"The charged life...usually calls to us after we have done what we were supposed to do, become who we thought we were supposed to be, lived as we thought we were supposed to live. Then the safety and comfort and compromise get to us, and a stirring of restlessness and revolution sends us off in search of greater adventures and meaning." Brendan Burchard, The Charge

I'm not a philosopher. Most of the time I feel like an everyday mom who has a goal of raising children to end up as happy, fulfilled and productive adults. Sometimes, however, I find myself caught in a mild existential crisis. Why am I here? Should I be conscious of some sort of "meaning" in my life? Should I live with more purpose? Am I doing "enough"? 

Of course, I don't know the answers to these questions. I don't even know if those answers exist. Thankfully, the questions don't plague me, and I find a lot of purpose in remembering that being a parent, a good parent, is my most important job. 

In his book, The Charge, author Brendan Burchard discusses "activating the 10 human drives that make us feel alive." Those drives are: 

• Control
• Congruence
• Caring
• Competence
• Change
• Creative expression
• Connective
• Challenge
• Contribution
• consciousness 

I've been adjusting to some pretty major life changes over the past few years, and I think that a lot of those adjustments have resulted in the questions I have over my own existence. After all, as we get older and watch our parents age, our babies grow and see loved ones move away, it's not difficult to get a bit philosophical over what matters and want we want and need in our lives.

Two of the Charges that really spoke to me were the topics of Congruence and Challenge:

I took the congruence charge charge to mean that we need to "practice what we preach." Align our true desires with what we're actually doing. For me, it's more about aligning my true wants and needs with what I actually buy, obtain, and do. For example, I think a lot about eating healthy meals. I come up with lifestyle plans in my head, bookmark recipes to try and talk about healthy eating with my friends. When it comes down to it, however, I come up with plenty of excuses to eat unhealthy things. 

Whether it's an excuse like a lack of willpower or it's just a fear of wasting money on expensive fresh food that will spoil, I definitely think the time has come to be admit that I'm not acting upon my true heart's desire, and I need to look at what I really want inside and start making the changes that I truly want to make. 

I also really thought the Challenge Charge had a lot of heart. I love the idea of coming up with 12 challenges and dedicating one month a year to work through them. Whether it's bucket-list-type dreams of speaking another language or learning how to play an instrument or something more far reaching, like volunteering or improving a relationship, it's easy to get overwhelmed with all the things we want to do in our lives. 

Breaking those items down into a list, prioritizing them into those that you want to accomplish soon and can do in 30 days, then putting a start date and completion date on them feels like it would be a great motivator in achieving some long-term goals. 

While all 10 Charges are a bit overwhelming when viewed as a whole, I've started recently practicing a "do what you can" mantra. It's help me learn to release the guilt that comes from not being able to "do it all" and instead lets me focus on and prioritize the most important things.

One thing I really admire about the author and the overall conclusion of the book is that mastering all 10 charges is a huge challenge. Even the author states that he's still working on them! 

If you're looking for some inspiration as we move into this new season, take a look at The Charge and try to find the drives that make YOU feel alive!

Order your free copy of The Charge today!

Share with us what makes you feel most alive for a chance to win a High Performance Academy Online Seminar with Brendon Burchard, author of The Charge (valued at $1,000).

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Burchard Group Sponsored Conversation. The opinions and text are all mine. Burchard Group Sweepstakes and Rules.