A few years ago my life felt totally out of alignment. I was working too much, I wasn’t making time to have fun, I wasn’t exercising as much as I used to, I wasn’t eating well, and I wasn’t taking enough time off.
At the time, I didn’t really think about my life as being out of alignment. I just knew that nothing felt very good and my life didn’t feel as if it was flowing or moving forward in a joyful way. In fact it kind of felt like I was just going through the motions – the same motions I’d been going through over the past several years. I was stuck and it didn’t feel very good at all. I could feel it in my body – my back hurt all the time, I felt stiff and out of whack.
One day I was attending a local networking event and a woman I knew mentioned that she was doing a series of Feng Shui workshops. My ears perked up at that because I’d always been fascinated by Feng Shui but never really delved into it. Maybe this was the spark I needed to learn something new and have some fun! So I let my instincts take over and signed up on the spot.
I thoroughly enjoyed the workshops and along the way discovered that the Feng Shui consultant was also an intuitive that did angel card readings. My curiosity got the best of me so I did a few readings with her and found that her gifts were spot on and accurate.
This began my journey of alignment with my Life Purpose.
What does it mean to be in Alignment with your Life Purpose?
When you are in alignment with your life purpose, it feels as if you actually have a purpose. You are doing something that matters to other people – something that makes a difference in other people’s lives.
One of the things that keeps people out of alignment with their purpose is their obsession with “keeping up with the Joneses”. Many don’t even realize they’re doing it. For myself, the obsession was acquiring my dream home. We’ve owned several homes over the years, and each one seemed to be a progression to the house I really wanted – my dream home. You know the one – open concept, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, big closet.
Guess what? I finally got my dream home! And guess what? Nothing changed with how I was feeling about my life. Sure, I wake up every morning and give thanks for this beautiful home, but it didn’t bring me any closer to feeling as if I have a purpose that really matters.
Now I’m not saying that this purpose has to be your full-time job. I could be as simple as volunteering at the local food shelf to help those who can’t afford to put food on the table every day.
In my case, I knew I was helping lots and lots of people through our membership websites for cleaning business owners, and through our marketing agency. We’ve gotten tons of feedback and testimonials over the years to prove that. But for me, the personal connection was missing. I need to have more personal relationships with people so I can help them on a deeper level.
Alignment includes more than just being in alignment with your life purpose. Alignment also equals Balance in all areas of your life. There are eight general categories to consider:
- 1. Career
- 2. Money
- 3. Physical Environment
- 4. Body & Health
- 5. Friends & Family
- 6. Romance & Significant Other
- 7. Spirituality & Personal Growth
- 8. Fun & Recreation
You will never have perfect alignment across all 8 categories, and there will be times that one or two categories need more attention than the rest. And that’s ok, as long as you don’t let it keep you unbalanced or out of alignment for too long.
Alignment Challenges
Here are some common alignment challenges that I’ve dealt with over the years and I’ll venture to guess that you’ve dealt with some of these same challenges.
1. Not Exercising Enough.
During the years I fell out of alignment, my body definitely felt out of balance. Plagued with constant back pain, it was hard to focus during the work day, which made me less productive and frustrated.
A friend recommended yoga, so one day I finally started looking to see what yoga studios were near my home. It was a Sunday morning and the first one I looked up was having a Beginner’s Yoga Class that very afternoon. Can you say, “Divine Guidance”?
One day in that class and I was hooked! If you experience body stiffness or pain, I highly recommend yoga. There are plenty of online videos if you want to test it out, just be sure to do beginner classes because you don’t need to do the advanced poses to feel better.
2. Not Eating Right.
I don’t have to explain what this means – you know. Like many people, I go through spurts of eating healthier but then fall back into old habits. And I’m not saying I’m perfect at healthy eating by any stretch of the imagination. But my motto is, if you fall off the horse, get back on.
The way I got started on a more balanced path was to make a commitment to eat vegetables with every lunch and dinner (and sometimes breakfast if I make a smoothie). You have to make a commitment like this and stick with it for at least 30 days so you can make it a habit. Nowadays, I feel guilty if I don’t get my servings of veggies in. Plus, when we see we don’t have enough vegetables on hand for the next days meals, it prompts us to get to the store to stock up.
It just takes one first step like that to get you thinking about food in a healthier way. Go ahead and make the commitment. I dare you!
3. Bored From Not Learning Anything New
I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post that I jumped at the chance to participate in a Feng Shui workshop. It was a topic that excited me and held my interest as I learned more with each class. And during the week it gave me something to look forward to – because if you don’t have anything to look forward to, what’s the point of working so hard?
If you find you’re spending most of your days working and then going home to watch TV at night, it’s time to bring more alignment into your life by finding something to get excited about. For my husband Steve, it’s Pickleball. He’s borderline obsessed! But it makes me happy to see him excited about something other than work, and something that keeps him in shape too!
4. Not Starting Your Day in Alignment
I always thought it was so wonderful to work at home. I still believe that, but for a long time, working from home took over my morning routine.
The minute I got up in the morning I headed for the kitchen to have a quick breakfast, make my coffee and head right into the office to check my email and start my day. I would take a break to shower after an hour or so, and then dive right back in to work. It never felt like I had a chance to just “be”.
When I’d had enough I decided to start a brand new routine, and I’m happy to say that Steve decided to join me so we could have time together in the morning. Like many people, we start out with 10-20 minutes of meditation. We have a couple more things like exercise that we add to the routine, then have breakfast and a few minutes to read something inspirational. It’s a much more relaxing and meaningful way to start each day and we feel much more aligned since doing this.
5. Not Having Enough Fun
A couple years ago a friend of mine was about to celebrate her 50th birthday. She was feeling much the way I was – out of alignment with her life. So instead of wallowing in the challenges she faced, she decided to have a party!
But this wasn’t like most parties. She asked her friends to write down something fun they would like to do with her. Every single person at the party had something in mind and made it a point to put it on their calendars. So she spent the next year experiencing all sorts of fun things that she never would have imagined doing – like participating in a flash mob and driving her dream car.
The result? She created an entire program and workshop called 50 Fun Things that has taken off like wildfire. She now helps people just like her bring more fun and joy into their lives to ensure that their “Fun & Recreation” category mentioned above is filled with enjoyable activities to keep that part of their lives in alignment.
Are You Ready to Align Your Life?
One of the things I do as a Higher Guidance Life Coach is to help you align your life so you can feel better about yourself and your purpose.
I was out of alignment for a good part of my life and it’s only been within the past few years that I took steps to turn that around. Don’t go as long as I did before doing something about it.
Your conscious mind and limiting beliefs are keeping you stuck. But when I help you connect to your Higher Guidance, you will have more clarity about the steps to take to move forward.
Learn more about Higher Guidance Life Coaching and how I can guide you to making the right decisions about your life and your path in life.
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