January 2013 - Happiness, Tattoos and Becoming Your Intended Self
by Susan Myhre Hayes on 01/12/13
Happiness, Tattoos and Becoming Your Intended Self
On my 59th birthday, I made a commitment to get a tattoo on my 60th. Nothing flashy or too visible to the general public but something to mark the occasion. Deciding to get a tattoo is easy; deciding what that tattoo will be in more difficult.
After months of searching, I decided to get a tattoo that symbolized self-transformation in Ghana. That decision led me to transformation intentional so I could write the book Peace in the Puzzle: Becoming Your Intended Self and to find my purpose - to help others become their intended selves. The symbol is on my lower back and on each page of my book.
I have not regretted the symbol I chose, but I sometimes think about the last few symbols that were in the running before I settled on self-transformation.
One of them is the Japanese word for living with a sense of purpose – ikigai. To me it means, living knowing why I am here and what I am supposed to be doing with my life. Since I found my purpose, I have never been happier.
After reading my book, many people have asked if each person only has one purpose. I answer that it depends on what you mean by one. Consider, for example, that your purpose may be to support others in times of stress. On the playground, this could have meant that you supported those being bullied but as an adult it may mean that you are a hospice volunteer.
One woman told me that after doing the exercises in the book, she decided that at 26 years of age, her purpose for now is to discover what she is intended to do in this life. Each day, she wakes with a spirit of discovery and hopefulness. She told me, she too had never been happier.
At age 87, another woman told me that after reading the book, she was reminded when she became her intended self when her adult daughter was killed in a car accident in a construction zone. She became an advocate for safe driving and regularly supported those who experienced a loss such as hers. When she told me this, she smiled, saying that even in the face of such loss, knowing her purpose made going forward with her life possible.
Want to find happiness? Begin the journey to find what you and only you were born to do. One step would be to think about IF you were to mark yourself for life with a tattoo, what symbol would you choose. Whether you get a tattoo or not, your decision will lead you to what is important to you and may lead you to your intended self. The self-confidence that comes with clarity of personal purpose will make you happier.
Happy hunting!
