Day 8: 8 Ways To Stop Feeling Indifferent

Have you ever fallen to sleep at night wondering if you’ve made any difference to the world around you?

Have you ever risen in the morning wondering if you even matter at all?

The key to living a happy, healthy, productive life full of vigor and confidence is feeling purpose, passion and genuine joy for the way you spend your days. Without purpose, passion is merely a silent suggestion.

Yet when you know your actions truly make a difference, joy and productivity follow as naturally as sunset after sunrise.

Use any of these 8 ideas to evaporate your indifference once and for all.

1)  Travel. Few things can fuel your inner fire like discovering fresh people, adventure, and experience. The sights, scents and sounds of a new spot on the map can help you see your old world with fresh eyes. Whether you’re heading to a new spot within your old city limits or swapping hemispheres for six months of backpacking, feeling lost can be one of the best ways to find yourself again.

2)  Teach. By passing your knowledge to another, you will not only illuminate the possibilities for another’s life, you will crystalize some of the skills that make you unique. Teaching another will help you to nurture a deeper sense of self and a more powerful sense of purpose overall. Explain, demonstrate, inspire. Be the teacher you always wished you had and you will move closer to the person you have always wanted to be.

3)  Create. Make something beautiful where there was nothing before and you might feel a purity of passion you never expected. Whatever your art – painting, poetry or even polka, producing tangible evidence of your individuality will help you discover your true self.

4)  Connect. An internal sense of belonging is a core human need that must be nurtured and should never be ignored. Because everyone shares this essential need, you can have complete confidence that the people in your life are looking to connect. No one wants to feel isolated or lonely – the key lies in discovering your common intersections and celebrating your collective interests.

5)  Help. It is easier to tap into your purpose when you are genuinely helping others in need. This isn’t hard, and you don’t have to wait to get started. Improving the world an inch or two at a time is as easy as stepping outside yourself and getting started today. Keep your eyes open for anyone with less than you, or anyone who might benefit from your benevolence.

6)  Ask. Who knows you better than your closest friends; the people who have seen you during both your highs and lows, and listened to your same stories over and over again? Don’t take their word as gospel, but do ask what they think your special power or true purpose might be. Chances are, you’ll be surprised by what they say.

7)  Read. Perhaps you can’t go continent hopping, but you can conquer space and time by turning the pages of any good book. Literature opens your ears to the language of life and opens your heart to your inner whispers. Make time to read, then reflect on what you read, and you may find yourself with a deeper connection to the life you truly want to live.

8)  Write. If you really want to know what makes you tick, start writing. I’ve been a professional ghostwriter for a couple of years, and I still marvel each day at the many things I didn’t know I thought. Writing forces you to organize your ideas and bring your emotions to the surface. Spend a day with nothing but a fresh notebook and plenty of ink – you might just stumble onto a powerful passion you didn’t know you had.

If your life has little purpose, then you are only living a little life. Find what drives you, then step on the gas and speed toward the life you’ve always wanted.