Got Purpose?
Is there just one life path for us? And where does this idea come from anyway?
Some stellar talent or ability
Have you ever been told “you were born to be..”? My hair stylist told me last week that she was destined to do hair. She was emphasizing that she loved her job, was naturally good at it, and, at a deeper level, that it gave meaning to her life. It is quite easy then to say that this was her purpose in life.
Is that aptitude or ability all there is to her?
A drive to find meaning
As humans we attempt to ferret out meaning in just about everything we do. Usually we hone in on a career or a compelling passion to express ourselves. But do we, like my hairstylist born to do hair, view our purpose as one thing?
Just as the acorn is destined to become an oak, do the seeds of our calling only emerge in one way?
How many different ways do you find meaning in life?
Here are some problems in viewing our lives through the prism of one fixed purpose.
1. Don’t shrink yourself into a box
We reduce complex issues to their simplest terms in order to wrap our minds around them. So we hear people saying, “Oh you are an introvert or a depressive or born to be an artist”.
As if one adjective, personality category, or professional identity can capture the essence of our person.
2. Never predict the future
When I was in my 20’s I would never have dreamed how my life would be today. Now multiple professions later, four countries lived in, a variety of jobs come and gone, and friends who faded in and out I could never have imagined my life as it is today.
All the guidebooks did not prepare me for the surprises and false starts that I actually experienced.
So what are your options when life knocks you off course? Well if you were destined to do or be one thing you are out of luck. You may have to live on the bench and never get back in the game.
3. Look Inward
We are far more complex than just being destined for one thing. How can we reduce the wonders of the universe to one star or even galaxy? How can we boil down a person’s achievement or personal skills or passion to one manifestation of the self?
Such reductionism violates the mystery of our person and makes our life’s journey too simplistic.
But if we learn how to go inward to the seat of our consciousness then we have a better shot at going outwards towards our true calling.
I am learning that meditation, centering prayer, silence in nature, and even the use of mind-expanding substances like psilocybin are vehicles that divert us from the small ego-self. These practices transport us to an inner operating system or the True self.
The nexus of meaning is where we get out of our heads and into our hearts. Here we encounter the core of our being. That’s when we have a shot at finding our true self/calling.
That inner spiritual movement takes us way beyond measuring our value through achievements and performance.
Answer these questions
- Do I experience oneness with others in serving the common good?
- Do I become a more loving person?
These are the metrics on whether you arrive at your purpose