Purpose and Meaning – From Chaos to Calling, Discovering Your Reason for Being

Ikigai is the Japanese term for striving to achieve a balance of differing concepts of purpose, meaning, self-awareness and self-realization (I will use the acronym of PMSS), while also being able to earn a living from occupations that are rooted in these concepts. Other names for this concept may be finding one’s bliss, calling or inner genius. These four concepts of PMSS are similar, albeit different in their definitions. When we have these components within are psyche, we have a reason to be, a reason to get up out of bed each day, a direction that we can see will benefit our lives and those around us. Without these components, we see chaos, confusion, pain and suffering. Some do know and realize their purpose early in life, although most do not. Many Americans seem to have lost their sense of purpose and meaning. Some may never have known their purpose in the first place, let alone later in their lives. We often see retirees having a loss of purpose once they step away from careers that mostly defined who they were in the workplace, at their homes and within the family hierarchy. Some lose their purpose when a spouse or loved one passes away. Some people in these latter categories, look to volunteering and public service as ways to revive their meaning and purpose. Gaining as understanding of these concepts sooner than later is better not just for the individual, but communities and society as a whole. This sense of PMSS is not something that one can purchase at a store or read about and determine from first thoughts or insights on this topic, as time, life experiences, desire and self-reflection all help to shape one’s PMSS.

Each of the elements of PMSS can offer philosophical and psychological aspects. Here are some summaries of each:

Purpose:
- Purpose refers to the reason why something exists or is done, the desired outcome or the intention behind an action.
- In the context of having a purpose, personal purpose involves a person having an understanding of their reason for being, and what gives their life a sense of drive and direction.
Meaning:
- Meaning is the worth, value or significance that a particular thing holds, often determined from the influence, connection or impact that it has on other things in its surroundings.
- In the context of having a personal meaning, this concept is the relative awareness, understanding and interpretation of one’s own experiences, actions, and relationships, that influence an individual’s sense of usefulness, satisfaction and fulfillment.
Self-Awareness:
- Self-awareness is the conscious knowledge of an individual’s own being, which may includes one’s own character, emotions, desires and intents, usually involving one’s ability to reflect upon oneself in order to better understand one’s own thoughts and behaviors.
- In the Context of having a personal self-awareness, this concept would involve recognizing and acknowledging personal strengths, weaknesses, values, desires, and aspirations.
Self-Realization:
- Self-realization is the process of pursuing one’s full potential by becoming the best version of oneself, while also achieving a state of personal actualization and fulfillment.
- In the context of pursuing self-realization, this is closely related to finding and living in harmony with one’s purpose and meaning through one’s life experiences, often including cultivation of personal growth, self-discovery, and the pursuit of authenticity.

In summary, purpose and meaning are key components to achieving self-awareness and self-realization. Developing a better sense of self-awareness can lead to a better understanding of one’s purpose. Self-realization involves the continuous process of living in harmony with that purpose, while finding meaning in one’s life journey. These four different concepts are interconnected and deeply individual, often shaped by one’s own individual experiences, values, and beliefs. Practices such as meditation, yoga, qigong, tai chi and others can often help serve as a conduit to a better understanding of how one’s mind, body and self-awareness are interconnected.

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I teach and offer lectures about holistic health, stress management, qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, meditation, phytotherapy (herbs), music for healing, self-massage, and Daoyin (yoga).

I look forward to further sharing more of my message by partnering with hospitals, wellness centers, VA centers, schools on all levels, businesses and individuals that see the value in building a stronger nation through building a healthier population. I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

What Are The Key Elements to Happiness? A Harvard Study Adds Insights

Having a loving family, supportive friends, good health, and having a sense of purpose, are these not what are truly at the root of most people’s happiness? So, then why do we struggle so much to find our happiness through other means, when we know the answer is found in what I have already mentioned? I think many people are in a state of what is currently a popular term of cognitive dissonance, or a inner mental conflict of knowing what is true but choose to believe and behave otherwise to the facts. Most of us know that happiness comes from within, but still look to find it or buy it at some retail store or car dealer down the road. Americans’ happiness has been in a state of decline for many decades now, where many people have a lack of faith or spirituality, have less sense of purpose/meaning, less deeper connections to family and friends, and even less loyalty and pride in the workplace. Many people prefer living a false reality through social media or interactions entirely through the internet. Open your eyes and take an honest look around and see where we are truly residing. However, there is hope though. We just need to do the work. Read further below.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development (aka the Grant/Glueck Study) is an ongoing longitudinal study having started in 1938 with 724 men, with women added in some years later. The goal of the study was to track the participants’ physical and mental health, along with their social and emotional interactions and development over the span of their lives. Now 80 years later, the study is still offering insights into what are the key elements that participants found to have provided happiness throughout their lives. The original study began with a group of 268 Harvard sophomore men, and then later expanded to include a second cohort of 456 inner-city young men from Boston. Many of the men from both groups would go off to fight in WWII, where consequently not all of the soldiers were able to return back home alive.

