Three Steps for Discovering the Purpose of Your Life

Happiness can come from living in our own purpose. Determining what our purpose is in life can be one of the hardest questions that we as humans ever try to answer. I'd like to offer a step-by-step process for exploring your feelings and options. When you finish reading, you should have a fairly solid tool you can immediately employ in your life, enjoy more happiness, and help give you a meaningful direction!

There are three steps to the process of discovering the purpose of your life:

1. Understanding the principle of choice

2. Creating your “underlying principle”

3. Aligning your life with this underlying principle

Understanding The Principle of Choice

Norman Vincent Peale has this to say about the power of choice. “The greatest power we have is the power of choice. It is an actual fact, that if you have been groping under unhappiness, you can choose to be joyous, instead. And, by effort, lift yourself into joy. If you tend to be fearful, you can overcome that misery by choosing to have courage. The whole trend and the quality of anyone’s life is determined by the choices that are made”.

“Choosing” is the most important activity of your mind, because by making a choice, you are proclaiming your desires to your subconscious mind. Once the subconscious mind gets to know your desires, it is going to do anything to manifest them in your life. The choices you make in your life become your goal. And, if you are sincere in pursuing them, there is no reason why you should not accomplish them.

Indecision, on the other hand, not only creates frustration and anxiety, but can also confuse the subconscious mind about what you want. But it is important that the choices you make are made by you, in accordance with your true desires, purposes and aptitude. A lot of us let others make choices for us, or make our choices according to what we think is "correct," even if that means that we go against our wishes. What is right for someone else may not be right for you, and the way to know this is listening to what your heart says.

So, to begin with, make a list of things which interest you; things that you have always enjoyed, make you feel better, inspire you to surge ahead (no matter what obstacles you face). Do you like doing something creative, or something artistic? Do you enjoy nature? Do you like the sea? Do you enjoy helping others? Do you get pleasure out of making a difference in other people’s life?

Whatever it is that interests you, write it down and answer these questions:

• What thing do you love to do?

• What is it that you love in this thing and why?

• How could you do this for money, and make a living out of it?

Creating Your Underlying Principle

The next step is to examine the list you just made and find out if there is any recurring theme. Maybe, it is the contribution that keeps coming up, or an effect to seek or give love, or helping your parents cope with old age. Whatever it is, try to identify the central theme of the things you love to do, and try to put it in a short and precise statement. This will be your ‘Mission Statement’. It may even be a quote by a famous person, or a philosophy that has influenced you. Of course, as life changes, this statement could evolve, but its soul will remain the same. Now, write down your Mission Statement.

"Make your life a mission -- not an intermission." – Arnold H. Glasgow, American Psychologist

Aligning Your LIFE With Your Underlying Principle

The final step in this journey is to map your path to your ultimate purpose and to begin implementing changes that help to align your daily life with happiness and your underlying purpose. By making these little changes in your lifestyle, you will start to be able to begin living this principle out each and every day. It might take a few days, but by becoming aware and intentional of this underlying principle of your life, you will certainly start to feel the difference in your enthusiasm for life as a whole. If you realize that you love being amidst nature, plan out your holiday. Maybe an outing with your children could be enough to recoup with your energy. If you discover that you enjoy helping those in need, start to look for opportunities to volunteer in your community. On the other hand, you might even want to change your job, or start a new business that is more in line with your mission.

You Don't Have to Do It Alone

Join my Best Me in 2023 Facebook community for encouragement, inspiration, and motivation to live out your mission statement. We also focus on how we care for ourselves by supporting healthy eating habits, engaging our bodies, getting adequate rest, and reducing stress and anxiety. We're all about being happy, mentally fit, emotionally strong, and feeling our best.

xoxo

Nelea R. Lane, CMWC The Happy Juice Chick

Founder Legacy Wellness Entrepreneurs

Eat your Stress Away with these Stress-Fighting Foods.

When you’re stressed out, the foods that you’re turning to are most likely going to be traditional "comfort" foods – think big meals, take-out, fatty foods, sweet foods, and alcohol. Let’s face it – we’ve all found some comfort in a tasty meal and a bottle of beer or glass of wine when we’ve been stressed out or upset about something. You don't need me to tell you these eating habits aren't the best solution for coping with stress.

When you’re turning to unhealthy foods you can feel soothed temporarily, but in the long run, you will feel worse. (Sometimes within 10 minutes.) When your body isn’t getting the right nutrition, you can begin to feel less energetic, more lethargic, and in some cases less able to concentrate and focus. All of this can lead to even more stress.

Foods that Fight Stress

If you’ve been feeling more stressed out than usual lately, it’s important to know which foods are best to choose and which to avoid when it comes to combating stress and helping you to deal with feelings of stress and anxiety. The best way to fight stress is to have a healthy, balanced diet which includes a moderate amount of each of the different food groups.

Filling up on foods such as whole grains, leafy vegetables, and lean proteins as the basic staples of your diet is the best way to ensure that your body gets the optimum amounts of nutrients to fight both physical and mental health problems. When it comes to choosing the foods to eat, some have a range of great properties which help the body to combat stress. Choosing these stress-busting foods will help to heal and calm your mind permanently, rather than providing a temporary fix.

Putting Together Your Diet Plan

Planning your meals wisely is key to not only staying physically fit and healthy, but also to staying mentally strong and being able to best manage your levels of stress. Knowing which foods to avoid and which are the best to reach for to snack on when you’re feeling worried and anxious is important to helping you get control over how you handle your emotions and fears.

When you’re feeling stressed, you may be tempted to reach for classic "comfort foods" – usually foods which are laden with sugar, very starchy, or greasy. However, although these foods can make you feel momentarily better, they will actually make you feel worse in the long run.

