Yesterday, I was chatting with a friend who is also an executive in the television industry. He was sharing that sometimes he feels like a hamster running endlessly on one of those metal wheels. While he is passionate about work and enjoys his craft, he says he often has to remind himself to stop and remember how he got where he is today and where he is passionate about going, which he joked is not and should not be in a repetitive circle like a hamster on a wheel.

Do you ever stop to take inventory of what is meaningful to you in life? Ever ask yourself what you want to remember most about your life when you are older and looking back? Many people would quickly answer family and friends when asked what is most important. However, there is no correct answer and even if two people answer the same way what they actually mean looks very different. For example, one woman could say family is the most important thing to her in life. She could highlight that for her that means being a stay at home mom, volunteering in everything her children are involved in and helping her husband with his business. Another woman could also state that family is the most important thing to her in life; however, for her that means working full time in a well-paying job to help provide for her children and taking at least 2 memorable vacations each year with her partner and children to make special memories. The first step in evaluating meaning in your life is pinpointing what you are passionate about. The second step is teasing out what exactly that means for you as an individual.

Another helpful step in surveying what matters most to you in life is looking at the people past and present who have been your biggest influencers. My guess is that the people you have loved and cherished the most—be it a friend, mentor, parent, grandparent, teacher, etc.—value many of the same things you do. In fact, you can probably point to many of those people and see exactly where some of your life values were born. If you think having dinner together as a family most nights is important, I would guess that you often had dinner with your family. Of course, the flip can also be true—that you want to have dinner as a family because you never did as a child. However, more times than not, the rituals we adore most have grown from the seeds those we love dearly planted years ago, often without us knowing it.

If you feel like a hamster running aimlessly on a wheel, Life Enhancement Counseling Services can help. Our Orlando therapists are skilled in psychotherapy and life coaching to help you identify what is important and create a life road-map of how to get there. If you would like to schedule an appointment with one of our seasoned therapists, please call 407-443-8862 today.