Key findings:

Relationships are key to happiness and well-being. Individuals who pursue and maintain strong social ties are more often happier and healthier than those who are more isolated.
Mental and physical health are synergistically entwined. People with good mental health are more prone to be in good physical condition.
Stress management is essential for long term health and wellness. Having healthy coping mechanisms helps with better health and longevity.
No “one size fits all” approach worked for all. Everyone is uniquely individual in how certain aspects or behaviors of health maintenance may work for some but not necessarily others.
Expression and experiencing of positive emotions. Emotions and expressions of gratitude, thankfulness, compassion and empathy are thought to heavily influence health and happiness.

And there it is, some scientific data that has been tracked and passed the test of time. Maybe nothing revolutionary is found in the study, that we often take for granted every day. Family, friends, good health, and a sense of purpose and/or faith in something greater than the individual. All is really needed is the desire, effort and time to make these key elements a reality to the user. Start or join an in-person club or group, call or visit friends and loved ones, mend broken relationships, volunteer, spark new conversations and relationships where appropriate. Get moving! Walk, run, swim, yoga, tai chi, hike. Get your blood moving. Try to be at least 51% positive, as much as possible. Find the things that make you want to wake up every day and get out of the bed, the house, your head. There is a whole world out there that you can be part of and not just an observer from a distance.

Reference:

Msudlifemed. (2019, February 16). Harvard Study of Adult Development- Relationships, Resilience, and Happiness (Healthy Aging). MSU Denver Lifestyle Medicine Resource Hub. https://msudlifemed.wordpress.com/2019/02/16/harvard-study-of-adult-development-relationships-resilience-and-happiness/

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I teach and offer lectures about holistic health, stress management, qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, meditation, phytotherapy (herbs), music for healing, self-massage, and Daoyin (yoga).

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

Managing Our Inner Dialogue

Ancient philosophies and belief systems of Buddhism and Taoism have long understood a state of consciousness of mind wandering, however referring to it as the “monkey mind.” This term is quite appropriate as it defines a state of one’s thoughts jumping from one thought to the next, as a monkey can jump from one tree to the next. William James, the founder of psychology in the United States coined the term “the stream of consciousness.” He saw our thoughts similar to a film reel, where we have individual thoughts that linked together in a sequence to form somewhat of a moving story or movie in our minds. The story moves or “streams” as we are constantly moving from one thought to the next as we process external and internal stimuli. William James theorized that human consciousness does not occur in bits or fragmented segments but rather flows more like a river, or a stream of consciousness. (Benjamin, 2018).

Our inner dialogue consist of basically two separate modes of awake thought processing and associated cognitive brain functions. The first mode of the brain is called the default mode network (DMN), the turbid mind, the incessant inner dialogue, or the monkey mind. In this mode we occupy 50-80 percent of our time with this wandering attention, juggling about 150 undone tasks at any particular time. When we perform mundane tasks, such as getting dressed, taking a shower, brushing our teeth, driving to work, or maybe jogging around the block, our mind is often wandering elsewhere. Our brain is not really focusing much on the physical task at hand but rather thinking of other issues or events elsewhere. We sometimes refer to this as multitasking. Our mind is constantly wandering in and out of the past, present, and future. Becoming and staying focused on specific tasks is a large challenge for the human brain.

The second mode of the awake brain is the task positive network (TPN) or focused mode (Dal Lin et al., 2015). Focused mode is engaged when we are actively paying attention, in the present moment, or concentrating upon tasks using short-term memory, as the brain processes information deemed as very important, interesting, or even sometimes dangerous. For example, if you are engaged in an interesting movie, you may not notice time passing by because your thoughts are focused on what is happening in the movie. If one’s life was to be threatened by a venomous snake, they might become extremely focused upon not moving too quickly, while also keeping their focus on the movement of that snake. Playing a musical instrument, riding a bike, taking a test, or using a knife while cooking are other examples of using this first mode of the brain – focused mode. We often enjoying being in this mode, in spite of not spending the majority of our time here. However, too much time in focus mode left unchecked, can often lead to stress and relative psychological and physiological disorders.