"Cravings are not about food. Cravings are about stress." – Melissa Hartwig

Having stress-busting snacks such as fresh berries, dark chocolate, yogurt, walnuts or pistachios, or even a fruit smoothie with avocado and leafy greens in it can help you to feel better in both the short and long term when it comes to stress. When it comes to combating and dealing with stress in the long run, it’s important to make sure that for the most part, you are eating a diet which is healthy and balanced.

In order to stay on track, it’s a good idea to make a meal plan for your week and plan ahead to make sure that you have a good selection of these stress-busting foods in your kitchen to make meals and snacks from when you’re feeling like stress-eating. Making sure that the majority of your meals include foods such as lean proteins and leafy green vegetables will not only make you feel healthier overall, but can improve your mental health and stress levels, too.

Stress-Busting Menu Ideas

A good example of a healthy, stress-busting menu would be:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries or a fruit smoothie with avocado and berries

Mid-morning snack: Natural yogurt with fruit or a handful of pistachio nuts

Lunch: A whole-grain pasta salad filled with plenty of leafy greens

Afternoon snack: Dark chocolate

Dinner: Grass-fed beef with vegetables

Before bed: Chamomile tea

Of course, you don’t need to stick to this menu – but it gives you a good idea of where to begin! Remember to exercise good portion control when eating foods such as nuts, chocolate, yogurt or avocado! As the saying goes, you are what you eat – so make sure that first and foremost, you’re filling yourself up with foods which are good for your mental health.

Convenient Nutrition for Stress

When your body isn’t getting the right nutrition, you can begin to feel less energetic, more lethargic, and in some cases less able to concentrate and focus. All of this can lead to even more stress. Understanding your diet and how your emotions and mental well-being relate to food and nutrition is the first step. Accepting that we might need more help than a diet change is also crucial as it relates to mental well being and a healthy gut. Convenient nutritional products that I keep on hand at all times are plant-based protein powders, SuperFood, and SuperSeed, and adrenal support to supplement my diet choices and flood my body with nutrition every chance I get. You can get those here: Buy Now.

xoxo

Nelea Lane, CMWC

Make Snickerdoodle Chocolate Nut Bark in an Instant Pot

Use your Instant Pot as a Double Boiler to make Snickerdoodle Chocolate Nut Bark.

I'm definitely not a chocolatier but this recipe was certainly intriguing when I saw it. I'd never thought of using my Instant Pot as a double boiler to melt chocolate for making sweets.

One batch of this Snickerdoodle Chocolate But Bark is the perfect amount for a Christmas tin to give as a gift to friends and neighbors.

You'll be suprised at how easy it is to make. All you need at home is your Instant Pot, a 3-quart stainless steel bowl, and some parchment paper to get started. From the store, some mixed nuts, dairy-free chocolate chips, package of Snickerdoodle Energy+, and Ghee (or Coconut Oil).

The main ingredients in Snickerdoodle Chocolate Nut Bark are Mixed Nuts and Semi-Sweet Chocolate. Snickerdoodle is optional but really boosted the flavor profile in a fun and different way.

You can use Ghee or Coconut oil when making Snickerdoodle Chocolate Nut Bark. I prefer Ghee for this recipe because it adds a little bit of a nutty taste and brings a decandant buttery flavor.

You'll begin by putting Dairy-Free Semi-Sweet Chocolate and Ghee in staineless steel bowl to melt.

Once the chocolate has melted and you've stirred in the Snickdoodle Energy+, add in the mixed nuts and coat thoroughly in melted chocolate.

Spread the chocolate covered nuts in a layer on parchment paper. Next time I make this, I'll create a thinner layer to make breaking into bark pieces easier (and prettier.)

You'll place the tray of chocolate into the refrigerator or freezer to harden. Afterwards, you'll break into chocolate bark pieces.

Snickerdoodle Energy+ is an energy booster that I mix into coffee and warm plant-based milk with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top. Energy+ comes in different flavors and has been super helpful for me in increasing motivation, brain cognition, energy, and I don't get any jitters or a sugar crash like a lot of energy drinks. The flavor is so yummy, that I wanted to test how it tasted in this recipe and it didn't disappoint. Snickerdoodle is a limited edition offering during the holidays. Normally, I get Pomegranate Lime in my Happy Juice delivery every month.

Snickerdoodle Chocolate Nut Bark

Ingredients

• 16 oz. Deluxe Mixed Nuts

• 10 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate

• 1-1/2 TBSP Ghee or Coconut Oil

• 1 pkg Snickerdoodle Energy+ (optional)

Directions

1. Add two cups of water into base of your Instant Pot Liner.

2. Place a 3-qt stainless steel bowl on top of the Instant Pot Liner.

3. Place semi-sweet chocolate and ghee or coconut oil in bowl.

4. Set Instant Pot to "Saute" function. (Set to "high" or "more" depending on your Instant Pot)

5. Stir until melted.

6. Stir in Snickerdoodle Energy+

7. Add in mixed nuts and stir until well coated.

8. In a baking pan, place a piece to parchment paper to cover bottom.

9. Spoon out chocolate and nuts into a thin layer.

10. Place in freezer or refrigerator until chocolate re-hardens

11. Break into bark pieces.

You could modify this (without nuts) and use to dip strawberries, bananas, pretzels, and more! Have fun with it.

In December of 2021, I embarked on an Instant Pot Journey because I wanted to eat cleaner food and change some unhealthy eating habits. My goal was to use my Instant Pot at least once a day and try new foods and ingredients that my picky palatte would normally refuse. I have tried more than 140 new recipes in 2022. I primarily cooked from three Instant Loss cookbooks authored by Brittany Williams. I learned of this recipe from her online site. She has so many great dessert recipes that you can make with your Instant Pot. Check them out!

I hope you find a reliable person to lick the spoon when done.