Taking the first step toward finding more happiness and abundance
We’ve all been there, haven’t we?
Saying “yes” to everything for fear of missing out and then feeling pulled in a million different directions with all the commitments, hobbies, and social events?
It’s not like we don’t know at the moment of saying “yes” that it’s going to stretch us thinner than we already are.
After doing it for months in a row, it started to wear on me. Things which would normally excite me started to feel like chores. Activities I was usually jazzed about left me feeling drained and tired. There was just too much going on, and I knew I was drowning in overwhelm, but I didn’t know how to get out of it.
I was finally able to break free when I jumped on a plane to Japan, but the process of dragging myself out of the mess I had created had started long before that.
How to start swimming and not drown in the sea of overwhelm
Knowing that you are overwhelmed and not doing anything about it is a sure shot way of getting burned out. Trust me, I’ve been through the whole burn-out and recovery shtick.
Since then, I’ve tried to puzzle out what led me down the path to overwhelm and burnout, and I believe I have come up with a hypothesis.
I realized that everything I said “yes” to sucked away a little bit of my energy. And because I had said yes to so many things, my energy was being channeled in a hundred different directions. Which meant that I wasn’t able to focus on the things that really mattered to me.
On the other hand, if I had focused my time and attention on things that were truly meaningful to me, that were in alignment with my life’s purpose, I would have felt more energized and been happier.
I know, I know, easy to say and all that, right? But hear me out.
When you start saying “no” to things that are not in alignment with your life purpose and start focusing on the things that are, you suddenly find that you’re less overwhelmed. And that is a wonderful feeling — knowing that you are in full control of your life and you’re crushing the tasks that are getting you closer to achieving your goals and dreams.
But how do you find your life purpose in the first place?
Finding your “life’s purpose” sounds like absolute BS, right? Like something a stoned hippie would say to you when you accidentally find yourself at a party that you never meant to go to?
But that’s not the kind of life purpose I’m talking about. It’s more about knowing what you truly want from life and then going after it with purpose.
Right now, you may feel like you’re drowning in overwhelm and don’t know how to get out, and that’s normal. Without recognizing that you’re overwhelmed, how do you start getting yourself out of it? How do you start your journey toward finding out what you truly want from life?
I’ve always believed that if I got myself into a situation, I could get myself out of it. And make no mistake, getting overwhelmed is our own doing. But it’s very liberating to know that you can do stuff to stop being so overwhelmed too. It’s not always easy, and you might not get it right on the first try. But you can push through all that overwhelm and live the life that you wish you could.
Believe me, it’s possible. I mean, I got myself out of a nurse practitioner job working 80+ hours every week, have traveled to seventeen countries and lived in ten in the last three years, and now make a full time living online. If I can do that, you can too.
But it starts with taking that all-important first step. That is why I want to help start you off with something fun and energetic, which can also serve as the first step towards discovering your life’s purpose.
Introducing “The Which Harry Potter Character Am I” quiz
That caught you off guard, didn’t it?
And don’t lie, you’d love to take that quiz, wouldn’t you? I would too (I’m nerdy like that).
The Harry Potter quiz is fun and is great to share with your friends and geek out over. But it’s right on the edge of frivolity, right up there with Pokemon Go and Candy Crush. How the hell would that get you any closer to discovering your life’s purpose?
Well, at its heart, the Harry Potter quiz is a personality quiz that tells you which popular character you share personality traits with. Sure, knowing you’re as clever and intelligent as Hermione might give you the warm fuzzies, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
There are other, more serious quizzes out there, which dive deeper into your psyche and reveal secrets that not even your closest friends would know. Some of them are eerily accurate (but not in a creepy kind of way), describing personality traits that make you go, “what the f…”
Maybe you’ve heard of some of them — Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder, etc. If not, you’ve surely come across the terms INTJ or ENFP or the likes, right?
No? Okay, maybe I’m just geeking out because I freakin’ love them!
Not only are they a fun way to pass a good 20-30 minutes on a slow day, but they’re also quite insightful too. These tests not only provide you with a list of behaviors based on your personality, they usually offer suggestions to harness these personality traits to accomplish your goals or deal with problems.
A simple example would be of an introvert, who feels awkward at a party where everyone is drinking and dancing. After the party, this person would definitely feel exhausted and would start wondering, “Is something wrong with me? All my friends seem to enjoy the party but…”
Had she known she had an introverted personality type, she would have recognized that parties are not the place for her to feel good at. Being in loud, active environments can actually drain her energy much faster. That doesn’t mean she should avoid them or beat herself up about it, but she could spend some time alone immediately afterward. That would recharge her energy right up.
It might sound like a small step; and honestly, it is. But that’s all you need right now. Taking personality quizzes might not hand you your life’s purpose with a ribbon on top, but they are a fun starting point for discovering what it might be. As you discover more about your personality and act in alignment with it, you’ll start feeling like you’re finally getting yourself out of all that overwhelm.
Think of it as an adventure, like the ones Harry and his friends usually ended up in. Sure, the journey can be difficult and sometimes, downright dangerous. But in the end, it’s all leading up to a happy ending. In that way, these personality quizzes are like a treasure map, leading you from one clue to the next, and getting you closer to living a happier, more fulfilling life.
I thought it would be fun to get you started with your very own treasure map, so I’ve created a special quiz for you. Click here to take the Personality Development Character quiz and take your first step toward discovering your life’s purpose.
PS – If you love the Harry Potter book as much as I do, leave a comment letting me know who your favorite character is. Let’s start a nerdy discussion in the comments, because the nerds shall inherit the earth.
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