Oft asked of a new acquaintance or long-lost friend is “What do you do?” The question of how we spend our days often defines others’ opinion of us, How we answer that question defines our own opinion of ourselves.
Thus, begins the process of circumscribing ourselves by What we do rather than Why we do it. As we climb the ladder at work we forget to ask ourselves Why we are engaged in what we are doing. Money is a decent enough reason but its also a gross underestimation of our own abilities. How we split our time, measure our progress, re-calibrate and re-start must be defined by a Purpose.
Exploration of Purpose brought to light 4 primary pillars of it:
What did you want to do when you were 10 years old?
Children don’t understand fear, when you were a child you thought you could conquer the world. And you were right, look back to what you wanted to do when you were pre-teens, most of us will find our answers in those day dreams. Mind you, it may be terrifying but feel that terror. Let it panic you for as long as it does but don’t let go of the dream, soon the distress will pass and courage will begin to set in.
Re-purpose your Purpose
If you were to parent yourself at 10 years old, what would you tell yourself you needed to do to to bring your dreams to fruition. Examine carefully what you hope to achieve whilst following the dream. Follow the chain of thought until you find one with a Purpose. You will know you’ve found the right one when your mind’s eye can conceive the difference it will make to society and your evolution as a person. One won’t and shouldn’t know exactly how everything will play out, one just needs to know the next step and a whole lot of unknowns.
Where does one begin?
Once one knows what it is one wants you do, a step a day goes a long way. Whether it be in initiating an edification towards the Purpose or commencing a transition to a Purpose filled life, begin now. A weekly or fortnightly assessment of your advancement will ensure adherence to your transition into a purposeful life. Keep the bigger picture in mind whilst paying close attention to how your day to day undertakings.
Do not measure Success by Results
Living a Purpose driven life is as much about the journey as it is about the attainment of results. Do not let achievement define your success. Success is much bigger than the fulfilment of results and realisation of tasks. It is a combination of inner transformation, an enhanced appreciation of the world we live in and a metamorphosis we have effected through our contributions. No contribution is too big or too small, as long as it brings about a difference in even one person’s life your.
Your purpose is meant to give meaning to your life beyond what you do and only You can define what that is. Invest in finding out what it is and never give up on your journey towards it.