Finding balance, our own personal wellbeing and connection with others has become characterised by the pursuit of feel good activities/experiences, clean living ideals and social media. But what is achieved and why does it matter?
Allocating time and attributing value to understanding who we are, our sense of purpose, and what motivates us can be challenging, especially when we look around and find that much of society often insists that working towards material or experiential goals are enough to give us a sense of a life worth lived. How do we find and develop our ability to intrinsically motivate ourselves?
As Occupational Therapists (OT), we come from a holistic perspective where supporting clients to develop purpose and engage in meaningful activities are at the core of what we do. This means, that as well as understanding the occupational nature of human beings, we also understand the importance of having purpose and goals, and how our physical health and mental wellbeing can impact our ability to engage in occupations that we want to, need to, or are expected to do. This understanding of the complex relationship between occupation, health and wellbeing enables us to help people transform their lives and work towards their potential.
It is both a challenging and freeing process to talk to someone about working towards what we truly want. An opportunity to understand which of our occupations are meaningful and purposeful versus the ones which are misguided, where our time and energy could be better utilised. Each one of us has a set of values based on our experience, preferences, abilities and what gives us energy. The process of change, identifying whom we’ve been and who we’re transforming into is not an easy one. Finding the right person(s) who can understand and support you through the challenge of building a well-lived and personally joyful life is the #lifegoal.