Is there a question that you often are asked that you dread answering? For me the question is “What do you do?”
It’s a simple and common question and I know that the correct answer isn’t, “I don’t know.” Yet after 10 plus years in the speaking business, after 10 plus years of traveling all over North America, after 10 plus years of passionately teaching what I love and knowing that my words, stories, and message have made a profound difference in some people’s lives, wouldn’t you think I would have a handle on the ‘what do you do’ question?
Nope.
So as with most issues in my life, I turned to what has given me almost every solution I have been looking for in the last decade. Facebook. Yep, Facebook. Now I know that there is lots of crap that goes on in the FB world, but I gotta say, my FB world is a happy, positive, and productive place, I won’t tolerate anything less. If you want to be my FB friend, there will be no dirty pool.
Because of this, we can call out to the group in a time of need and ask for help. It’s like a veritable buffet of knowledge, helpful opinions and insights. As with all buffets, they do not feed you. You have to go up, look around and choose what you want. With this in mind, I love helping myself to the supportive buffet!
One particular morning, when sleep was eluding me and my mind has been up long before my body, I made this innocuous FB post…
“Without looking it up, tell me what does Vitality mean to you?”
Dozens of people replied and with pretty much every word that was written I found myself saying, yes, yes, yes!
Here is a sampling:
- Positive energy and the ability to transfer that to others. A joyful living of life.
- Vibrancy, good health.
- Joie du vivre
- To feel completely alive
- Rising above it all, while living our highest frequency.
- Energy, Health, and Passion!
- Saying Yes to Life!
- Positive energy. Building it, Sharing it, Living it
- Feeling so good you can punch a hole in the sky!
- Positive energy.
- Vim, vigor, energetic
- Energy and enthusiasm for life
- Being healthy physically and mentally
- Spunk! Happy to be alive! Livin the dream! Energized and enthusiastic!
- Loving your life.
- Engagement with society
- The feeling of being not only able to get up and do anything, but want to as well. Feeling so healthy and enthusiastic that nothing is going to stop you.
- Gratitude, love, laughter and Grace.
- Energetic, enthusiastic, strong and healthy.
- Energy, vim & vigor. Love of life.
- Thriving in life. Not just living it.
- Zest for life.
- Vibrant aliveness! Full of energy and zeal. Health and balance.
Vitality. Vitality. Vitality!
Rather than looking up the definition (too conventional for me), I looked up the antonyms: apathy, inactivity, laziness, lethargy, dullness, lack, lifelessness, idleness, yielding, timidity, discouragement, indifference and my personal ‘favourite’, enervation – the feeling of lack of energy or vitality. Oh yuck, even reading the list of words sucked the energy out of me!
Onward to synonyms: exuberance, fervor, bounce, zest, vivacity, sim, endurance, spunk, stamina, bloom, drive, guts, liveliness, pep, sparkle, strength, vim, zest, spirit, vivaciousness, zing, pizzazz, ardor, zeal, stamina …on and on the list went of words that made me feel great, optimistic and positive.
It’s hard to pick a favourite amongst the awesome list of adjectives that I found, if I had to choose I think I might pick venturesomeness – willing to take risks and embark on a difficult course of action or maybe verve – vigor and spirit or enthusiasm or then again fervor is also enticing – instant and passionate feelings. Gosh, I can’t decide – I love them all.
Let’s go with Vitality.
My definition – living life with full gusto. Living Your Life, Unlimited! Your Life, Unlimited just happens to be my business’s name. I guess all these years I did know what I was talking about!
Without knowing or trying, I have become an accidental expert on vitality, an influencer of vitality, a champion and a catalyst for vitality in others.
I want continued, sustainable vitality for myself and selfishly, I want it for you too.
Because when you live your life to the fullest, overflowing with vitality that is when you can truly give your best to both yourself and our world.
But as a coach, the one thing I know for sure is that I can’t want it for you any more than you want it for yourself.
Do you want it? If so, buckle up, we are going for a Vitality ride!
Questions for you…
What does Vitality mean to you?
On a scale of 1-10, where would you rate your life currently on the vitality scale?
What would be different for you, the people you loved and in your workplace if you added a few points in the direction of increased vitality?
Think about it…
