1-1-1: discovering the purpose of life
read about my take on the purpose of living, a fun life update, and a new podcast episode!
october, 2023
edition 38.
fun fact: the quote in this edish is in honour of my new tattoo (you can see it on the ‘about me’ highlight). I got an orange slice to remind me to do things with intention and to look at the little things in my life with love — the little things are the big things.
(I’m trying to type my weekly updates while also listening to a career presentation on tech… I really need to listen to my own advice and schedule in some downtime so I’m not in such a rush!!!)
nothing much else to update other than I love my tattoo and I might never shut up about it. second favourite tattoo after my mom’s handwriting of course :’)
you can expect one email from me every week containing:
one quote that has been inspiring me
one journal prompt
one piece of advice*
* = if you want to submit a question for my upcoming emails, you can find the form here.
podcast
new episode with more guests! this week I’m joined with two of my friends from my alaskan backpacking trip last summer — listen to it here <3
one quote
“as a child, I was always searching for the meaning of it all, the big Why; and my father always said that there is no one big purpose but I had the most ripe orange today and kissed my cat goodnight, I think that’s enough purpose for today.”
—ritika jyala, excerpt from the flesh i burned
one journal prompt
make a list of everything you’ve achieved, big or small, in the last week. if that’s too much to think about, make it for the last few days. if that’s too much, the last day.
one piece of advice
“how can I remind myself not be too hard on myself?”
I think this question goes perfectly with the excerpt/quote from this weeks edish.
I often get in my head about needing to be moving my life forward every single second of every single day. if I’m not doing something to better my wellbeing, my career, or my social life, I’m “not doing enough.” this is a slippery slope mindset which, at least for me, has resulted in feeling guilt with rest and relaxation.
what has rung true for me (and this is not a novel idea) is that you have to take rest before it takes you.
something I spoke to a friend about today (hi josh if you’re reading this!) is being intentional about scheduling in rest. if you’re a planner and apple/google calendar girl like me who also can’t say no, I see a bit of blank space in my calendar as a space where I can schedule a social engagement. that’s how I ended up here: with every single night this week booked with ~something~ and feeling like the life is being sucked out of me ever so slowly.
to combat this, I’m going to start scheduling in the solo activities that fill my cup (and actually physically schedule this in my calendar): the gym, a quiet night in (reading!), ticking off things on my bucket list solo, etc. what I’ve learned from being new in a big city is that not everything has to be a social activity.
it’s so easy (and tempting!) to overload your schedule with new friends and activities and I want to be more intentional with spending time with myself. time with yourself is just as important and meaningful as time with others building community and making memories.
all of this to say is that I’m trying to give myself permission to slow down. I’m trying not to be too hard on myself for committing to too many things right now, and I’m trying to meet myself with grace wherever I’m at.
when I’m too hard on myself (which is all the time), I remind myself that the purpose of life is to live. it’s not to achieve an A in my class or to have a tight friend group of 20 people or to read all of the books in the world, it is to live.
to experience life to the fullest.
to experience the widest spectrum of emotions.
to spend time with my family.
to try out the things that interest me.
to discover what is meaningful to me.
I could go on and on with a list of purposes that have no quantifiable factor except for the level of happiness and fulfilment I feel every single day.
I hope that helps settle the sinking pit in your stomach :) and I would highly recommend checking out this reel from @jayciesdiary.
reading updates
currently reading: the 7 habits of highly effective people by stephen covey (will i ever finish this book? who knows!), seven days in june by tia williams
finished this week:
n/a :(
if you want to keep up with my reading throughout the week, this is my goodreads :)
I also made a book club channel on instagram! I ask you for recs, you choose my next read, and overall we just talk about books. feel free to join via my profile on ig!
enjoyed this edition?
until we meet again,
katie
This is great