Find Your Purpose – Improve Your Quality Of Life
Photo by: chispita_666 (Flickr.com)
I had the privilege of attending the annual Harry and Shirley Young Drive to Survive Golf Tournament on June 15 at Angus Glen in Markham, Ontario. I was the guest speaker there and did not play, but the weather was great and the tournament was a sell-out. Harry and Shirley have been sponsoring the event for many years; money raised goes to support the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario (SSO) which, of course, is a very worthy cause.
For those who are unfamiliar with the organization, the SSO is a not-for-profit group that helps families and individuals who are dealing with schizophrenia. There are many more mental health organizations across North America that are all doing a great job at educating and breaking down the stigma of mental illness. I encourage you to find and participate in an organization in your area; I know that many people who are dealing with an illness may have a lot of free time on their hands. I know that was the case in my situation—I basically spent five years on the couch doing nothing. Perhaps if I would have known about different organizations or different opportunities, I would have become a volunteer and it would have given me something to do—and maybe given me some purpose.
Purpose in life is very important. I know that mental illness is a very cruel and devastating illness, but it has given many caregivers and individuals a sense of purpose and a mission and goals to strive for. Throughout the years I have met many people who have dedicated there life to certain causes, and it has given them their identity and a real sense of direction.
In my case I have to be honest: My illness has given me purpose and a career—a much better quality of life than if I had not been diagnosed with a mental illness. If my life was not interrupted by schizophrenia, I would still be working at a printing plant putting bundles of papers onto skids all day long. Instead I own my own business and I help educate people and bring a better quality of life to those with mental illness.
Look into ways for you to fill your time. Who knows? It could be a whole new world where you find purpose, leading to a better quality of life for you.
If you are interested in learning about my public speaking engagements, please click here.
Learn something new. Pick a topic, preferably something you know nothing about and learn something about it. A good source of inspiration for this can be the newspaper or Wikipedia. It helps to retain it if you have time to make a note of what you learned or explain it to someone else, but even if you don’t get the chance to do that, your brain will thank you for the new patterns you introduce as you learn something new every day.
James Andrey
Comment by James Andrey on June 25, 2012 at 12:33 pmKefir Benefits