Got Purpose?
Feel like your life has no purpose? Like you need to figure out what your true purpose in life is? Time to start “living your purpose.” Hogwash, I say. I have been fed the same messages for the past few years, approaching the time when I became the empty nester, after spending the past 20 years as a single mother of three daughters. Really? Find my purpose? I even recall being told by my mother that she was proud of me for finally searching for and starting to live my life with more meaningful purpose and “start helping others” --like she has done with her life. Seriously? “Start helping others?” Well, I know better now. Your life has had immeasurable purpose up to today, and so has mine.
I have lived my life with tremendous purpose. I aspired to be a wonderful role model for my daughters, to build a successful career and earn enough money to be able to provide them with cars on their sixteenth birthdays, to gift them with a debt-free undergraduate college degree, to show them the strength and power we women have when we set our minds to achieving our goals and working toward them. I set out to educate myself further, earned a Master’s Degree in Nutrition. Became an expert in the IT Industry when I realized I could not support my daughters on a nutritionist salary. I loved my daughters unconditionally, cheered them on, supported their passions. I was a leader professionally. Taught my daughters the value of a strong work ethic. Taught them about being a good person, a great friend, opening our home to others and the importance of giving to others who are in need. Yes, I have lived my life by example, not just to my daughters, either. Countless men and women have told me what an inspiration I am to them, everyone from practical strangers to managers who watched in awe as I accomplished great things in my career while never missing a cello, violin or dance recital—ever.
Purpose? You bet my life has had purpose. But, here is the point. Once the circumstances in our lives change, so too does the form and nature of our purpose. That doesn’t mean that we are lost souls, or that we have to go out and reinvent ourselves. Quite the contrary. We merely need to tap into what has made us the incredible people we are, to dig deeper into ourselves to find a new direction and a new focus for the same powerful energy that is within us. Since I know and believe we are truly spiritual beings have a human experience here on earth, our spirits have the infinite possibilities of the power of the Universe within us, and the ability to tap into that infinite wisdom, infinite power and oneness to express our uniqueness in new and unfolding ways. You do not have to FIND your purpose. You merely have to open your heart to see it in all of its grand forms of expression.
I remember the exercise we did during my Choices workshop. In retrospect, we never referred to it as finding your purpose, and in fact, the entire exercise focuses on the things that are important to us and that are an essential part of who we already are. It was never about “becoming” something different. Rather recognizing that magic already within us that helps us shine our light out in the world.
I invite you to look within and find your own shimmering light. Chances are everyone who knows you already sees it…