So, how can we better manage and deliberately engage the mode of our choosing? The first step is understanding that we are exposed to various types of stimuli at any given movement. Stimuli comes to us in differing amounts through either external or internal sources. Stimuli is received through our primary sense organs of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and touch receptors throughout skin on the entire body. Internal stimuli is received through baroreceptors as well as pain, temperature and other types of receptors that tell us when we are hungry, thirsty, and off balance. Often this input manifests into various emotions, whether deemed as positive or negative in their nature.

Psychologist George Miller proposed his theory in his 1956 paper entitled The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing Information, that the human brain’s short-term or working memory (STM) has an upper limit referred to as the “magical number seven.” Miller’s paper detailed his theoretical description of how STM brain might be capable of managing 7 objects, or bits of information. However, the upper limit could be as many as 9 or as little as 5. Miller’s article reported that memory span is not limited by small bits of information, but rather limited by that of a few bits of information grouped together, or “chunks” (p. 349). Cowan (2015) wrote a review of Miller’s (1956) article titled George Miller’s Magical Number of Immediate Memory in Retrospect: Observations on the Faltering Progression of Science. Years after Miller’s paper, Cowan and Baddeley conducted their own studies on human memory and information processing, where both surmised that the real magic number is actually four and not seven. This concept of the limits of STM affect everyday tasks and interactions, ranging from reading menus on a website, driving a vehicle, and even holding a conversation with one another.

If we can deliberately choose to occupy our thoughts with stimuli that engages our short-term memory along with our breath and physical body alignments and sometimes movement, we can actually learn to better manage our thoughts and emotions. The physical body is a conduit into understanding our mind. The mind is tasked with directing and protecting the body. Conversely, the body protects the user’s mind. Yoga and its sibling of qigong, and its offspring of tai chi, offer many options of sitting, standing and moving exercises that can help to move the practitioner into a meditative state of mind that can help to tame our incessant inner dialogue. Other methods that can engage this cognitive process of managing thoughts can be playing instruments, gardening, and other skillful means however, not all offer the same benefits such as the physical health benefits of yoga, qigong and tai chi.

References:

Benjamin, T., Jr. (2018). A Brief History of Modern Psychology. Wiley.

Cowan, N. (2015). George Miller’s magical number of immediate memory in retrospect: Observations on the faltering progression of science. Psychological Review, 122(3), 536–541. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039035

Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81–97. https://doi-org.northernvermont.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/h0043158

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I teach and offer lectures about holistic health, stress management, qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, meditation, phytotherapy (herbs), music for healing, self-massage, and Daoyin (yoga).

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

Physically close, mentally far; physically far, mentally close.

The quality of a relationship can be determined by the overall strength of the mental connection.

“Physically close, mentally far; physically far, mentally close” is a philosophical concept that reflects a paradoxical aspect of human relationships. We can be physically close to others, but still feel mentally distant. Conversely, we may be physically distanced, but still feel mentally close.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development (the Grant/Glueck Study) started in 1938 with 724 men, and women added in later, has been ongoing for 80 years. Key findings of this study were the following:
(a) Relationships are key to happiness and well-being
(b) Mental and physical health are synergistically in twined
(c) Stress management is essential for long term health and wellness
(d) Gratitude is also a key component to living a longer and happier life
(e) No one size fits all” approach, as everyone’s situation is somewhat unique from another

Human relationships are often quite complex, nudging us to recognize the multi-dimensional nature of closeness and connection beyond the limitations of physical space. Further contemplation on this might bring us to a deeper understanding and appreciation for those in our lives.

