The beginning of the year is the right time to explain and reaffirm the purpose of 52 Steps Forward – providing meaningful and useful messages leading to a fulfilling life with an abundance of peace, joy, and accomplishment.
The Case for It
We start by examining the need to establish or pursue anything specific. All of us have some idea about what we want and should do. We are decent people taking care of work, addressing family responsibilities, indulging in enjoyable pastimes, and are generally happy.
However, without clear direction, our activities twist in the winds of influence from family, friends, and society. We will spend too much time on fruitless or reasonable but unimportant endeavors and experience the high cost of missed opportunities.
This message is not a deathbed, look-back-on-my-life, “I spent too much time at the office” lamentation. The purpose is forward-looking, encouraging us to formulate a guiding principle and act in accordance with it.
How?
There is no exclusive word to define a guiding principle; it can be good, purposeful, meaningful, happy, rewarding, etc.
Nor are there exclusive methods to develop and use a guiding principle. One can use a mission, vision, values; life purpose; personal constitution; or any other process espoused by personal development experts. In terms of how, a Google search for “how to live a good life” yields over 8 billion results.
The only requirement is establishing a guiding principle and abiding by it. If you do not select, you choose to endure the consequences of its absence.
I also have a life purpose statement, “I am the knight who loves others.” I do not invest mental or emotional energy wondering if my life purpose inspires me to live a fulfilling life or if living a fulfilling life enables my life purpose. Suffice to say, they work in harmony.
Mine
After serious but not paralyzing reflection, I choose “fulfilling,” defined as providing happiness and satisfaction. Seeking fulfillment includes the activities necessary to secure them and meets the emotional need for challenge, growth, and success.
I use the continuous ”ing” tense because life is a journey, and the tense indicates perpetual motion. “Fulfilling” requires evolving to and through satisfying stages of life.
A fulfilling life includes peace, joy, and accomplishment. Over the next three weeks, I will define them and their role in a fulfilling life.
I cannot write about something so foundational without mentioning that my guiding principle and its components are inspired by and embody my faith. Faith forms my principle, and fulfilling activity brings life to my faith.
Yours
I would be delighted for you to adopt my words, but the words must be yours – ones that resonate with you and guide your actions.
Given my word limitation, my formulation recommendation is only the beginning. What it lacks, you must provide. Perhaps we have arrived at the perfect waystation – where my message ends and your serious contemplation begins.
Over the next week, use three separate, quiet, five-minute periods to think of, reconsider, and decide on your word(s). Do not fear you are etching them on stone tablets; they will change over time based on your experiences as you live them.
If you are comfortable, please share your words with me. I hope to respond with something helpful. In every case, I can use your words to improve mine.
