Brilliant Aging

I’m still thinking about the difference between finding or creating yourself through daily thoughts and actions.

Research exploring the value of living with passion describes two different mindsets.

A fixed mindset believing we are born with innate passions and interests, and a growth mindset rooted in the belief that passion and interests are developed over time.

Which one better describes your mindset about passion and purpose?

I know people who can immediately answer the question “what are you passionate about?”, and others who feel almost frozen by the question – wait, wait, I should know this!

To get a better handle on creating a life of passion and purpose, start paying close attention to the overall rhythm of your life.

If you generally feel energized or in a state of “flow” – where time flies and energy multiplies - then you’re very likely leveraging your unique strengths and gifts in daily life.

However, if the demands of everyday life at work and home have created more of an unintentional lifestyle inertia - one that propels you from day to day with little joy or enthusiasm - it’s time to re-evaluate.

Start paying close attention to the things both large and small that feel energizing.

Do certain tasks consistently put you in a state of positive flow while other tasks seem to suck the life out of you – leaving you drained of energy and motivation.

What about people? How much of your day is spent around those who are emotionally uplifting versus draining?

In a perfect world we could choose to only spend time on energizing tasks or with energizing people.

But in the real world we can at least pay attention to what ignites motivation and sparks flow, or drains energy and feels like struggling against a current.

Edit whatever you can by either changing your exposure to these tasks or people, or by consciously changing your perception of them. Then seek every opportunity, even in small ways, to tip the scale towards more positive thoughts and experiences - towards flow.

One of my favorite sources for inspiring stories and thoughts about aging with purpose and passion is an organization called Growing Bolder. Check them out here: https://growingbolder.com/

And as always, I invite you to visit Brilliant Aging for practical tools on creating your life of intention: https://www.brilliantaging.com/ignite-personal-vitality

Creating intentions and setting goals are great first steps to shifting away from bad habits that pull us back into comfortable routines.

To bridge the gap between intentions and actions, start with small, consistent changes that you can sustain for one week.

This could include taking the stairs instead of the elevator, standing up while talking on the phone, or performing physical activity every hour on the hour.

Small exercise 'deposits' like chair crunches, ankle circles, or reach and squeeze to help with posture. (in the video we shared below) can add up over time and help you form healthy habits that support your physical dimension of wellness.

Visit the Brilliant Aging blog for more wellness inspiration: https://www.brilliantaging.com/kays-blog

Vitality Spotlights® - Reach & Squeeze This is "Vitality Spotlights® - Reach & Squeeze" by kay van norman on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

If improved health is one of your 2023 goals, take a moment to consider how balanced your life is in all areas of well-being.

It’s helpful to visualize well-being as a Wellness Wheel with each dimension or “spoke” – physical, social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and vocational – carrying a share of the load on your path to lifelong vitality.

This "Wellness Wheel" video describes - in under 2 minutes - how to draw your own wellness wheel.

Start by listing both deposits (things supporting wellbeing) or withdrawals (things diminishing wellbeing) that you’re habitually making in each dimension of health.

Now draw your personal wellness wheel with the size of each spoke representing how well, or poorly, it contributes to overall wellbeing.

Are you making lots of deposits into your intellectual wellbeing, but almost no deposits into physical wellbeing? Then your intellectual spoke would be large and your physical spoke would be very small.

As you continue the process in each dimension, most people come up with a pretty lopsided wheel or may find that they’re missing an entire spoke.

Once you realize which spokes aren’t carrying their share of the load, you can take steps to make more deposits where needed for a more balanced life.

Remember, even small choices made day after day can have a profound impact on your life. Check-in on your wellness wheel several times a year to consciously build and maintain a balanced life.

Feel free to share your wellness wheel with me at [email protected].

Visit Brilliant Aging for more tips to keep your wheel balanced!

Check Your Wellness Wheel This is "Check Your Wellness Wheel" by kay van norman on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.