Purpose

"Can a life be shaped without purpose?   Such a life would be either unconscious or shortsighted.   Of course such lives exist.   There are people who totally dedicate themselves to work for it's own sake, to materialism and getting ahead, to saving for the future or protecting the present.  One can't call these meaningless choices, but they fall short of the human's potential to inspire" - Deepak Chopra

***

I mean, don't even try and tell me that this question has not crossed your mind at least once.

You never have thought - "what is my purpose"?

This question became an afternoon discussion at the Personal Leadership Workshop I recently attended and has left a permanent mark on my outlook to life. 

It is remarkable how many assumptions surround the concept of what we believe “purpose” to mean.

Is it - "Why we are here?"

 Or - 
"What I am supposed to be doing."




Do I only have one?


Is it a career?

Do I have to "do" it?


Am I a failure if I don't achieve "it"?

Does it change?

Does it relate to how I best serve others?

Am I lost if I do not have one?

Does everyone even have one to begin with?

Do I even need to know what "it" is?

The dictionary defines purpose as "the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists" - Synonyms: motive, motivation, cause, reason, justification, intention, objective, goal, target, aspiration.

This is the common viewpoint.

To look at purpose as a "noun".

A "thing" to which we must "seek".

As a verb it symbolizes "one's intention or objective." - to intend, aim, plan, design, resolve, propose, aspire. 

Although a different point of view, it still assumes that purpose is to be found, that it is a fixed statement or something we are searching for.

You could look at the likes of people like Adele and Whitney Houston with the voice of angels or Josh Donaldson's hitting power, Steve Job's creativity or Betty White's talent and you think - theirs is SO obvious.

Man, I wish I had one. 

I wonder if I do have one.  

I wonder if I'm ever going to find it. 

Those other people are SO lucky.

There are also many people who have never really given this much thought.   Either it is a chore to consider that there is meaning to life and a game of daily survival or “ignorance is bliss” and on we go with our merry way daily without ever thinking there is a purpose to our existence.

So here's something I invite you to consider.

What if purpose is an attitude not a mission?

We may all have gifts and talent but what if purpose is a way of ‘being’, not something to be ‘doing’?

Just think about that for a second.

An emotion, not an action.

An approach, not a job.

Not a place we go to, but an energy we bring to everywhere we go and everything we do.

How does that change every single aspect of your life if you were to apply this theory?

***

The artwork (I use this term loosely) on the photo below, was created in an exercise at our workshop symbolizing, what I believe, to be my purpose.  

(Let the record show that my Sister clearly got all the creative genes.)

The picture is shaped like a clock (in case this is not obvious).   

How do I approach my time towards all the facets of my life? 

If purpose is an attitude, how do I want to behave?

I, personally, want to approach every situation with curiosity.

I want to explore and remove the walls of my own perfectionistic tendencies to learn and grow and expand my life experience.

Purpose is not what I do, but how I do it.

I want to feel.

I want to be present and mindful of where I am and where to channel my energy to.

I want to be fully aware of my surroundings and take it all in.

I want to immerse myself deeply into every situation and face my fears, with an understanding that my happiness lies on the other side of what I am most afraid of.

I want to understand that every day I might wake up differently than the day before and that I continue to grow and change and evolve as a human being.

What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow, and that's okay, because I am continually seeking a greater awareness.

I want to take my experiences, convey that emotion and write and share it with others.  

I want to use my gift of expression to inspire people to expand their own awareness, to remove judgment and extend beyond their own boundaries, to experience life to the highest frequency possible.

My Purpose : Live Life in Colour.

Explore.

Immerse.

Experience.

Share.

***

Imagine a world where everyone brings their A-game every day.

A world with a little more time appreciating where you are and a little less time scrolling through where you aren't.

A world where there is no room for negativity and gossip. 

Where the conversation is about celebrating personal growth and creating a vision of what’s next, with less time dedicated to judging and putting others down.

Imagine a world without mediocrity.  

Where everyone shows up and is fully present, driven for self improvement and aiming to be better than yesterday.

Where the speed of the pace leaves room for creativity and innovation, where meditation becomes part of an organization’s core values, where vacations are mandatory for employee wellbeing and company productivity, and where we develop compassion as a core competency as we begin to understand that the most challenging of personalities have something to teach us.

Imagine a world where we embrace fear and vulnerability, knowing that the richest experiences available to us happen once we break through that barrier.

Imagine that it’s possible our purpose to exist in a human life is to fully embrace every situation using all our senses.

To see every detail and appreciate every vivid colour.   

To feel every emotion in its fullest capacity.   

To grieve, to love, to desire, to appreciate, to laugh, to cry.   

To smell the smoke from the campfire, the fresh cut grass on a summer day and the salty air to the lakefront .

To touch the hand of another being and feel love.   

To hear the birds, the joy of music and the lessons as they are unfolding in our minds. 

What a deeply satisfying thought that is to imagine that’s exactly what our life purpose could be meant to be.