Ask yourself, what makes you want to get up in the morning? What ignites your fire? In this episode, we discuss how you can identify your purpose and how following a path of intention fueled by a powerful practice is essential to living a purposeful life.

About the Host:

Jani Roberts is the Owner of Alignment Essentials, a health and wellness company spanning the fitness, self-improvement, and mindfulness spaces. She is the creator of the Warrior® Workout, Moving Meditations™, Inspirational Conversations™ and all of the Alignment Essentials programming content. In addition, Jani is an International best-selling author of the book, Navigating the Clickety-Clack, How to Live a Peace-Filled Life in a Seemingly Toxic World.

Jani has over 40 years of experience in the health and wellness field. She owned and operated a large gym franchise in Florida, as well as a boutique studio for several years where she specialized in health and wellness related services, products, preventative health education, personal training, small group fitness classes, private nutrition and health coaching.

She has literally trained hundreds of thousands of instructors around the world, and she was the featured choreographer and performer on numerous training DVDs. She has presented for dozens of large Health and Wellness brands such as Nike, and Adidas. She holds several certifications through ACE, AFAA and NASM.

Jani travels extensively as a speaker and presenter sharing her Alignment Essentials wellness tools and helping people find more joy in their lives and is currently training at the Shamanic Institute of Healing. 

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What, life isn't supposed to suck. Get out of here. Life is supposed to be good for me? I don't think so. Truth? Did you know that you have the power to create your own reality? True? Did you know that you can live the life that you've always desired? Holy? That's right. And that's why we're here. Are you ready, unless you're on Joy overload, you've come to the right place, it's time to get out of your own way and start creating more of what you want, and less of what you don't end up with the excuses. I'm your host, Jani Roberts, let's do this.

Welcome, everyone, I'm extremely excited today to be talking to you about something that is absolutely essential to a beautiful experience, while we're here in this time and space, and that is purpose. Now, this could give you a little bit of a sandpaper vibe, you know, I don't know what my purpose is what what you know, like, What the fuck does that mean, I don't even know, I just do what I need to do, I'm working, I'm doing the best that I can, blah, blah, blah, it's all good. But identifying a purpose and understanding that your purpose in life will move around, is a very big deal, and will absolutely affect the experience that you're having while you're here. So let's check this out. Let's dig in. If we're looking at the definition of purpose as a noun, this is the reason for something being done or created. Or the reason why something exists, however, is a verb, it is our intention, or our objective.

Now, the word goal is not one of my favorite words, but that doesn't, you know, make it a bad word, just because it's four letters. But it just to me, we have a lot of beliefs around goal setting that may not serve us any longer, perhaps, I don't want to, you know, project my beliefs onto you. But I just I've never done a great job with goal setting. But when I start to think about intention, and what I want to experience that just resonates with me, it's more about doing and being in the now than it is at arriving at in a into a certain situation environment, I think you can follow me there. So the object that we are, and when I say object, it could be a feeling, it doesn't have to be tangible. But whatever it is that we're moving toward, or what we're striving for, what we're aiming for, this is definitely going to involve our purpose. And this purpose is going to be defined as a very important part of the plan to move us into our intention. So we want to think about think about carefully. What it is we do with our time, how we spend it, how we value it, how we honor it, and how we feel during it, right our time here.

When we intend, we, to some degree, work to resolve what we are currently experiencing. We work to accomplish something, perhaps it's contrasting between where we are and where we'd like to be. Now, from the time that we're little, we feel like we have purpose, whether we're aware of it or not the word or the intention. But we do we have things that we're drawn to. And we have things that we want to turn away from what we are drawn to is absolutely connected more to why we're here why we came, so we're naturally drawn to it.

However, it can sometimes also feel as a young person, very young, right and 8956 or as a teenager, or young adult, that we are being powerfully influenced by others as to what our purpose is, and that can absolutely be true. So you may feel as a child, your purpose was just to survive your life. Because your childhood was extraordinarily difficult. People talk a lot today about bullying, about that kind of meanness that exists out there. Not just with younger people, but certainly that is amplified, currently. So this idea that we're just surviving as a kid, this is not exciting, right? This is waking up and feeling anxious, even depressed, having anxiety about having to interact with others going to school.