Proximity:
- Being physical next to or in close proximity to another, does not necessarily guarantee emotional or intellectual connection. Individuals can be physically close as in the same room, office, vehicle, or sharing the same space, while being distant in their own thoughts, emotions, and deeper understanding of one another.
The Nature of Connection:
- Authentic connections transcend physical presence. Mental closeness consists of a deeper understanding that can exist regardless of physical distance, focusing upon the importance of not only emotional but also intellectual connections in relationships.
Communication and Understanding:
- Open and truthful communication and mutual understanding are imperative for genuine closeness. Physical proximity by itself cannot make up for a lack of communication or comprehend of another’s perspectives.
Technology:
- Recent advancements in technology have increased the options to stay in touch while being physically far apart. Smartphones, computers and other electronic communication tools have enabled more people to be able to maintain relationships across vast distances, demonstrating the ever changing nature of relationships in our world.
Existential Reflection:
- Our minds are not bound by mere physical constraints as we can transcend the limitations of space if we desire to do so with our relationships.
Emotional Distance:
- Physical closeness can be seen as a reflection of our geographical location. Mental distance can be a result of emotional barriers. People may find themselves physically close to other, while emotionally distant due to differences of values, morals, opinions, unresolved conflicts, or emotional walls.
Authentic Connections:
- Authenticity in relationships requires a deeper understanding of shared values, principles, and emotional empathy for meaningful connections.
Temporal Evolution:
- Relationships most often change and evolve over time. Physical closeness that once nurtured mental proximity can change, where physical distance coexists with either a stronger or weaker mental connection.
- Physical distance can actually strengthen relationships, because it may cause people to miss and appreciate each other more giving people time to reflect on their relationship and grow closer.

If people strive to have a strong emotional bond where they feel they are supported and deeply understood by each other, their relationship will be strong regardless of the physical proximity between them.

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I teach and offer lectures about holistic health, stress management, qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, meditation, phytotherapy (herbs), music for healing, self-massage, and Daoyin (yoga). I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

Suicide Rates Spike…. Again in the US

Here I am again, discussing mental health care in the US. The Wall Street Journal just dropped an article reporting that “U.S. Suicides Reached a Record High Last Year.” It doesn’t need to be this way.

I find this so frustrating that we know our nation’s people are in distress, due to many manageable root issues of poor diet, lack of physical activity (sedentary lifestyle), addiction to electronics, lack of patriotism and maybe most important. loss of meaning and purpose in our lives. Most of us know these are major issues, but do we really care enough to make changes that will actually have a lasting effect? Having vast resources in the way of dollars, and throwing more money to healthcare facilities that often prescribe strong pharmaceuticals cannot be the only answer to this problem that has been on the rise for the last decades. As we can see today, these methods are not making much of a dent.

If we continue to only treat the symptoms of mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc. we will never truly address the root causes of these ailments.

Here is the link for the Wall Street Journal article:

https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/americans-suicide-highest-level-2022-02eb10ea?st=xox35xqskudc2pq&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

There are many options that we can implement, we just need to pierce the veil of delusion and fix the root causes of most of our problems. Most start with our youth and never end as they grow into adults. Education and self-discipline are key.

Improve the diet in schools. No more crap junk foods at school or at home.
Get recess and PE back in the daily school schedule. What good are cramming advanced courses in the schedule when a kid can’t even self-regulate their emotions with some recess and physical activity?
Better manage this smartphone, TV, PC internet/gaming addiction. Basic physiology classes explain this is all about our inner chemistry that is way out of balance with all of the dopamine and cortisol rollercoastering up and down, all day long.
Give our people a place to be proud of. If people don’t have a home. a community, a city, a nation, what’s the desire to live in these places?
Let’s better educate people to have purpose, something that makes us want to get up and out of bed because the world needs each of us in order to become a better place for everyone.
Show those that you love and care about, and even those that you don’t, that the world is a better place for them not only for being in it, but being part of it. This gives meaning to someone and their life.

In addition to these root issues being addressed, there are other options for people to try just in order to manage and self-regulate their own stress. Some are absolutely free or available for minimal costs such as:

(1) Education – books, documentaries, libraries, online

(2) Support – from family, friends, local support groups, online, on the phone (dumps oxytocin into the blood flow)

(3) Mindfulness – pursue becoming aware about what you think, how you react, your actions

(4) Meditation – take a break, a walk, listen to calming music, garden, exercise – these are all types of activities that can elicit a meditative state of mind (adjusts serotonin levels in the bloodstream)

(5) Exercise – the conduit to the mind is through the physical body. Physical movement either gets endorphins and dopamine flowing or epinephrine, adrenaline and cortisol if you are running from a tiger. Walk, run, swim, stretch, hike, etc. These are mostly free.

Other methods may have a cost, but are stiller cheaper in the long run than pills, therapy, a trip to the hospital or ultimately to the morgue.

Be well, become healthier, become wiser.

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https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119