Well-Being Practice: Our Higher Goal or Aspirations

It’s helpful to pause and ponder the higher goal or aspiration for what we do. The seemingly simple act of seeing our actions as service can have a surprisingly strong effect on how we experience our daily lives. By shifting the focus away from ourselves, we slip out of unconscious self-centeredness and may even find spaciousness that lets us act without being inappropriately worried over outcomes.

Identify a higher ideal or goal with meaning for you. It could be something as general as “peace in the world” or as specific as “a quick recovery for my friend who is ill.”

Spend this week consciously offering everything you do to this higher ideal or goal. Begin your day by consciously offering your thoughts, feelings, and actions to this goal.

If you like, you can set an alarm with a soft bell to remind you to reconnect with your offering at a few different points during the day. Note how this practice affects your experience of your day in your meditation journal.

I will offer my actions to _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.