That's not cool, right, we should be enjoying this very special time of our lives. So we need to look at this. And perhaps our purpose we feel was more, just get through school, I gotta, you know, get through grade school, and then I'm not really worried about a lot, then if my home life is healthy, I get to high school, definitely, I'm going to try to survive that trying to survive puberty, trying to survive on those hormones, right. And it moves around, it shifts as we move through time. And then it's I just got to survive college if we choose to go that way. And again, all of this may be influenced, heavily influenced by others, we may not want to go to college at all, but our family just has this understanding that that's what you do, or the opposite. We're entrepreneurs in this family. That's the expectation that we have a view that you don't work for others, that you create your own business, a lot of influence, right, you can kind of feel the pressure. And a lot of that influence can be powerful, and positive, and helpful and purpose driven. But a lot that can be distracting, and disheartening, particularly if we're not feeling that passion around what it is that we're expected to do.

So how do we navigate this? If we unlearn let's say that we always wanted to be a musician, but everyone in our family is a physician. So they, they just have a different idea about creativity. Perhaps they don't think that it's something that you can do to make a living, or they're afraid for you. Alright, so they're projecting onto you what they feel is the right thing to do. You follow me? What do we do with that? Well, we wander around a lot, because if we, if we follow the desires of others, and we see all that through, we definitely can find ourselves very joyful and feeling grateful for being directed.

Or the opposite. We can feel resentful, we can get to the end of that college journey and go, that was a complete waste of my time, I have no desire. Or we may even feel so trapped in other people's expectations that we do go on and survive that career. Even though we don't have passion around it. While it pays the bills, we can justify it all because we've been heavily influenced.

Regardless of where you are on your journey today, you can define what your intention, your true your truth intention is. And, hey, if you if you wanted to be a professional athlete, and you're now 50, and you're just listening to this podcast and saying, Yeah, you know what, dammit, I am going to do what I want to do. Finally, I've done what everybody else wants me to do my whole life. Now I'm going to do what I want to do. You can't necessarily be a professional athlete at the age of 50. Although you know, things do happen. However, there are places that you can put that intention that will feel or help you to get to that same place of bliss, when you are in alignment with what you came here, what you are powerfully intended to do. I mean, you could end up doing a podcast that just really focuses just on this subject. And all you do is work to encourage people no matter what age to forget, you know, working just to pay the bills anddo what is expected of you actually live in joy, doing what you love and what you came here powerfully intended to do.

I don't know does it resonate with you? Probably. But you could also be thinking to yourself, yeah, that all sounds great, but I do have to pay my bills and I had no idea how to tune in to that or how I would make that move. Fair enough. Fair enough, because this is a big deal. You being here. And I don't mean In listening to this podcast, necessarily, I mean, being here on this planet at this particular time is a very big deal. And when you are powerfully connected to a desire, you guys, you know, it doesn't go away, you can bury it, you can push it aside until later in life, but it's always there, tapping you on the shoulder. That is soul spark, that is your inner ones. That is whatever you want to call it. That is your gut, guiding you constantly toward your original, powerful intention. So now is the time. So we may we may feel as though Well, I really just don't know. You know, I've put all my dreams aside, I just kind of gave up on all of that. I wouldn't even know where to begin. Fair enough. Fair enough. So let's begin together by being playful, and just thinking about if you could do anything, and money didn't matter. And we know it does. But I'm just asking if you could do anything, and you didn't have to think about the money side of it. What would you spend your time doing? And if your immediate reaction is retiring, never working again. That's because what you're doing is not fulfilling your intention. Work is not a bad thing. Work is a wonderful, powerful thing. When you're in alignment with the work that you're doing. When you're not it sucks. Big time.

So let's turn to this and think about what what the heck, what is my not just work purpose, my spiritual purpose? Like, what fires me up? Why do I do what I do? If I could do anything? Why would I want to do that thing with my time. And it could be multiple things. And when one one thing doesn't necessarily blanket it. Let me give you an example. I love the work I do. I love doing the podcasts, I love holding retreats, I love connecting with people that way, it fulfills me a certain way, podcast fulfill me a certain way, spending a lot of our time outdoors, fuels my creativity, and is definitely part of my purpose. Because it's what helps me to connect and find the answers through source so that I can funnel that out to you guys and to to anyone and everyone that it might help in any way so that I can be of service. So I love the intended time I spend with my family. But I can't just do that.

