When it feels like your life is going nowhere, it can feel like things are out of control. These are the times when it’s easy to fall into despair because you feel helpless and directionless. However, a principle known as alignment suggests that finding balance by listening to what gives you joy and finding your internal happiness will unlock your potential. The purpose of alignment is to help you focus on yourself rather than on what hasn’t worked out.
Where do you start with alignment?
To live your best life, you don’t need to know what your “best life” looks like. There isn’t a specific unattainable vision you need to stress over. But you can take some time to reflect on the state of your life to see what you can align to ensure you become your best self.
1. Soul searching
The first question to ask yourself is who you are as a person. Call yourself to a meeting and ponder about what makes you tick. Are you curious about the world? Are you someone who loves trying new and exciting things? Or someone who likes to sit still and just be? Regardless of where you feel the most at peace, that’s a great place to start your journey. For example, if you’re a curious person who is eager to learn, you can start reading about a new thing you haven’t read about. Look at your career, if you’re passionate about it, what’s the latest innovation in your industry that you can learn about? If you’re a daredevil, work up to something you’ve never done before from eating frog’s legs to sky diving. But first, find that kernel of your personality that makes you unique. Different Types Of Curiosity And How You Can Nurture It In Children And Yourself
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2. Find your why
Once you’ve established the kind of person you are, look at why they give you joy or peace. Establishing these principles helps you identify the best paths to take when you start improving your life. They also help you identify the best way to start your journey to alignment. You can look at what gives you the most satisfaction when you put effort into it. Are you someone who is gratified by building something or performing acts of kindness for others? Mental Wellness: How Play Can Help Adults Find Joy
3. Redefine your vision
Part of the reason why you feel lost is because you placed goals in your life that can’t have an expiration date. You told yourself, that you should have been a multimillionaire at 30, or that you’ll be a father by the time you’re 42, or that you’ll have gotten your dream job at 25. These actions don’t have set dates when they should come true and they could never come true at all. Success can’t be measured by such nebulous goals and it needs to be directed more inward for more successful alignment. Listening to your inner self helps you chart life without looming deadlines and unattainable goals that rely on forces outside your power. Shift your vision of success to what makes you feel at peace, happy, and fulfilled.
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4. Start your journey
A common mistake many dreamers make is to wait for the opportune moment to start doing what they want. Say after soul searching, you realised that you’re someone who has a passion for making things with your hands. Your greatest joy comes from cooking for others. You then start learning different recipes but only by watching others do it. You never get into your kitchen and just start trying because you’re waiting to afford the perfect cookware. However, alignment doesn’t wait for perfection. It just needs you to start. If you have budget constraints, work with them. Don’t resent them or try to work against them or go into debt. You can also document your journey with a blog or journal to see how much progress you’re making. Don’t have an end goal. Be someone who just loves food and possibilities will open up for you.
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5. Be holistic
When working on your joy, you focus on your spirit or your mind. However, you can’t neglect the rest of you. Finding what gives you peace is just one part of the journey. For complete alignment, you need to work on your physical body too. Find a way to maintain your physical health without it sucking the joy out of you. Don’t force yourself to run or join a gym because it drains you and leaves you unmotivated. Try doing it with a community where you try different activities. If you’re an introvert, follow an online workout routine that leaves you happy. Remember to also hydrate and eat a balanced diet while also indulging in treats moderately.
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You should also focus on your mental health. A healing journey is just as important when it comes to alignment. Find actionable ways to deal with whatever you’re struggling with. The same principle against waiting applies here too. Don’t wait for a cosmic miracle. If you can’t afford to see professionals, you can start with friends or free counsellors who can start you on a journey to healing.
Enjoy making yourself look good. Treat your hair like a crown, take care of your skin like it’s a treasure, trim your nails, and get mani-pedis or full body massages. Dress your body like it’s being presented to a high-end fashion show. There are also many benefits of dressing up including boosting confidence, mood, and improved mental health.
Benefits of Alignment
Alignment helps you unlock your best self. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you want to pursue or are not yet in a position to achieve your dreams. Pursuing your best self helps unlock paths that were otherwise hidden from you. Becoming the happiest, healthiest or most healed version of yourself means becoming the best version of yourself for you, rather than external goals.
According to Psychology Today, alignment helps you let go of control and let yourself grow with your natural flow. Finding harmony means listening to yourself. Seeking the things that energise you and give you joy. Look at change as an opportunity for growth rather than something to rub against. For example, if you got retrenched, take the time to upskill or apply for those roles you’d always been eyeing. Lean on your support systems as you transition, the way you’d want them to lean on you so that the community around you becomes stronger.
Alignment puts you in balance with what you want and what you can do. It helps you unlock what is fulfilling and reset what isn’t. This helps you become a person more at peace with the world and makes it become a better place for yourself then, eventually, for others.
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