“A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts.”
Having a purpose is one thing. Deciding to organize your life around that purpose is something completely different. We can all say that we want something. We want to become healthier. We want to become stronger. We want a better career, stronger relationships, financial stability, or a better quality of life. But once we decide that something truly matters to us, our thoughts should begin to reflect that decision.
Think about what it means to make something the centralizing point of your thoughts. It does not mean that you have to think about your goal every second of every day. It means that your purpose becomes something you can return to when making decisions. When you are unsure about what to do next, your purpose helps you find your direction again.
This can be extremely useful with health and fitness. If your purpose is to become healthier, you can begin looking at your daily decisions through that lens. Does getting enough sleep support that purpose? Yes. Does drinking more water support it? Probably. Does exercising consistently support it? Absolutely. Does eating something you enjoy occasionally mean that you have abandoned your purpose? Of course not.
Remember, being healthy is not about being perfect. Purpose is not supposed to become another reason to punish yourself. It is supposed to give you direction.
There will be distractions. There will be bad days. There may even be times when you move away from the direction you originally chose. Your purpose gives you something to come back to.
Choose something meaningful to work toward, then begin allowing that purpose to influence the way you think and the decisions you make. You may not accomplish it tomorrow. You may have to adjust your approach several times along the way.
But once you know what you are working toward, you are no longer simply hoping that you end up somewhere better.
You have chosen a direction. Now you can begin building your thoughts and actions around it.