It takes it takes a variety of things, variety of actions, on my part, to bring my intention together in a space that I can creatively bring about my purpose, why I'm here, it gives me direction. Because when I'm doing those things I feel very connected to source. When I'm doing stuff like administrative work. Some people love it. And I think that's amazing. I'm, I'm learning to love it. I'm learning to allow it to empower me. But it's not something that I would put it, you know, in the top 10 of my list of things I love to do. No judgment, whatever it is for you, but your connection to Source. And if you're if you don't feel like you have one, just think about it this way. When you are feeling really, really good. mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, all of that when that comes together and you're just in this kind of euphoric state.

That's connection. And when you're in that, you have more hope. And also when you're in it, this is when you can ask for help. So you can just sit quietly and ask for direction and then be patient and move forward. Joyfully knowing that what you desire is on itsway to you. Now that doesn't mean you just sit back and not engage or do anything to this to create it. This is CO creating at its best. This isn't waiting, although waiting can be involved. Hold, but it's like just sit back. And it's all going to roll in the work that's in between where you are now and where you would like to be. That's the magic. That's, that's where we want to be, we want to be in that work, definitely want to be in network. That's what inspires us. That's when you feel fired up and excited about what we're doing.

And I get it. Like, if it's been a long time, since you've been excited about anything. I know. I know. Actually, in all honesty, as I as I'm chatting with you, I just went through one of those phases, and I really didn't know I was in it. But I wouldn't ever refer to it as a burnout phase. I just felt detached.Maybe a little burnout, but definitely detached, not inspired, a bit disconnected, kind of like I was on hold the difference. Because I've been in that place before. I think we all have many times. But the difference is I as I do this work as I work my practice. I recognize it. And it didn't freak me out, I just kind of let it be. It just waited a bit, I continued to do what needed to be done. And it was all fine. We were really better than fine.

But as I came through it, I started to feel a shift. I can't really articulate it, other than to say I could, it was a feeling and it continues to be a feeling. And I once again feel inspired. And I'm not quite sure what inspired about that might that might sound kind of messed out. But this is how it works. When you're really in this, it can be less specific. And you can begin to sense that it's coming as it gets closer. And during that time in meditation, I really asked you just remain open, receptive, responsive, just really open to whatever it is, it's coming because I can feel it, I don't want to miss it. And something might show up, that's very different than what I was planning or thought was going to happen. And I'm okay with that. Now, it doesn't have to look like what I thought it would look like. I just wanted to call so that I can continue to be excited. And, and just totally stoked about being here, in this time. And in this space. And not sitting around. You know, feeling sad and depressed and watching way too much. Binging too much television, doing the Netflix thing, time in place, right time in place. I can do that really joyfully. But I can also do it in a plate from a place that's just not joyful. And it's it doesn't feel good.

It's Oh, K. And certainly, it's okay not to be okay. Absolutely. Because that's, that's the in between. A good friend of mine calls that the IB that's the in between. And when we're in the in between it's, it's just not about thing. It's something is about to come. And we just have to be willing to chill until it arrives. But continue to be proactive and be co creative. And do what we came here to do what we're truly intended to do. And hey, that may mean staying in the Shay job for a little while longer. It may mean doing some things that we don't necessarily want to do for a little while. Not for a long time. We did not come here to suffer for long periods of time suffering is inevitable to some degree, but not most of the time. Why would we come forth with that intention?

No, I think not. We are worthy of much more of anything. And everything that we desire. It's just time to get on fire, about our purpose, it's time to figure it out. It's time to discover it and thrive in it and play in it and celebrate it and no longer hide from it. This way we can find this feeling of fulfillment and wholeness that comes from this powerful intention to contribute to make a difference to matter. And through that we gain this self satisfaction we're no longer going outside of ourselves to prove that we have done whatever so that we will be acknowledged that

All great. There's nothing wrong with being acknowledged. That's fun. It's fun to celebrate that, of course. But we don't have to have that. When we're in alignment with our purpose, and we're powerfully intended, we've got it. We don't have to wait for someone else to see what we're doing with our time and with our energy. Our soul knows.

Or soon as it's why we came, it's why we're here at this specific time, in this specific place, no matter how whacked it looks right now, connect, do it. And if you need help reach out, we are always here for you. And you know, we are all in this together. This is what will drive you inspire you move you, you will not only experience a completely different life yourself, but you will have a tremendous impact on those that you love that are close to you. Right around you and two souls that you have never met. So with that, I will let you get to it. Let's fire it up and get on purpose. Alright guys, I'm out with nothing but love for you. Until next time, peace.