I know. Last month’s message to you was about manifesting, and how I manifested our beautiful poodle, Sylvie, into our family.
And now here I am, one month later, telling you we now have ANOTHER poodle—a PUPPY!
Meet Koda, the newest member of our little pack.
I’m not here to tell you that I manifested another poodle.
In fact, this blog isn’t about manifesting at all. It’s about having purpose and why it’s important for your health.
So let me get right to it—what is your purpose? Is it larger than yourself?
But first, back to Koda! This little guy came to be part of our family because of purpose.
One of a litter of seven, Koda, which is Native American for “little bear,” or “friend,” was rescued from what’s known as a “backyard breeder” along with his brothers and sisters, by For Pete’s Sake, a grassroots rescue organization in Bristol TN.
Backyard breeders are often unscrupulous, amateur animal breeders who have little regard for the health and welfare of the mom or the pups she’s forced to produce. Sadly, all of the pups in Koda’s litter contracted parvo, a highly contagious virus that is often deadly. One of Koda’s siblings did indeed succumb.
For Pete's Sake has no office or facility, only a band of dedicated volunteers and foster parents who foster as many as 5+ dogs, on top of the many they may already own! Koda was lucky enough to be nursed back to health by a caring foster family who did indeed already have 5+ dogs, a flock of turkeys and a handful of chickens.
I can’t stop thinking about how Koda and the remaining pups in his litter, as well as countless other poor, helpless animals all would have died without the dedicated work of the volunteers at For Pete’s Sake and other rescue organizations—clearly, saving animals is their purpose!
You might be thinking, “Sure, your puppy’s cute and all, but what does all this have to do with me and aging healthily?”
Purpose can add years to your life, and quality to those years, and several studies support this claim.
But first, what does having purpose actually mean?
Possessing a clear and meaningful goal for your life
A reason to get up in the morning
Involvement that makes a difference
Being connected to something greater than yourself
The why behind what you do
Your passion
People who have a values-based, joyful reason to get up in the morning are happier and healthier humans because of it:
Centenarians living in “Blue Zones,” the places in the world where people have longer, healthier lives have a strong sense of purpose throughout their lives.
It’s believed that this sense of purpose helps you to be less affected by the stressors in your life. Less stress ⟹ less inflammation ⟹ less likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis and stroke.
Purpose ⟹ better physical and mental health ⟹ greater life expectancy.
You might say your purpose is your job. If this is true, good for you! However, many of the people I talk with may be passionate about their paycheck, but not their job.
The folks at For Pete’s Sake don’t get paid a dime. They volunteer their homes, time and other resources because they are driven by a purpose larger than themselves— animal welfare.
I’m too busy taking care of my own life to think about puppies, purpose or passion. Plus I have bills to pay.
Fair enough. We all have financial responsibility, and maybe you have kids, an aging parent, a spouse with Alzheimer’s, or all of the above.
But what happens when you retire, your kids grow up or your loved one passes? What then?
I hear stories like this all the time:
“I don’t like my job, but without it, what would I do?”
“I've been a caregiver for the past ten years; now that my husband is gone, who am I?”
“I love playing tennis - competing was my purpose - but now I can no longer dash around the court like I used to. What now?”
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of identifying yourself by the job you have, who you take care of, or what you did when you were young - yet you are so much more.
Dig deep and ask yourself:
What is my purpose?
What makes me excited to get out of bed in the morning?
What am I passionate about?
Not sure? Reach out - I have a few spots open in my Vibrant Living Circle small group coaching program, and this is exactly the kind of stuff we talk about.
My purpose is helping YOU remain relevant, active and vibrant as you age.