I had the opportunity last week to speak to an organization, and they asked if I would share about exercise and wellness for older adults.
I talked with them about the four pillars of aging well: muscle, nourishment, movement, and purpose and connection.
All of the pillars are important, but I spent the majority of my time talking about the pillar of purpose and connection.
Often, as we get older, I believe we begin to feel as though we have lost our purpose. When we are younger, we often feel like we have the whole world ahead of us—getting the good job, the house, the car, the marriage, the kids, and all the other things life has to offer.
As we get older and achieve many of those things, a question begins to creep in. It starts as a whisper:
What is your purpose?
As we age, we sometimes find ourselves in fewer social settings, going fewer places, and keeping more to ourselves. Because the world seems so busy, we slowly begin to disconnect from the real people around us.
Then one day, we wake up feeling as though we have no purpose and have become disconnected.
As I shared with the organization, I encouraged everyone in the room to remember that they do have a purpose.
Purpose doesn’t have to be extraordinary.
It can be found in the everyday ordinary.
Purpose can be visiting someone in a nursing home or a hospital. It can be writing an encouraging note or sending an uplifting text. It can be caring for a grandchild. It can be volunteering for an organization.
Oftentimes, through those ordinary acts of purpose, we find something equally important—connection.
Connection becomes increasingly important as we age. We were designed for connection with one another, and we must continue to nurture those relationships throughout our lives.
My challenge to each of us, no matter our age, is to continue finding purpose in the ordinary and to be intentional about staying connected with real people beyond the digital connections that are easy to make but are not always meaningful.
Connect with others.
Find your purpose in the ordinary.