Why do I want to live?

Yesterday, I sat down with my goals coach, Jason Blanchard, to discuss my plan for the next year. He threw a curve ball at me that I was absolutely not expecting. Jason looked at me and asked, "So, if you are doing this because you don't want to die, why do you want to live?" It seems like such a basic question, but I honestly could not answer. It's been in the back of my mind for the last 24 hours, and I thought maybe writing this out would help.

How does one even begin to contemplate why they want to stay alive? I know that part of why I'm doing this project is because I know that being unhealthy is going to eventually catch up to me. I know that I don't want to die of lung cancer, or get diabetes. But why do I want to live?

Would it be ridiculous to say that I don't want my mother to be alone? That's not really a reason for me, that's a reason for her. What do I want out of life that is so important for me to see this through? I don't have children that I'm raising, I don't have a husband to take care of, it's just me. Maybe what I really want is to inspire. I want someone reading this blog to discover that they want more out of life than just living the day to day. Truly, if I can get through this, and really do this right, anyone can. I've spent years being complacent and perfectly comfortable with the minimum out of life. I don't want that anymore.

I want to travel and see the world for how truly incredible it is. I want to be well read and have insightful conversations with new people. I want to give back to those who aren't as fortunate as I am. I want to utilize my talents and abilities and share them with the world. I want my life to actually have purpose. A true purpose.

Why do I want to live? Because I need to find out what that purpose is.