Three Steps for Finding Purpose and Why It Matters

As I opened my front door on a recent May morning, I was greeted by the welcoming sight of two small, dark eyes and a tiny head. She was up above me, by the light on our porch, sitting in her nest, devotedly protecting and warming her eggs. I had seen a flurry of activity over the past month — a scuttering of wings back and forth, day after day, as she built this nest, an architectural feat balancing on the tip of the lamp post. I have observed this activity for at least five years now, each spring delighting in this bird returning (is it the same one?) to build her nest and care for her eggs. Each year I am fortunate enough to see the young baby birds poke their heads out of the nest once hatched, and one time I watched as one was on the ground, learning to fly. Each spring day when I walk out my door now, I marvel at the dedication of this mother bird as she sits on her eggs, hour after hour, day after day, because some instinct of life is guiding her to do so. This steady cycle of nature, of the continuing of the life cycle, is especially comforting to me at this time of immense change, uncertainty, and tremendous loss for so many. It made me pause to think about what it is that I might tend to each day, what am I being guided to do that aligns with some deeper blueprint of what matters most. I find myself asking: What deep values are we driven by, what will we nurture, guard fiercely, and return to year after year no matter the circumstances?  What deeper purpo...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Happiness Mindfulness Motivation and Inspiration Self-Help Gratitude stress reduction Source Type: blogs