentions to highlight areas to address. There may be subtle adjustments but there may be fundamental change, and we know all change is painful. It will only happen if we are committed and we know to what we are altering.

Thinking

Do not let life float by unconsidered. This drifts us in to the world of Socrates but is no less relevant because of that.

Left alone, 80% of our thoughts can be negative. This gives us a major opportunity to live in a better way. Watch for the slide into unhealthy thoughts of dislike, envy and scenarios which will probably never occur. More often than not, reality is nowhere as awful as we allow our imagination to assume.

Think about how to improve relationships, live life more fully, what matters to us and who can help get better. It can be cathartic and a ‘game-changer’.

Find out more

Take a tour and join Work Horizons or a read about becoming a partner