Insights on purpose
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Purpose is more than a passion project
Discovering your purpose in life is more than a passion project.
Yes, you may find passion is part of your purpose. But passion is the result of following your purpose, not its inspiration.
Nevertheless, many books and websites approach finding your purpose from the perspective of passion.
They claim, “Follow your passion and you will discover your purpose!” While not entirely wrong, it is woefully incomplete.
It’s time for a heart-to-heart
“If only I had some time to myself! Sound familiar? Are you wondering how to cope with all the things you have to do? Are you thinking you need more time for yourself? Or, like me, are you too busy to even think about that?
I gather this happens to a lot of us - getting stuck in the weeds of our daily life, trying to keep up while pleasing everyone, tackling our to-do list, and never really lifting our faces to notice the beautiful clouds passing by. Instead of listening to your inner sage, your intuition, you’re probably just running from one thing to the next to the next.
So listen up! Here’s some advice from my heart to yours …
Matching what’s important with reality
Balancing what’s important on the inside—in our hearts and minds—with our understanding of the world outside is no easy task. We might deceive ourselves as to what really matters or what’s relevant to us – or maybe we just don’t know.
We also might be deceiving ourselves about the reality of the world around us. Sometimes we put blinders on or wish things weren’t the way they are.
What about your life? What aspects of your world don’t match up?
Think you know your purpose in life? Which one?
It seems some of us have lots of purposes in life! But how can that be?
Because there are actually six dimensions to purpose. Family and career are aspects of two of those dimensions, while health and hobbies are aspects of two other dimensions of purpose.
What I’m really asking about is their intrinsic purpose, the kind that uniquely expresses who they are, a summation of their self-identity, abilities, values, and concerns. Do you know yours?
What really matters to you?
The disruption, the isolation, the inability to live what we thought were normal lives, have generated huge anxiety. The pandemic has taken away something that we thought was basic — control over our lives.
For this reason, many of us have been compelled to take a good look at our lives and ask ourselves, What really matters?
It’s about purpose ….
As individuals, it’s not just the work we do that matters, but who we are that matters. We can be full of doubts and fears, and worry that we’re not good enough or big enough to make the difference we want to make - or, in the face of overwhelming odds (those pesky doubts we have about ourselves), we can realize our own unique potential and step up to the challenge of being the very best we can be.
Finding peace of mind in these uncertain times
There is much in the world over which we have no control. The virus, the casualties, the media, the stats. While we cannot change these things, we do have control over how we respond to them. Worrying about something bad happening is not going to prevent it happening. If we allow fear or anxiety to dominate our daily lives, we diminish our capacity for resourcefulness, for creativity, for kindness, and for love.
Discover your purpose
Do you have a deep sense that you’re not quite doing what you’re supposed to -- only you have no idea what that is? Are you looking for something that would have you feel more engaged and alive? Are you feeling a bit down, disconnected and directionless?