"This too shall pass."

- saying in 12 Step recovery programs

Finding Direction - Purpose & Meaning

So many times my Higher Power, God, has such perfect timing, that I am awed by the experience. Here is an example:

I used to spend so much time reacting and responding to everyone else that my life had no direction. Other people's lives, problems, and wants set the course for my life. Once I realized it was okay for me to think about and identify what I wanted, remarkable things began to take place in my life. - Anonymous

We each have a life to live, one that has purpose and meaning. We can help our Higher Power give direction and purpose to our life by setting goals. We can set goals annually, monthly, or daily in times of crisis. Goals create direction and pace; goals help us achieve a manageable life that is directed in the course we choose for ourselves. We can help give our lives direction by setting goals.

Today, I will pay attention to setting a course of action for my life, rather than letting others control my life and affairs.

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

Comment: You may think I posted this because of the goal concept the meditation speaks to, but I didn't. I kinda even disagree with the concept the way it is presentedher, that we are our own ship's captain (I can explain that later) I posted it because of the part about one's life having purpose and meaning.

Lately I have wondered if my life had any purpose or meaning. Lately I have wondered why I couldn't see any purpose or meaning to my life. If I judge my life based on the world's ideas about purpose and meaning, then I can become a very depressed individual. It seems to me that based on that perspective, my life has no purpose or meaning. I can't say I have achieved very much in my numerous years. I can't say I have a lot to show for my life. I can't show you a wonderful career, or even a great job really right now. I can't show you a beautiful home, one that belongs on the cover of Architectual Digest or Design, as I had imagined when I was younger. I can't even show you a home I would consider inviting most people to...its a work in progress you see, and a big work it is. I can't show you a savings account or an IRA or stocks and bonds...well not anymore. I can't show you a handsome husband who works on Wall Street, or at least Tryon Street, or drop-dead gorgeous kids wearing the latest fashions. I can't show you the latest model of BM'er or Merc or Rolls, and I can't show you pictures of the vacation at Vale or the Alps, or a warmer location like the Bermuda, Jamaca, or Argentina.

I can't show you any of those things, so does my life have purpose and meaning? Ask God. He's really the one in charge, the one with the plan, the one calling the shots, the one with the direction map. I can make all the goals I want, and I know I need to set goals, and I do set goals, but God is the one in control, and I am just trying to get on the right road, going in the right direction. No, I can't show you a life that has purpose and meaning the way the world understands it, or the way I used to understand it for that matter. I can only show you a person who has failed more times than won, with more disappointment than triumph, with less this year than last, and who is just beginning to understand the real meaning of that age old saying "Life is a journey." All I know is that it truely is and mine has not turned out as expected. I won't die with the most toys, but maybe I will die with a little wisdom, some empathy for my fellow man, and a little compassion for myself. If I can do that, then I guess my life may have some meaning and purpose after all.