Big Idea #1: Feelings Behind the Cravings

Do you ever have that feeling that you’re just missing something in your life? Maybe it’s an ex-partner, maybe it’s a past phase of life you’ve experienced, or maybe you’re just feeling antsy in life and just off-purpose. You might find yourself wishing for something from the past, or just wishing for your life to be different somehow.

It might seem like you’re craving for something concrete to change in your life, but if you look a little deeper, you’ll see that it’s really a feeling that you’re craving.

Let’s look at breakups as an example. What do you miss most during a breakup? Yes, you might miss the person, but what is it that you miss about that person? Chances are, it’s the way they made you feel that you really miss. Let’s say you miss their laugh, or their awesome personality. Well how do you feel when you’re around them? Light, playful, joyful. These might be the feelings that you miss from the relationship. While in the relationship, you might have mainly gotten these feelings from your partner, and now in their absence you are missing and craving those emotions.

So now you can see that’s it’s not necessarily the person that you’re craving, but the feelings of lightness, playfulness and joy that they brought to your life. So to take control of your life, ask yourself:

How can I bring these feelings into my life in other ways?

What emotion am I craving, and how can I bring it into my life right now?

The same goes for feeling generally unfulfilled in your life. You might think you need more money, or a better job, or more friends to be happy. But look deeper: what are the feelings behind those things that you’re craving? And how can you create those feelings for yourself today? You don’t necessarily need those material items to feel a certain way. If money brings you a sense of security, for example, how can you create that feeling for yourself in a different way, today?

Big Idea #2: Creating Fulfillment and Purpose

One of the most common struggles that people have is figuring out how to live their purpose. But another struggle, just as common, is just figuring out what their purpose is in the first place!

Our purpose can change, and it’s really up to us to decide what our purpose is.

Our purpose isn’t something that’s set, that we have to hope that we one day “discover!”

We can try out different purposes throughout our lives to find what fits best. When I make THIS my purpose, how does life work? When I make THAT my purpose, how does my life work? When I have no purpose, how does my life work?

We can tap into great thinkers and mentors and see how they frame their purpose. Find inspiration from all sources, try making your purpose something concrete, or something more abstract like love, and then live from that place.

You might find that some parts are working and some aren’t. You can always keep what’s working and tweak the parts that aren’t; your purpose doesn’t have to be “all or nothing.”

When it comes to finding a purpose that works, it’s all about finding what brings you fulfillment. Remember above all that fulfillment comes from service. A sense of unfulfillment and lack of purpose usually means that we’re not aligned with our potential of being of service to others. Even if we’re doing what we’re passionate about, we might not feel truly fulfilled if we’re not serving others in some way, so look at your passions and see how they can be used to serve others in the world; then you’ll be on track to your purpose.

Big Idea #3: Being Right vs. Being Loved

Have you ever had a falling out with somebody you care about? It can be a really tricky and painful situation to navigate that space after a fallout, figuring out how to reconnect without getting hurt. Sharp or hurtful words might fly more easily than normal, so you really want to look at what’s most important to you before reconnecting with this person.

Ask yourself:

What is is that you really want out of this situation?

When you go into the situation with this other person, go with the intention of authentically expressing yourself, and try to detach from any particular outcome. This will help reduce the anxiety that you might feel. You don’t want to blame or judge or act from anger. Try to interact with that person from a place of love without expecting any certain result.

A great question to ask yourself is:

“Do you want to be right, or do you want to be loved?”

In a given situation with someone you care about, ask yourself this question. Are you trying to prove yourself in some way, or are you trying to create a healthy and loving relationship? And again, going back to the first big idea, what emotion are you craving and how can you create that in your life now?

HW + Action Steps!

As always, we’d love for you to share your personal favorite takeaways in the private Facebook group.