I came across a quote the other day by Denis Waitley, the American motivational speaker and best-selling author. It was "Purpose is the engine powering your life". I had only a few moments earlier been discussing with my mother the importance of having a project, or something which "you can get your teeth into".

In my mother's case it is very important because she is the grand-mother of worriers, and unless she has something interesting to distract her attention, worries will not only creep in, they will run riot in her mind and cause havoc in her life. Worries and anxieties do not only impact upon one's psyche, they affect your sleep patterns, your nervous system, your digestive system and your entire physiology. Unfortunately as we get older, we tend to worry more and the impact of anxieties can be seen in high blood pressure, insomnia, trembling and so on.

One may say that we worry more as we get older because we have more to worry about; others may say that we worry more because we have less going on which distracts our attention and hence have too much time to think. Either way, it pays dividends in terms of health, emotional equilibrium and well-being in general to learn to let go of worries and to distract oneself.

I am very aware of letting my mother continue to worry about certain little things because I know that she does worry a lot and that it is often better for her to worry about something minor than to latch onto something else. At other times though I do try to step in and get her to try to change her perspective; the worst case scenario is in reality NEVER even 10% as bad as the horror movie which she has managed to create. We talk through her worries logically and look at the real "worst case scenario" and then decide if it is really worth the worry. Then we use a little mental technique to move the worry to the side of her mind and literally "put it in the bin".

Once worries have been relegated to the bin, the next task is distraction; a keen focus upon something else which is interesting and provides you with a sense of purpose and being needed is the key. In my mum's case she now has a task which will be wonderful; it will take months to complete and will be so worthwhile. My dad was a keen photographer and we have literally thousands of slides tucked away in chests. My mum is going to look through these slides and sort them into categories and scan them onto a computer (providing we can find an uncomplicated scanner as my mum does not "do" technology!).

To have a sense of purpose is all important to everyone in life. I'm sure you, like me, have heard others say that the only reason they get up each day is because of their cat, or dog, or child. Without a sense of purpose how would you spend each and every day? And what leads from this sense of purpose is also a feeling of being needed, or being necessary, which implies too that you are important and valued.

We like and need to feel important, useful, and necessary and liked. This is all integral to our self-confidence. It pays to keep as many interests as possible in one's life, so that we have more to entertain our minds as we get older. It also pays to learn mental techniques which allow one to let go of worries and anxieties, and hence to sleep well and feel relaxed in mind and body.

Purpose powers your life in many ways. Purpose for some gives you focus, and allows you to aim for the stars. Purpose for others allows you to keep busy or allows you to feel needed and necessary. Whoever you are and whatever your lifestyle is, to have a sense of purpose is integral to your health and well-being.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis downloads for health, self-confidence and well-being.