In the first part, I mentioned that a podcast host, Cathy Heller said that the opposite of depression is purpose. This idea really stuck to my mind because I completely agree with it and understand it. It’s not the people with the biggest problems or in the hardest situations that go into depression. It’s the people without a purpose in life, those who don’t have something to look forward to. More of my thoughts on it below!
If I ask you what is your purpose in life, what would you answer be? What are your goals, your ambitions?
Some people want to live the American dream and raise their children in the best possible way. Others want to travel the world and explore all that’s in it. Some want to build up a business and grow their own brand. And a handful who want to hold a steady job for 30 years and look towards retirement. It doesn’t matter which category you fall into here or if you have a category that’s not on here. What matters is that you have a purpose; you have a goal that you want to work towards.
Having a purpose or goal in life will encourage you to wake up every day and show up. Although some days might be bad, there will still be hope about the future. People who go into depression don’t see that light at the end of the tunnel. They don’t see a reason to keep going or have hope things will get better. No matter how bad the situation you are in now, you have to build up the courage to know that better days will come. Having something to look forward to and work for is one of the best things to keep you going. It gives you that will and desire to live and to see it become fruitful.
Call to Action:
If you don’t have any specific goals in life, I want you to do this exercise with me! Write down the answers to these questions honestly and review them. Once you are done, write down 3 goals that you will like to achieve in the next year and in the next 5 years.
- What makes you happy?
- What is important to you?
- Where do you see yourself in the future?
- What makes your day worth?
- What are you good at/what skills do you have?
- Is there a skill you would like to learn or master?
- Talk to your spouse/family and see if all these values and ideas align.
- Review everything you wrote down and plan small goals around it!
If you have not read the first part of this, check it out here!
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