I’ve had a busy weekend, full of session appointments, massage appointments, house clearings, Tai Chi classes, finishing up school, and training at my new job. It’s Sunday night and I’m finally starting my weekly words of, ahem, wisdom, lol, this week. I’ve finished classes for massage school, only one more final and one more clinical class to go until I’m done for good. I have also finished my field training for my new job at Indiana University Police Department. By next weekend I’ll be done with all of it. I’ll be on a regular schedule at work, be ready to take my MBLEX for my massage license, and things will slow down a bit. I feel like Frodo after he destroyed the ring. It is done. Haha.
In a way, I wonder what’s next. I still have about six months of training yet to finish up my four-year degree in Acupressure. Then the future is open, the sky is clear, the possibilities are endless. I’ll have finished all I’ve started in the last couple of years. I will work, and take clients – if they come see me, lol.
What will be my next goal? What will I achieve next? Where else can I go?
I’m sure you’ve surmised that I love to listen to people who promote discipline, determination, focus, growth, and constant improvement. I watch YouTube videos by guys like Jocko Willink, David Goggins, Jordan Peterson, and others. I listen to Audible books about developing new habits, healing, self-improvement, and such.
Since I’m reaching the end of my current goals, today’s topic is about purpose.
Purpose.
Some people only push themselves when they are in training for a goal. They only run when preparing for a race. They only practice their trade when they are up for a contest. They only paint when they are on a deadline to show their work at a gallery. They only play when they have a concert or a recital.
You don’t need a purpose for your life.
You don’t need a goal to aspire to.
You don’t need a dream to achieve.
You don’t need an award to win.
You don’t need a championship to play toward.
You don’t need a race to train for.
Just perform.
Perform because it’s who you are.
Perform because it’s the only way to live.
Perform because you desire to see what you can achieve when you have nothing to gain but gain itself.
Perform because mediocrity sucks.
Perform because average is boring.
YOU are the purpose.
In police work, the military, special forces, and the like there is a saying. The more you sweat in training, the less you’ll bleed in combat. Train as if your life depends on it, because one day it might, and you train because you hope that day never comes. There was a poster hanging at the makeshift gym at Evansville Police Headquarters that showed a prison gym and a tattooed prisoner doing pullups. The caption read, “Every day you don’t train, someone else is.” It was meant to remind policemen that there is no excuse for being lazy or complacent. One day, you might encounter that guy who has been training all day every day in prison for the chance to meet you. And he’s not going back to jail. You have to make him. Are you enough?
Have you convinced yourself that you only need to run if you are preparing for a half-marathon? You only need to go to the gym if you are training for a bodybuilding contest or a powerlifting contest? Do you only study if you have a test coming up?
What if you don’t?
What if you never train, or study, or work on yourself, or become better than who you are today? Will you be enough when tough times show at your doorstep? Will you be ready?
Are you constantly testing yourself and preparing yourself for when you really need to discover who you really are and what you can do?
There was a meme floating around Facebook a few years ago that showed a black and white photo from the great depression. It showed a mother tilling her dust bowl garden. The caption read, “Soon, some of you will discover why your grandmother washed her aluminum foil, sewed her own clothes, and canned her own food.” She learned because she was challenged.
Are you challenged?
Are you in a continuous state of discovering who you are? Do you already know who you are? Could you be more?
In 1987 my first karate instructor told me (he was a Vanderburgh County Sheriff Deputy) that he runs 5 miles every day because he never knows when he might need to run 5 blocks. He didn’t have a race to prepare for. He didn’t have to compete against other athletes. He trained because training was what he did. He was always prepared.
I read books all the time. I read several books at the same time. I always want to learn more. I exercise every day, not because I need to compete. Because I don’t want to compete. I’ve already competed in karate tournaments and powerlifting competitions. I’ve done it already. Now I only want to improve on what I did the day before.
Every day should be a challenge. Every day should be an improvement. I shared an article on Facebook today about seven Japanese concepts that improve your life. One of those concepts was called Kaizen. It means always seeking improvement. If you improve only 1% each day, you will always get better over any given length of time.
Seek that 1%. Do it not because you are forced to. Do because becoming better is your DNA. Improve in any endeavor because you know no other way. Seek to destroy and rebuild yourself every single day. It is truly the only way you will ever know yourself completely. When you understand who you are and what you can do, your confidence will grow to unfathomable heights.
Seek constant improvement.
It doesn’t have to be about fitness or reading books or learning. It could be about becoming better at a hobby, a trade, art, music, chess, writing. You are already good at something. Do you know what that is?
Find it. Suck at it for a while. Then get better at it. Push yourself. You will be honestly surprised what you can accomplish when you ARE the purpose for your daily toil.
You don’t need a goal or a purpose to work toward improvement.
YOU are the purpose.
YOU are the purpose.
Weeg
Joe “Weeg” Weigant is a Holistic Health Practitioner, Metaphysician, and Empowerment Coach. He combines bodywork, energy work, sound therapy, and coaching to relieve anxiety and depression. A balanced nervous and energy system increases health in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies. Joe encourages his clients to drop the white flag of victimhood and pick up the banner of empowerment. He inspires people to stop riding in life’s trunk and start sitting in the driver’s seat of destiny.
Weeg sells herbal products by Nature’s Sunshine and Pure Herbs Ltd. and is a Representative for Juice Plus. Weeg teaches Karate and Tai Chi, Reiki Certification, as well as seminars and workshops in metaphysical and spiritual matters. Weeg is available for sessions at Tri State Holistic Wellness by appointment only.
Contact by text 812.568.5356, or Facebook Messenger to set an appointment.
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