Life’s Purpose
Something I struggled a lot with in my 20s was the idea of my life’s purpose and work.
I was convinced my purpose was a career path of some kind.
As I’ve gotten older and reflected, I’ve realized work is part of our purpose, not the whole aspect.
Let’s discuss this.
Meaning and purpose have always been the main drivers in my life. It’s been kind of annoying at times. The drive has kept me from focusing on more materially driven goals.
Sometimes I wished I could desire to go after money, but something deep inside always fought it. I could never get myself to pursue money for money alone. I needed something with more purpose to live for than money.
Work and purpose are interwoven.
So purpose and work dominated my mind.
For years It went unresolved. It lingered in my mind. Reminding me of how empty my life felt.
Wondering what was my purpose in life.
I couldn’t commit to anything for many years because I was searching for my “purpose.”
There were things in my mind blocking my ability to move forward because I was fixed on how my life’s purpose worked. I was sure what it should look like and how I should feel about it. But I was misaligned with my perspective because I believed purpose was supposed to be tied to a specific activity.
Passion was needed that seemed to be missing.
Passion can be overemphasized.
I’ve learned that passion and purpose are sexy words that can sometimes mislead us.
Overthinking our passion and purpose is something we all can struggle with.
So instead of pondering everything without action, I changed things up.
I realized my life purpose was to be a good human and help others find the fire of Eternity within themselves.
Work was simply a means to that end.
It didn’t matter much about the specifics of my work. Though there are many ways to express myself through work.
This allowed me to let go of the idea that my purpose was anchored to a specific type of work, which allowed my life to progress.
This progress began to open my mind to the endless ways I could fulfill my purpose.
I could be a good person no matter what job I had.
I could help others find the fire within regardless of the field I worked in.
I started to see that the skills and experience I’ve built are practical means to expand my vision for my life.
What mattered was how I approached things. Work is the vessel for us to pour our compassion and detail into the things we care for.
Not what I was doing, per se.
This shift helps because it allows us to see that anything can be purposeful if we bring an intentional mindset.
The activity is almost irrelevant.
This means we can make anything we do a life with a purpose.
Garnering skills only make us more capable of fulfilling our purpose.
The purpose in life
Life’s purpose is what each of us makes it.
I’ve realized it’s more about the quality of being we bring to everything we do that matters. Less about the specifics and more about the energy we bring. Energy is what transforms the world around us. Taking ideas from thought into material reality is an energetic transformation.
Finding your why.
The work we must do focuses on finding the underlying theme of what drives us from within. These will be the beliefs, ideas, and values that matter most to us.
For me, this is the recognition of our Heavenly Father and the one Human family we’re part of. This belief excites me beyond anything I can describe. It helps me to view life as an epic cosmic journey we’re all embarked upon together to learn and grow.
What an incredible privilege!
It may be different for you.
What matters is finding those things you can’t get away from. The ideals you would never surrender. They often linger in our minds somewhere, no matter how much we may push them away.
Once we uncover some of the value and ideal pieces we can’t live without, the expression of those values can be achieved in infinite ways.
For example, my content, business, family, marriage, friendships, etc., become vehicles for my purpose.
Not simply the work or career type I’ve chosen.
Knowing Ourselves
Self-awareness helps us define what type of work we’re engaged by.
Finding activities that engage us and reflecting on how we’d like to impact the world around us can bring clarity and fulfillment to our lives.
It’s easy to overthink this type of stuff.
We aim to live each day to the best of our abilities.
Over time, we compound impact. It’s a slow and steady build. The power happens in the daily habits we create by following the process each day. Taking rest days to ensure we recharge and reengage with our work. This is true for both physical and mental intensive work.
Curiosity leads us.
Now, how can we uncover the activities to focus on each day?
Think about the things that seem never to leave our minds.
What are they?
- What are the components?
- What do you lose time doing?
- What gets you in the heart?
- What is the quality of the activities?
- What piques your curious nature?
It’s okay if we don’t have answers right away.
Reflecting on things that stick in our minds can clarify our purpose. It can pull us closer to those things tied to our spirit and its expression.
It’s a process
The more we learn and explore ourselves, the more clarity that comes. It doesn’t happen overnight.
The most incredible journey we can take is one of self-exploration and expression.
Understanding it’s a marathon and not a sprint can help us embrace the work ahead. It’s a practice. It’s something we chip away at each day. It builds over time. The process of building a life with purpose. It’s the most fulfilling thing we can do with our life.
To reach for our potential, dare to cultivate it, and then share it with the world is the hero’s journey we all yearn for. There is magic in our lives now. We have to find it within us to live true to it.
The sooner we can embrace the process, the sooner we will find contentment in our day-to-day lives.
We must be kind and compassionate to ourselves during this process. It’s a brutal process of reflection and healing. Going into the dark quarters of our being is not for the faint-hearted.
Self-knowledge is what we’re after, and it comes with a price.
As we learn of ourselves, expression becomes natural.
But we stumble through the dark in the early stages of this journey. We accelerate our progress forward by showing compassion toward ourselves instead of judgment. We tap into the abundant natural flow of energy that lives within existence, love. It’s not some cheesy statement.
Compassion is the way of the Universe. The quicker we align with it, the quicker it supports our journey.
It’s all around us, but we have lost our ability to see it.
Fulfillment is a byproduct.
Fulfillment soon follows. This cost is not for nothing. It brings great riches to those brave enough to persist on the path of self-expression. There is a reason so few choose to take this journey, but there is no greater triumph than feeling at peace within yourself and at ease with your place in existence.
So many are searching for fulfillment and meaning; you don’t have to suffer if you feel these things.
The personal hell we must climb out of will be ours to mend. The path is unique for each of us, but it’s doable and worth it. Find the power in yourself and forge a new path forward emblazoned by your soul.
The world needs great men now more than ever.
If you struggle and want to connect, you can reach me here. This is a battle worth fighting.
Originally tweeted by Brandon Ward 🇺🇲 (@BrandonLeeWard) on December 5, 2022.
