WELLNESS
5 Steps for Creating
A Purpose-Driven Life
by Gauri Brienda-Ramnath
A
dvocacy, community engagement, civic
leadership, and wellness comprise my
core values as well as my areas of pro-
fessional focus. I have worked in both public
and private sectors to promote the yogic ideals
of service and engagement in everyday life.
These ideals are part of my career as a Com-
munity Relations Specialist and by way of my
service as a former Santa Monica City Com-
missioner on the Status of Women & Girls.
Throughout, I have engaged in self-inquiry
and along the way have identified five steps for
creating a purpose-driven life.
Many of us hear the call to contribute to
the collective well-being and address societal
challenges. We can show up with our passion,
our ingenuity, and our work ethic to activate
this purpose. Being of service and connecting
with community are important remedies for
our own potential feelings of isolation and
helplessness. Empowering others is a gateway
to empowering ourselves.
The following steps streamline our ability
to channel our desires for engaging in seva, or
selfless service, and to understand how to live
lives full of presence and purpose.
- Self-Acceptance
This is crucial to building your own courage,
confidence, and self esteem. Recognize your
personal values and worth when giving back.
Your personal story will be an asset to others.
In this process, forgive yourself for any deci-
sions that have negatively impacted you or
someone you care about. Take ownership of
your choices, appreciate who you are and what
you have now. Strengthening your foundation
in this capacity gives you a place from which
you can grow and expand as a humanitarian.
2. Self-Care
Cultivate the personal self-care resources
necessary to be successful. Giving from an
abundance of energy is crucial for your own
well-being, as well as your longevity as an
activist and an engaged citizen.
Some of the most important self-care
practices are often the simplest. Consider what
replenishes and restores you. This can include
yogic practices such as meditation and asana,
and nourishing your body with healthy foods,
smoothies and juices.
I have a regular practice that includes medi-
tation, prayer, healthy eating, yoga, outdoor
exercise, soulful reading, and surrounding
myself with positive, optimistic people. Regular
journaling helps me stay connected to personal
voice and inner development. Writing is an
excellent medium for spiritual therapy.
3. Taking Stock and Inventory
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali speaks of the
importance of svadhyaya--the practice of
self-inquiry or self-study. When you seek to
understand yourself and apply the resulting
knowledge to a personal call to action, it sup-
ports your ability to be in alignment with your
goals and actions.
Taking time to list your passions, skills, and
talents will guide you to specific organizations in
need of your presence. Ensuring your personal
mission aligns with the organization’s will allow
you to access points of mutual interest.
In this process, take notes. I found it helpful
to journal about my character traits as well as
skills that my professors, friends, family, col-
leagues, and former employers and employees
considered valuable in me. I then coupled
those traits with things that come naturally to
me like marketing outreach, communication
strategy, and public affairs.
Sit with a trusted friend or family member to
support you and find someone who can hold
space for vulnerability and support reflection.
Do the same for them. Ask each other ques-
tions: “What do you see me doing?” or “What
do you think I’m really great at?” or “How
can I serve?”
Look at everything you have done. What
have you studied? What is your vocation? List
your hobbies. We don’t always recognize the
complexity and value of life experience. For ex-
ample, managing a household takes real skill.
Go deeper and acknowledge all of it.- Identify Your Skills and Assets
What kinds of activities do you gravitate to
or have a passion or love for, whether you are
paid or not paid? What activities make you
happy? Maybe you always have a pot of soup
going. Perhaps you are knitting scarves in spare
moments. You might be the neighborhood
dog-walker or a 24/7 techie.
Ask yourself: How can I be of service in
these areas? For example, if soup-making is
top of the list and you know how to shop for
healthy ingredients, and perhaps have a nutri-
tion background, you may find a way to be of
service through the culinary industry. Serving
hot meals to the homeless or volunteering at a
shelter. - Integrate and Take Action: Living a
Purpose-Driven Life
When we’re sharing anything from the place
of our skills and gifts, the seva becomes more
successful. Focus on your niche and start net-
working. Reach out to volunteer coordinators
of nonprofits. Ask friends, family, colleagues,
and neighbors for referrals. Look for organiza-
tions and/or initiatives that feel like a match for
your purpose and passion.
Check in with the strategic goals of the city
or town in which you live. Call or email your
appointed and elected officials; it is their job
to hear your concerns and ideas about how to
make a difference. You are the “voice” of the
people. Your experience—no matter how big
or small— serves the greater good. Activate by
stepping out of your comfort zone and build
new relationship based on common goals.
Remember that small actions can have pow-
erful ripple effects. It is time to consider your
piece in the part of the whole.
Gauri Brienda-Ramnath is an entrepreneur who runs
a boutique brand marketing consultancy. A former
Santa Monica City Commissioner on the Status of
Women & Girls, she remains engaged in a number of
civic initiatives. She writes in honor of my yoga lineage:
Mother, Sue and Grandmother Padma. I love you!
Learn more at: gauribrienda.com.